CO2 geological storage in saline formations

Auli NiemiUppsala University

Department of Earth Sciences

Hydrologidagarna 20142014-03-18

Stockhoms Universitet

Outline

• What is CCS (Carbon Capture and Storage)

• Key processes

• Key issues and challenges

• Ongoing research projects at Uppsala University

Principle of CO2 storage in saline aquifer

CO2 >

800

m

Several kilometers

Supercritical CO2Brine

A sufficiently impermeable seal (cap rock)

A sufficiently permeable reservoir rock

Estimate of role of CCS in reducing atmospheric CO2

Source: IEA

Options for Geological Storage

IPCC, 2005

• deep saline aquifers• depleted oil and gas fields• unmineable coal seams • other options (e.g. basalts)

Depleted oil/gas fields: - Well understood, lot of data, EOR possibility, proven capability to hold hydrocarbons- Extensively drilled (leaks?), not sufficient volumetric capacityDeep saline formations- Largest overall capacity- Less previous data, not as well demonstrated (sealing capacity)

Global distribution of CO2 sources

IEA GHG, 2002

Distribution of sources by sector

Geographic distribution of large stationary sources

Distribution of CO2 sources in Sweden/Baltic

Geographic distribution of large stationary sources

Distribution of sources by sector

Prospective areas in sedimentary basins world-wide (IPCC, 2005).

Prospective areas in sedimentary basins in Swedish territory (after Henkel et al, Erlström et al, 2011)

Potential areas for storage

How is CO2 stored in the deep aquifer?

How is CO2 stored in the deep aquifer?

CO2

CO2 gets physically trapped beneath the sealing cap-rock and low permeability layers

How is CO2 stored in the deep aquifer?

CO2 gets trapped as immobile isolated residual ’blobs’ in the pore space

CO2

CO2 gets physically trapped beneath the sealing cap-rock and low permeability layers

How is CO2 stored in the deep aquifer?

CO2 gets trapped as immobile isolated residual ’blobs’ in the pore space

CO2 CO2 gets physically trapped beneath the sealing cap-rock and low permeability layers

CO2 dissolves into water

How is CO2 stored in the deep aquifer?

CO2 gets trapped as immobile isolated residual ’blobs’ in the pore space

CO2 CO2 gets physically trapped beneath the sealing cap-rock and low permeability layers

CO2 dissolves into water

CO2 converts into solid minerals

GCCSI identified (mostly planned) large scale projects

Sleipner (North Sea) project

• longest running environmentally motivated CCS project • operating since 1996• Ideal storage reservoir (uniform, thick, extensive, high porosity, high permeability reservoir layer, thick seal of shale

T. Torp, 2011

Seismic monitoring to observe the plume at Sleipner

Myer, 2012

Computer modeling matches the observed plume behavior - Sleipner

Weyburn (Canada) project

• EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery) purposes

• largest amount stored so far• seismic monitoring has been succesful here too

In Salah (Alger)

• Gas field, injection since 2004, stored 2.5 Million Ton

• Application of seismic monitoring challenging

• InSar maps of surface deformation together with geomechanical modeling key to understanding CO2 migration

EU roadmap to CCS implementation

Technical Non-technical

• Financial uncertainty

• Regulatory uncertainty

• Public acceptance

• Infrastructure

Key challenges

• Storage capacity

• Cost - primarily capture

• Possible environmental risks

- leakage

- brine migration and pressure increase

- mechanical integrity, induced seismicity

• Extensive participation to EU R&D projects

• Studies in Sweden;

- two pre-feasibility studies during 2012-2013

financed by Energimyndigheten (SwedstoreCO2 and Bastor)

CCS work at Uppsala University

Our Ongoing EU R&D projects

MUSTANG – large-scale integrating project for quantifying Saline Aquifers for CO2 Geological Storage (2009-2014)-Coordinator

Panacea – project focusing on long term effects of CO2 Geological Storage (2012-2014)- WP leader (led by EWRE, Israel)

TRUST – project continuing and expanding the field experiment of MUSTANG (Nov. 2012-Nov 2017)- WP leader (led by EWRE, Israel)

CO2QUEST – project focusing on effect of impurities of CO2 stream (March 2013- Feb 2016)- WP leader (led by UCL, England)

Test sites

• MUSTANG (www.co2mustang.eu)

