Predicting the fate of CO2 in geological reservoirs for modelling geological carbon storage
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Earth Sciences
Abstract
The main objective of this proposal is to determining the nature and kinetics of fluid-rock interactions between CO2-rich brines and rocks, in field settings as well as in laboratory experiments, in order to formulate and test models of the behaviour and fate of CO2 injected in geological strata. To do this we need to determine the processes which moderate the fluid-mineral reaction kinetics, particularly the nature of the processes which result in much more sluggish kinetics in field settings compared with the predictions from laboratory experiments. The ultimate objective is to creat a database and methodology that enables the results of this study to be used in risk assessments and performance modelling of geological carbon storage sites. To achieve these main objectives we will need to carry out the following: 1) Evaluate natural (CO2 natural gas reservoirs) and anthropogenic (CO2 injection EOR - Enhanced Oil Recovery) sites as analogues for geological CO2 storage. As necessary, determine the hydrology and the nature of the CO2-fluid to reservoir brine interactions in these sites and characterise the reservoir mineralogy, mineral characteristics that might control reaction rates (e.g. mineral surface areas and topologies) and fluid-mineral reactions by using a range of mineralogical, geochemical and isotopic analytical techniques. 2) Carry out laboratory experiments on reservoir materials, cap rocks and single minerals to investigate mineral-fluid reactions and reaction kinetics under controlled conditions and to test the reactions and reaction kinetics inferred from the field-scale studies. 3) Perform laboratory experiments to make detailed measurements of noble gas solubility in, and partitioning between, supercritical and liquid CO2 and brine and extend the data available for the natural analogues to include high precision noble-gas isotopic and concentration data. This data will inform modelling of the hydrology of the naturalCO2 reservoirs. 4) Utilise existing and develop improved thermodynamic modelling of both equilibrium and kinetically-rate limited mineral-fluid reactions to a) relate the results of field-based and laboratory experiments, b) enable more general application of the results from this and other studies to specific field sites and c) use the laboratory and field results to test the applicability of widely used thermodynamic models for mineral reaction rates.
People |
ORCID iD |
Michael Bickle (Principal Investigator) | |
Albert Galy (Co-Investigator) |
Publications
Allan M
(2011)
Relation between the dissolution rates of single minerals and reservoir rocks in acidified pore waters
in Applied Geochemistry
Assayag N
(2009)
Carbon isotopic constraints on CO2 degassing in cold-water Geysers, Green River, Utah
in Energy Procedia
Ballentine C. J.
(2010)
Noble gas isotope insights into the geological storage of carbon
in GEOCHIMICA ET COSMOCHIMICA ACTA
Barry P
(2016)
Noble gases solubility models of hydrocarbon charge mechanism in the Sleipner Vest gas field
in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Barry P
(2018)
Tracing enhanced oil recovery signatures in casing gases from the Lost Hills oil field using noble gases
in Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Bateman K
(2011)
CO2 -porewater-rock reactions-Large-scale column experiment (Big Rig II)
in Energy Procedia
Bickle M
(2013)
Natural Analogues
in Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry
Bickle M
(2017)
Rapid reactions between CO2, brine and silicate minerals during geological carbon storage: Modelling based on a field CO2 injection experiment
in Chemical Geology
Bickle M
(2013)
Lessons in carbon storage from geological analogues
in Geology
Description | Geological carbon storage will be made more safe by the fluid-mineral reactions that 1) rapidly increase the pH of carbonated waters making them less reactive, 2) rapidly deposit significant carbonate especially if fluids migrate upwards through porous caprocks or faults and 3) act to precipitate metals mobilised by CO2 injection or escape into potable aquifers. 4) caprock that has been exposed to a natural CO2-charged aquifer for ~ 100,000 years has been sampled and shows that the chemical reaction front has only progressed 7 cm in that time. 5) Sampling of a EOR CO2 injection phase has shown that fluid-silicate reactions are significant even over the the six-month period of sampling and fluid geochemistry can be used to put important constraints on reservoir heterogeneity which increases the rate of CO2 dissolution in brine. |
