Summary of Current Regional
Carbon Sequestration Partnership
Activities, USA
December 9, 2010
CCS Technical Workshop
Kyoto, Japan
Tip Meckel, PhD
Research Associate
Gulf Coast Carbon Center
Bureau of Economic Geology
The University of Texas at Austin

Outline• Department of Energy & National Energy
Technology Laboratory – Regional Carbon
Sequestration Partnership Program(RCSP)• Integrated Systems – Source to Sink
• Role of Enhanced Oil Recovery• Pressure• Onshore vs. Offshore

Carbon Sequestration Program Goals
Develop Technology Options That...
• Deliver technologies & best practices that provide
Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) with:– 90% CO2 capture at source– 99% storage permanence– < 10% increase in COE• Pre-combustion capture (IGCC)– < 30% increase in COE• Post-combustion capture• Oxy-combustion

RCSP

Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships
Innovation for Characterization to Large Scale Injection

Seven Regional Partnerships
400 + distinct organizations, 43 states, 4 Canadian Provinces

BIGBIG SKY
SKYPCORPCOR

WESTCARBWESTCARB
MGSC
MGSC

MRCSP
MRCSP

SWP
SWP
SECARBSECARB• Engage regional, state, and local governments• Determine regional sequestration benefits• Baseline region for sources and sinks• Establish monitoring and verification protocols• Address regulatory, environmental, and outreach issues• Validate sequestration technology and infrastructure

RCSP

RCSP

RCSP

RCSP

AEP @ Mountaineer, WV
American Electric Power
Post-combustion capture: chilled ammonia
Operational 2015
1.5 Mt/yr capture and storage

Integration

Integration

Archer Daniels Midland (ADM)
Corn ethanol plantSouthern Company, MS

Integration

CO2 Capture Unit at Alabama Power’s Plant BarryMHI advanced amine capture unit
• 25 MW post combustion slip stream• Compress CO2 to 2000 psi

12-mile CO2 pipeline constructed by Denbury Resources
CO2 Injection at Denbury’s Citronelle Field 2011-2013
SECARB researchers will monitor injection and 3-years postinjection

CO2 use for Enhanced Oil Recovery(EOR) is Sequestration
CO2 emissions

Captureunit

Separation plant

Oil to market

recycleBrine
CO2EOR

OilCO2

West Texas EOR~150 million metric tons CO2 injected forEOR since 1972 by various oil companies~75 million metric tons CO2 recovered
through 2010
SWP + BEG researchers have documented
no impact to overlying potable groundwater.

EOR

The Role of EOR:Stacked Storage Concept

EOR

Near-term and long-termsources and sinks linked in aregional pipeline network

Enhanced oil and gas production
to offset development cost andspeed implementation

Very large volumestorage in stacked brine
formations beneathreservoir footprints

EOR

Cranfield, MS: SECARB Phase 3
Example of stacked storage concept
Mississippi River
Natchez
Mississippi

3,000 m depth
Gas cap, oil ring, downdip water leg
Shut in since 1965
Strong water drive
Returned to near initial pressureClosely spaced injectors and observation wells inbrine reservoir @ 3 km depth
Injector(F1)Obs #1(F2)

U-TubeSystemteduib
stri
DMSSCATER

Obs #2(F3)

F1msteyeSruterapm
Te

F2

F3

Above-zonemonitoring

Above Zone Monitoring

esPr

mpe
Ts/
10,500 feet BSL

P/T
Injection Zone

DTSSystem

High frequency fluid sampling via U-tube
yields data on flow processes
100%
90%

CH4

Breakthrough ofof CO2

CO2

Originally
60% brine50%
methane40%
saturated
70%

30%

No20%
10%
0%
11/29/09 0:00

DoubleAdditional flow injection
paths – more ratemethane extractedsamples

CONCENTRATION

80%

12/4/09 0:00

12/9/09 0:00

12/14/09 0:00

12/19/09 0:00

12/24/09 0:00

12/29/09 0:00

1/3/10 0:00

SAMPLING TIME

Small diameter sampler with N2 drive brings fluids quickly tosurface with tracers intact
CO2 dissolution into brine liberates dissolved CH4
BEG, LBNL, USGS, ORNL, UTDoG,
data compiled by Changbing Yang BEG

