Basin-Scale Hydrologic Impacts of CO2 Storage [electronic resource] : Regulatory and Capacity Implications.
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Online Access |
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| Format: | Government Document Electronic eBook |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Berkeley, Calif. : Oak Ridge, Tenn. :
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory ; distributed by the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, U.S. Dept. of Energy,
2009.
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| Abstract: | Industrial-scale injection of CO₂ into saline sedimentary basins will cause large-scale fluid pressurization and migration of native brines, which may affect valuable groundwater resources overlying the deep sequestration reservoirs. In this paper, we discuss how such basin-scale hydrologic impacts can (1) affect regulation of CO₂ storage projects and (2) may reduce current storage capacity estimates. Our assessment arises from a hypothetical future carbon sequestration scenario in the Illinois Basin, which involves twenty individual CO₂ storage projects in a core injection area suitable for long-term storage. Each project is assumed to inject five million tonnes of CO₂ per year for 50 years. A regional-scale three-dimensional simulation model was developed for the Illinois Basin that captures both the local-scale CO₂-brine flow processes and the large-scale groundwater flow patterns in response to CO₂ storage. The far-field pressure buildup predicted for this selected sequestration scenario suggests that (1) the area that needs to be characterized in a permitting process may comprise a very large region within the basin if reservoir pressurization is considered, and (2) permits cannot be granted on a single-site basis alone because the near- and far-field hydrologic response may be affected by interference between individual sites. Our results also support recent studies in that environmental concerns related to near-field and far-field pressure buildup may be a limiting factor on CO₂ storage capacity. In other words, estimates of storage capacity, if solely based on the effective pore volume available for safe trapping of CO₂, may have to be revised based on assessments of pressure perturbations and their potential impact on caprock integrity and groundwater resources, respectively. We finally discuss some of the challenges in making reliable predictions of large-scale hydrologic impacts related to CO₂ sequestration projects. |
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| Item Description: | Published through the Information Bridge: DOE Scientific and Technical Information. 04/02/2009. "lbnl-1716e" Zhou, Q.; Birkholzer, J.T. Earth Sciences Division. |