Exploitation Route | The information will be and is being used by Industry. This information will be used directly by the large companies involved in carbon capture storage who are aware of the research through scientific publications, presentations at conferences and industrial liason meetings held in our University Department |
Sectors | Education Energy Environment |
URL | http://www.esc.cam.ac.uk/directory/michael-bickle |
Description | Use by Industrial company Research at Green River led Shell to fund a $600 k drillhole to sample reservoir fluids and caprock and led to a joint Shell-Cambridge-BGS-Manchester (Oxford) research grant from DECC to exploit this work. The research has demonstrated that reactions between CO2-charged fluids and caprocks are so sluggish that they do not pose a risk to geological carbon storage. |
First Year Of Impact | 2009 |
Sector | Energy,Environment |
Impact Types | Economic |
Description | Presentation to BEIS on geological carbon storage |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
Description | Radioactive waste National Geological Review Panel |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
Description | Science Advisory Group for NERC's Energy Security and Innovation Observing System for the Subsurface Project |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Participation in a guidance/advisory committee |
URL | http://www.bgs.ac.uk/research/energy/esios/home.html |
Description | Shale gas extraction in the UK: a review of hydraulic fracturing: The Royal Society and The Royal Academy of Engineering |
Geographic Reach | National |
Policy Influence Type | Contribution to a national consultation/review |
Impact | Provided science and environmental case for extraction of shale gas |
Description | DECC CCS Innovation Programme £20 million Competition Call |
Amount | £735,533 (GBP) |
Organisation | King's College London |
Department | Depression Case Control Study (DeCC) |
Sector | Academic/University |
Country | United Kingdom |
Start | 09/2012 |
End | 03/2015 |
Description | technology development roadmap |
Amount | $981,000 (AUD) |
Organisation | BHP Billiton |
Sector | Private |
Country | Australia |
Start | 03/2017 |
End | 02/2020 |
Description | Green river Scientific Drilling |
Organisation | Shell Global Solutions International BV |
Country | Netherlands |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | Provided scientific knowledge to enable planning of project |
Collaborator Contribution | Provided funding and knowhow to carry out drilling |
Impact | See publications |
Start Year | 2011 |
Description | Quantifying CO2 trapping mechanisms and capacity in open saline aquifers - the role of reservoir heterogeneity |
Organisation | BHP Billiton |
Country | Australia |
Sector | Private |
PI Contribution | research |
Collaborator Contribution | research collaboration |
Impact | none |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Quantifying CO2 trapping mechanisms and capacity in open saline aquifers - the role of reservoir heterogeneity |
Organisation | Stanford University |
Department | Department of Psychology |
Country | United States |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | research |
Collaborator Contribution | research collaboration |
Impact | none |
Start Year | 2017 |
Description | Quantifying CO2 trapping mechanisms and capacity in open saline aquifers - the role of reservoir heterogeneity |
Organisation | University of Melbourne |
Department | School of Social and Political Sciences |
Country | Australia |
Sector | Academic/University |
PI Contribution | research |
Collaborator Contribution | research collaboration |
Impact | none |
Start Year | 2017 |
Title | CO2 solubility model |
Description | Webtool at http://baobab.istep.upmc.fr/ calculates CO2 solubility in fluids with a range of salinities over conditions which will be used for geological carbon storage. |
Type Of Technology | Webtool/Application |
Year Produced | 2015 |
Impact | Only released in June 2015 |
URL | http://baobab.istep.upmc.fr/ |
Description | Min Soc Am short course |
Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
Geographic Reach | International |
Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
Results and Impact | Presented research and paper on geological carbon storage at Short Course organised by the Mineralogical Society of America at Berkley, California. Discussed further research. |
Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2013 |