• Develop methodology and understanding for the quantification of saline aquifers for CO2

geological storage

• Large scale integrating project, 19 partners, 24 affiliated organizatons

• 7 test sites includingone deep injection experiment and one shallow injection experiment of CO2, as well as strong laboratory experiment, process

understanding and modeling components

Uppsala led large EU R&DProject - MUSTANG

MUSTANG PARTNERS

MUSTANG SIRAB

Understranding the site properties

Contributing: UU, SGU, UNOTT, CSIC, LIAG, UGÖTT,GII, IIT, EWRE, UB, CNRS, UEDIN

Example – South Scania Site Sweden

Contributing: UU, SGU

Improving the field testing methods

Interface-specific tracers

Geophysical methodsCO2 Injection-monitoring –sampling system

Contributing: UU, UGÖTT,GII, EWRE, CNRS, Imageau, Solexperts, Vibrometric, CSIC

Reservoir rock samples

Caprock samples

Reservoir properties

Fractured caprockalteration

Initial state

Claystone

20m1mm

Laboratory Experiments - Synopsis

Percolation bench

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40980

990

1000

1010

1020

60°C

50°C

40°C

30°C20°C12°C

De

nsity

/ kg

m-3

Pressure / MPa0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

980

990

1000

1010

1020

60°C

50°C

40°C

30°C20°C12°C

De

nsity

/ kg

m-3

Pressure / MPa

Brine-CO2 mixture properties

Laboratory Experiments

Contributing: CNRS, UGÖTT, KIT, UEDIN, UU

Example -

– Saturation

– Porosity after calcite dissolution

CaCO3(s) + H+ = Ca2+ + HCO3−

CO2(aq) = CO2(g)

H+ + HCO3− = H2O + CO2(aq)

NaCl(s) = Na+ + Cl−

HCO3− = H+ + CO3

2-

H2O = H+ + OH−

Saaltnik et al, 2012

Improving simulation models

Heletz deep CO2 injection experiment

Scientifically motivated CO2 injection experiment of scCO2 injection to a reservoir layer at 1600 m depth, with sophisticated monitoring and sampling

CO2 injection experiment

Objectives• To gain understanding and develop methods to determine the two key trapping mechanisms of CO2 (residual trapping and dissolution trapping) at field scale, impact of heterogeneity• Validation of predictive models,measurement and monitoring techniques wells for field

experiments

injection-withdrawal of scCO2 and brine

zone of residual trapped scCO2

1. 2.

Determine in-situ residual and dissolution trapping parameters

Reduced influence of formation heterogeneity

scCO2, brine & tracers

sc CO2

push-pull dipole

Heterogeneity affects migration and trapping

Hydraulic tests Thermal tests Tracer tests

residual trapping

residual trapping

residual & dissolution trapping, (& interfacial area)

Our Ongoing EU R&D projects

MUSTANG – large-scale integrating project for quantifying Saline Aquifers for CO2 Geological Storage (2009-2014)-http://www.co2mustang.eu (Uppsala coordinator, closing meeting in Uppsala May 26-27, 2014)

Panacea – project focusing on long term effects of CO2 Geological Storage (2012-2014)-http://panacea-co2.org/

TRUST – project continuing and expanding the field experiment of MUSTANG (Nov. 2012-Nov 2017)-http://trust-co2.org/

CO2QUEST – project focusing on effect of impurities of CO2 stream (March 2013- Feb 2016)-http://www.co2quest.eu/

Hontomin

Heletz

Partners: EWRE, Uppsala, Göttingen Univ, CSIC, CNRS, Edinburgh Univ., Cambridge Univ, Technion, Statoil, Nottingham Univ, Imageau (Nat Res Can, CO2CRC, LBNL)

Panacea - long-term effects of CO2

Possibilities to store CO2 in Sweden/Baltic

•two feasibility studies 2012-2013, financed by the Swedish Energy Authority

•SwedeStoreCO2; to look at possibilities for a pilot scale injection experiment in the Swedish territory

•BASTOR; to look at possibilities to store CO2 in the Baltic Sea - so far financing by Finland and Sweden

Contact person: C.Juhlin Uppsala University

Bastor project: objective to look at the storage capacity in the Baltic sea as a whole

Led by Elforsk/Panaware

(contact person: P-A Nilsson)

Baltic Sea formations

SLR report, 2013, to be released by Energymyndigheten

Estimated porosity and permeability – Dalders monocline

Example simulation results; southern part of Dalders monocline

Thank you for your attention!