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Fundamentals of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

GCCC Digital Publication Series #08-07

Rebecca C. “Becky” Smyth Scott W. Tinker

Ian Duncan

Cited as: Smyth, R.C., Tinker, Scott, Duncan, Ian, Fundamentals of carbon capture and storage (CCS): presented at the Women’s Energy Network, Houston, Texas, October 28, 2008. GCCC Digital Publication #08-07.

Keywords: Monitoring-design, Overview

Fundamentals of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS)

Rebecca C. “Becky” Smyth Gulf Coast Carbon Center, Bureau of Economic

Geology, Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin

Scott Tinker, Director; Ian Duncan, Assoc. Director for Environmental Research

Presentation to: Women’s Energy Network Houston, 10/28/08

The University of Texas at AustinMcCombs School of Business,

College of Engineering, School of Law,

College of Natural Sciences, etc.

Department of Geological Sciences

Institute for Geophysics

Bureau of Economic Geology (academic) (research)

Administrative, Outreach, State

Geological SurveyApplied Environmental

ResearchApplied Energy

Research

http://www.jsg.utexas.edu/ http://www.beg.utexas.edu/GCCC

Jackson School of Geosciences

Gulf Coast Carbon Center (GCCC)Mission: Global leadership in

research and economic implementation of large scale greenhouse gas sequestration.

Sponsors

GCCC Team:Ian Duncan, Sue Hovorka, Tip Meckel, Becky Smyth, J. P. Nicot,

Katherine Romanak, Jeff Paine, Changbing Yang + 3 new post-docs, 2 research fellows, and 3 student research assistants

Steve Bryant (UT Petro. Eng.) & Gary Rochelle (UT Chem. Eng.)

What is CCS/Geologic Sequestration?

To reduce CO2 emissionsto air from point sources..

Carbon extractedfrom coal or otherfossil fuels…

is currently burned and emitted to the atmosphere

CO2 is captured as concentratedhigh pressure fluid by one of several methods,

CO2 is transported as super-critical fluid via pipeline to a selected, permitted injection site,

CO2 injected at pressure intopore space at depths below and isolated (sequestered)from potable water,CO2 stored in pore space over geologicallysignificant time.

Slide courtesy of S. Hovorka

What is Known about Storage Capacity?

2mm

Sandstone thin section photomicrograph, Frio Fm.Blue areas were filled with brine, butnow are 10-30% filled with CO2.

Assessing Adequacy of Subsurface Storage Capacity: Microscope View

CO2 storage volume in abundant microscopic

spaces (pores) between grains in sedimentary rocks

that are now filled with brine (or locally with

oil and gas)

Slide courtesy of S. Hovorka

Global Experience in CO2 Injection: technology is mature enough to proceed

Slide from Peter Cook, CO2CRChttp://www.co2crc.com.au/

Department of Energy, National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE/NETL) Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships

GCCC/BEG working on SECARB and

SRCSP/SWCARB/SWP projects

http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/carbon_seq/

Funding for CCS Research in U.S.

Significant offshore potential

SECARB Geologic Storage Potential

Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Opportunities on Texas Gulf Coast

Slide courtesy of T. Meckel

• Coal and natural gas will be used to generate electricity in Texas and globally for several decades

• Carbon sequestration is needed to make electricity clean• Texas can be a global leader in clean fossil fuel utilization, and

generate significant revenues in the process (i.e. EOR) • Reducing CO2 emissions will not be cheap and it will take time• The premier CCS opportunities exist where coal- fired electricity, oil

production, large scale CO2 generation, and large volume CO2storage potential come together – like along the TX Gulf Coast.

• CCS will not move forward on a commercial scale until:(1) there are economic incentives (cap-and-trade/carbon credits;

as CO2 EOR is expanded and recognized as sequestration),(2) economic risks are reduced (EPA finalizes draft rules), (3) pore-space ownership is legally defined, and(4) environmental risks are more fully quantified.

CCS Summary

Bullet points 1 through 5 adapted from S. Tinker

SWP Groundwater Study over SACROC

SACROC Area Water Quality

61 wells; filtered cations; unfiltered anions

Batch Experiments: CO2 + Dockum Sediments