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Discover the latest advances carbon capture and storage research
This technical review has been undertaken with the aim of providing a high level overview of the current status of basalts as an option for geological storage of CO₂
The study involved a detailed literature review of recent and ongoing research in this topic, with engineering judgement drawn from the findings. The study focussed on caprocks in the context of CO₂ storage in deep saline formations, although depleted hydrocarbon fields were also considered, in the context of the associated wide body of available knowledge. Particular issues considered by the study included: Caprock characteristics for site selection purposes; Geomechanical, geochemical and other relevant processes, and their coupling into predictive performance models; Potential leakage pathways and mechanisms, including faults, fractures and by diffusion; Discussion of the time frames and rates of leakage for the various mechanisms and caprock systems; Best practices for caprock assessment including data collection and modelling methodologies.
Study on evaluation of the effects of impurities on CO₂ transport, injection and storage, sponsored by the International Energy Agency Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEA GHG). The IEA GHG’s objectives of this study are: To provide a review of existing information and published research on the potential impact of CO₂ stream purity on storage reservoir and caprock performance and associated engineering costs; To provide a high level overview of available knowledge. The focus is on storage of impure CO₂ in deep saline formations, since this scenario has the largest theoretical storage capacity and the most significant potential for complex geochemical reactions, although depleted gas fields and CO₂-EOR are also relevant.
The IEAGHG workshop on Natural Releases of CO₂: Building Knowledge for CO₂ Storage Environmental Impact Assessments was held in Maria Laach, Germany, in November 2011 and hosted by CO₂GeoNet and BGR. The workshop was well attended, with forty seven participants from over ten different countries. Sessions included: Setting the Scene; Releases, Magnitudes and Impacts: Marine Environments and Terrestrial Environments; Mobilisation of Brine and Metals; Near Surface vs. Deep Subsurface Mechanisms and, Monitoring Challenges in Light of Natural Systems. Due to considerable interest in the workshop and an overly prescribed agenda, poster sessions were included within coffee and lunch breaks, with eight presented posters during the workshop.
Worldwide, deep saline formations are expected to store gigatonnes of CO₂ over the coming decades, making a significant contribution to greenhouse gas mitigation. At present, our experience of deep saline formation storage is limited to a small number of demonstration projects that have successfully injected megatonnes of captured CO₂. However, concerns have been raised over pressurization, and related brine displacement within and around deep saline formations, given the anticipated scale of future storage operations. This report aims to address these concerns and their origins in computational and analytical flow models. The report does not address the related impact of brine displacement on shallow potable groundwater, which is the subject of a separate IEAGHG study, to follow in 2011.
This report summarises the main issues related to potential conflicts and possible synergies between geothermal activities and CO<sub>2</sub> geological storage, for the purpose of finding what further research into this area will be necessary and what further steps could be taken by IEAGHG. The majority of the information in the report is largely based on a conference held by the GFZ in Potsdam on Geothermal Energy and CO<sub>2</sub> Storage: Synergy or Competition, which was largely focussed on European issues and did not cover an overall global perspective. There are two principal types of geothermal energy, the traditional hydrothermal, which mines heat using the in-situ geothermal waters and Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), where alternate methods are used to mine the heat. This can involve the fracturing of a low permeability rock to increase fluid flow, as in a Hot Dry Rock System.
This eclectic mix of representation ensured the discussion sessions remained varied, without bias, and included debate reflecting different viewpoints. The future of the network will be determined over the next couple of years, with a proposal to hold a combined Modelling / Wellbore Integrity Meeting in 2011, and the 2nd Joint Network Meeting in 2012. The outcomes of these meetings will help to shape the future development of the IEAGHG networks as a whole. The format of the meeting allowed for 20 minute presentations with 5 minutes for questions. Each of the three meeting sessions was followed by prolonged discussion sessions where ideas and experiences were discussed by the meeting attendees at a greater level of detail. These discussion sessions are the primary focus of this report, and the presentations are available on the network webpage for reference.
