GEOLOGICAL STORAGE OF CARBON DIOXIDE

A.K. BhandariAdvisor TPPC, Ministry of Mines

International Workshop on Power Generation with Carbon Capture and storage in India

22 - 23 January 2008, Hotel Ashok, New Delhi

SALINE AQUIFERS FOR

• India has set a goal of sustained economic growth of 8-9%.

• To achieve this, our energy needs will grow rapidly in future. Meeting the demands for electricity will require an installed capacity of 2,00,000 MW by the year 2012

• Coal would inevitably be the mainstay for energy generation in India.

FUTURE ENERGY REQUIREMENTS

After Mitra A.P. et al (2002)

Carbon dioxide Emissions and Future Projections

TECHNOLOGY DRIVEN OPTIONS

• Energy conservation and efficiency

• Substitute lower carbon or carbon free energy sources (renewable, nuclear, hydropower and low carbon fuels)

• Geological storage of carbon dioxide

GEOLOGICAL STORAGE OPTIONS

.Depleted oil and gas reservoirs

.Deep unmineable Coal seams

.Oceans

.Deep unused saline water-saturated formation

Geological Storage Option

Global Capacity

Reservoir type Lower estimate of storage capacity (Gt CO2)

Upper estimate of storage capacity (Gt CO2)

Depleted oil and gas fields

675 900

Unminable coal seams

3-15 200

Deep saline reservoirs

1000 Uncertain, but possibly 104

STORAGE CAPACITY FOR GEOLOGICAL STORAGE OPTIONS

WHY SALINE AQUIFERS ?• The fact that carbon dioxide has been naturally stored for geological time scales enhances the creditability of the storage options.

• Saline formations occur in the proximity of the sources, therefore reducing the cost of infrastructure.

• Can help in achieving near zero emissions for the existing power plants and industrial units.

• Scenarios for negative impacts and unintended damages are limited.

SEDIMENTARY BASIN MAP OF INDIA

Basin Basinal Area (Sq.Km.)

Himalayan foreland

30,000

Ganga Basin 186,000

Vindhyan Basin 162,000

Narmada Basin 17,000

Deccan Syneclise 273,000

Rajasthan 126,000

After CGWB

STATE AREA SQ.KM

Punjab 3509

Haryana 9166

Uttar Pradesh 29909

Rajasthan 106618

RAJASTHAN BASIN

After CGWB

SALINE AREAS OF UTTAR PRADESH

THICKNESS OF VINDHYAN BASIN ON GRAVITY AND MAGNETIC PROFILE

STUDY AREA - DST PROJECT

Sanjay Nagar Dheerpur Area

Pirthala Tumsara Area

Chatta Chattikara Area

Proterozoic Fold Belt

Alluvial fill (Ganga Basin)

2 D SUBSURFACE LITHOLOGICAL CROSS SECTIONS

3 D MODEL OF CHATTA - CHATTIKARA AREA

Overburden Silty Clay

Sediment fill of Ganga basin

Upper Bhander sandstone (Vindhyans) with Shale partings

Fractured Rock (with brackish water within Bhander formation)

Clay

AREAS OF CONCERN

1. Safe and irreversible storage of carbon dioxide is of critical concern.

2. Significant baseline information is now available from the projects underway in many parts of the world. However, extensive further research is needed both regionally and globally to study the true potential of saline aquifers.

3. Considerable additional geological and geophysical investigations need to be undertaken to effectively map the saline reservoirs, identify the characteristics of the cap rock and integrity of the reservoir.

4. Legal issues and public acceptance.

FINALLY

There appear to be no insurmountable technical barriers for geological storage of CO2 as an effective mitigation option

THANK YOU