Direction ofCO2 plume

Injectorxxxxxx

Observation well F3 electrodes

Observation well F2 electrodes

Cross Well Electrical Resistance Tomography:
Flow dynamics at inter-well scale over months

Resistive plume = CO2 in reservoir
Conductive plume= workover fluids?
Charles Carrigan, LLNL

SecondResistiveplume out ofsection
migration50ft

Pressure as Monitoring Tool:
Cranfield, MS
Injection wells

Problem: Many wellsHow Good is Cement?
surface
Surface casing toprotect USDWs

Dedicated observation well

Remaining open
annulus between
rock and casing=
Potential leakage
path for CO2 ordisplaced brine?

Add CO2 for
Tertiary
production ofhydrocarbon
resource

Original development 1940’s-60’s

spresmV

Ohm-m-150-100 -50
9,7000510Pressure

16" casing set @ 222'

15

10-3/4" casing set @ 1,825'

9,800

AZMI

DEPTH (ft)9,900

Marinemudstone

10’

10,000Isolation packer
10,100

CO2
Injection
Zone
10,300Terrestrial
fluvial10,20010,142’

Tuscaloosa
perforation
7" casing set @ 10,305'

Tubing data

150

0100-5-10

Jul.03Jul.04

Jul.05Jul.06Jul.07Jul.08Jul.09Jul.10

Jul.11

Jul.12

Jul.13
Jul.14Date

Jul.15

Jul.16

Jul.17

Jul.18Jul.19Jul.20Jul.21

Jul.22

Jul.23

Jul.24

Jul.25Tubing Temperature (F)Tubing Pressure (psig)

Pressure

50

Satellite
transmission

Surface &downhole datacollected every
minute anduploaded every 10
minutes to website.

Observation
wellPressureContinuous 2-year data series
Maximum sustained pressure differential >1,200 psi
Suggests old wells have reasonable integrity.

Some aspects of data difficult to interpret, but likely relate to complicated well completion.

4461 psi

Pressure & Boundary Conditions
Influence Capacity

OPEN

CLOSED

Pressure Mitigation (Fluid Withdrawal)

Pressure

Ron Surdam,
Wyoming, USA
Injected CO2 will raisepressure and displacelarge volumes of brine –where will it go?
Extraction wells may beviable, but costs of reinjecting brine may behigh.
Potential to desalinate
brine for economic use ofwater is being considered.

British Isles & North Sea

AUSTRALIA 2009 RELEASE OF OFFSHORE AREAS
FOR GREENHOUSE GAS STORAGE ASSESSMENT

USA Offshore CCS Activities
Offshore Texas, Gulf of Mexico
T. Meckel & R. Trevino, TX BEG

Onshore vs. Offshore

NETL 2010 Atlas of Capacity
Significant offshore potential
in northern Gulf of Mexico~6,400 square miles
Extends 10.3 miles offshore
40% bays, estuaries, and passes
60% seaward of barrier islands<20% currently leased

SCS Energy LLC

Wilmington Graben,Graben, offshore LA
Mike Bruno, Terralog Tech.

Offshore Monitoring: RITE

Onshore vs. Offshore

Michimasa Magi: IEA Natural Releases Meeting, Maria Laach, Germany, Nov. 2010

Basin Fluid Histories and CO2Baines, 2004

Baines, 2004

CO2 is common in many geologicalsettings.
Understanding the historic ability ofbasins to naturally buffer CO2 will
greatly reduce uncertainties about
long-term fate of injected CO2.

Global CO2 Map
Each country is sized proportional to its annual CO2 emissions.
Thank you to Japanese hosts, especially Ziqiu Xue.
I look forward to working on this important international issue with Japanese researchers.