The project has two main deliverables: 1) A comprehensive review of international research and current understanding with respect to the strategies, technologies and economics of CO₂ injection into subsurface formations and 2) spreadsheet applications based on analytical methods and look-up tables for the planning of CO₂ injection schemes. The review part of the report addresses the following main topics: a) injection well hydraulics and numerical modelling of CO₂ injection; b) proposed strategies for storage optimisation and experience from existing injection operations; c) economics and trade-offs of CO₂ injection schemes; and d) injection well design and remediation methods. More specifically, the following are covered: <!-- wp:acf/columns {"name":"acf/columns","data":{"padding_top":"1","_padding_top":"field_columns_fields_padding_top","padding_bottom":"1","_padding_bottom":"field_columns_fields_padding_bottom","margin_top":"0","_margin_top":"field_columns_fields_margin_top","margin_bottom":"0","_margin_bottom":"field_columns_fields_margin_bottom"},"mode":"preview"} --> <!-- wp:acf/column-content {"name":"acf/column-content","mode":"preview"} --> <!-- wp:list --><ul><!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>Parameters that affect injectivity and storage capacity were assessed through a critical review of literature and experience from existing storage operations.</li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>The consequences of uncertainty in parameter estimation in numerical reservoir simulations of CO₂ injection schemes are discussed, particularly with respect to relative permeability, heterogeneity effects and economic impacts. </li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>Injection strategies that are believed to enhance dissolution of CO₂ in formation water (i.e., co-injection of water) or mineral precipitation, thereby increasing storage security were examined. </li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li> Economics of well design, drilling techniques and stimulation methods were assessed for various storage environments, reservoir quality and transport distances.</li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><!-- wp:list-item --><li>Selected existing CO₂ storage sites and pilot projects, CO₂-EOR projects and natural gas storage sites were reviewed with respect to well design, injection strategy and associated costs.</li><!-- /wp:list-item --><!-- /wp:list-item --></ul><!-- /wp:list --> <!-- /wp:acf/column-content --> <!-- /wp:acf/columns -->
The two day workshop was divided into eight sessions, opening with a welcome session and closing with the Outcomes and Recommendations discussion session. Presentations were held over six sessions, covering key topics: Regulatory Requirements, What can Risk Assessment deliver?, Risk Communication, Update from Real Projects, Induced seismicity/Geomechanics, and Long-term Risk Management; with twenty minute presentations on average and a minimum thirty minute facilitated discussion. All the discussion sessions were met with enthusiastic input from all participants, many of which continued into the coffee and lunch breaks, expressing the great interest in the workshop topics, and the importance of such an open forum for advancing knowledge in this topical field.
There are currently several carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) projects around the world with extensive monitoring programs. A review and new results for many of these were presented. As this meeting was held in the USA, a session was given to the work being carried out by the US Regional Partnerships (USRPs). This includes projects at various phases, including several at validation phase, planning phase and ongoing development phase. The latter includes the Cranfield site in Mississippi.
In the last years several studies have investigated carbon capture and storage (CCS) from a life cycle perspective focussing on the environmental performance. Scope of this study is to compare systematically the different approaches of fifteen studies, to summarise the results, show the site specific differences, address methodological variations and formulate guidelines to assign the various conclusions gathered from the studies.
The second meeting of the IEAGHG International Research Network on CO₂ Geological Storage Modelling was hosted by the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, on February 16th and 17th, 2010. The meeting comprised four technical sessions: Modelling Methodology and Recent Advances, Integrated Roles and Objectives of Modelling, Modelling of Real Storage Projects; Case Studies and International Efforts towards Best Practice and Modelling Protocols. The agenda was designed to provide ample time for discussions between participants, with breakout groups in sessions 1 and 2, and plenary discussions following sessions 3 and 4. Discussions following Session 1 focussed on recent advances in modelling. Current theoretical and laboratory scale research has continued to advance our understanding of the processes which will control the behaviour of stored CO₂ in the subsurface and govern potential leakage mechanisms. However, there was a consensus that an increased number of large-scale storage projects are required to provide data with which modelling methods can be calibrated
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