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.
Organisations
- University of Cambridge (Lead Research Organisation)
- University of Melbourne (Collaboration, Project Partner)
- BHP (Australia) (Collaboration)
- Stanford University (Collaboration)
- Shell Global Solutions International BV (Collaboration)
- Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (Project Partner)
- Curtin University (Project Partner)
People |
ORCID iD |
Michael Bickle (Principal Investigator) | |
Albert Galy (Co-Investigator) |
Publications
Maskell A
(2018)
A siltstone reaction front related to CO2- and sulfur-bearing fluids: Integrating quantitative elemental mapping with reactive transport modeling
in American Mineralogist
Maskell A
(2015)
Kinetics of CO2-fluid-rock reactions in a basalt aquifer, Soda Springs, Idaho
in Applied Geochemistry
McIntosh JC
(2019)
A Critical Review of State-of-the-Art and Emerging Approaches to Identify Fracking-Derived Gases and Associated Contaminants in Aquifers.
in Environmental science & technology
Milodowski A
(2011)
A natural analogue study of CO2 -cement interaction: Carbonation of calcium silicate hydrate-bearing rocks from Northern Ireland
in Energy Procedia
Pearce J
(2011)
Reservoir-scale CO2 -fluid rock interactions: Preliminary results from field investigations in the Paradox Basin, Southeast Utah
in Energy Procedia
Pegler S
(2017)
Fluid transport in geological reservoirs with background flow
in Journal of Fluid Mechanics
Purser G
(2014)
An Experimental and Analogue Study of Iron Release from Red Sandstones
in Energy Procedia
Purser Gemma
(2014)
An experimental study of iron release from red sandstones
in EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts
Rochelle C
(2013)
Carbonation of borehole seals: Comparing evidence from short-term laboratory experiments and long-term natural analogues
in Applied Geochemistry
Rosenqvist
(2014)
Dissolution of K-feldspar at CO2-saturated conditions
in EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts
Rosenqvist J
(2012)
Solubility of carbon dioxide in aqueous fluids and mineral suspensions at 294K and subcritical pressures
in Applied Geochemistry
Rosenqvist, J.
(2010)
Experimental investigations of the effect of carbon dioxide on mineral-water interactions.
in GSA Abstracts with Programs
Sherwood, L.B.
(2010)
Moving beyond tracers: C-13 insights into carbon sequestration
in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Thiéry, V.
(2013)
Aperçu des mécanismes d'hydration du ciment et analogues naturels
in Géochronique
Vidal O
(2009)
Thermodynamic modelling of clay dehydration, stability and compositional evolution with temperature, pressure and H2O activity
in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Warr O
(2015)
Determining noble gas partitioning within a CO2-H2O system at elevated temperatures and pressures
in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Warr O
(2016)
Note: A dual temperature closed loop batch reactor for determining the partitioning of trace gases within CO2-water systems
in Review of Scientific Instruments
Warr O
(2015)
Optimizing Noble Gas-Water Interactions via Monte Carlo Simulations.
in The journal of physical chemistry. B
Warr O.
(2014)
Defining Noble Gas Partitioning for Carbon Capture and Storage Environments
in AGU Fall Meeting Abstracts
Warr, O.
(2014)
Using noble gases to define CO2 behaviour in geological CO2 storage analogues
in GSA Abstracts with Programs
Wigley M
(2013)
In situ redeposition of trace metals mobilized by CO 2 -charged brines
in Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems
Wigley M
(2013)
Controls of sluggish, CO2-promoted, hematite and K-feldspar dissolution kinetics in sandstones
in Earth and Planetary Science Letters
Wigley M
(2012)
Fluid-mineral reactions and trace metal mobilization in an exhumed natural CO2 reservoir, Green River, Utah
in Geology
Wigley M.
(2011)
Trace element mobilisation in a natural analogue CO2 storage site
in Mineralogical Magazine
Young E
(2017)
The relative abundances of resolved l2CH2D2 and 13CH3D and mechanisms controlling isotopic bond ordering in abiotic and biotic methane gases
in Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta
Zhou, Z.
(2011)
Predicting CO2 EOR and geological sequestration processes with artificial noble gas tracers
in Mineralogical Magazine
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 |