Abstract:Sedimentary basins around the world considered suitable for carbon storage usually contain other natural resources such as petroleum, coal, geothermal energy and groundwater. Storing carbon dioxide in geological formations in the basins adds to the competition for access to the subsurface and the use of pore space where other resource-based industries also operate. Managing potential impacts that industrial-scale injection of carbon dioxide may have on other resource development must be focused to prevent pote… Show more
“…Preparation for the mitigation of adverse effects of subsurface interactions can be viewed as a two-stage process where (1) geologically-governed, physical interactions are predicted, and (2) the significance and impacts of likely interactions are assessed and resolved through legal, economic, and cultural responses. For (1) the tool is primarily dynamic modeling at relevant scales, preferably basin-wide assessment followed by focus on specific sites and their associated ''fringes'' of potential interaction, and these tools are well-established, [2][3][4][5] though not commonly implemented at a basin-wide scale. Preparation for mitigation at specific sites, as part of contingency planning, can include cessation or reduction in activities (perhaps balanced by the use of back-up alternative sites), and the use of injection or extraction wells to alter subsurface pressure fronts.…”
Section: Mitigation Toolsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The strategic importance of pore space can vary with time, as witnessed in the growth of unconventional oil/gas extraction in response to price rises, or of increased interest in geothermal resources and requirement for CO 2 storage space to mitigate climate change. It is therefore useful to consider pore space as a strategic asset that is likely to have potential future uses and where direct and indirect interactions need to be assessed and prioritized 1–5 (Figure 2). Figure 1.Typical depth ranges for the use of subsurface resources, with widths of polygons reflecting intensity of use.…”
Subsurface resources include oil, gas, coal, groundwater, saline aquifer minerals, and heat (for geothermal use). Pore space itself should also be considered as a resource as it can be used for injection of waste fluids, produced water, storage of natural gas, compressed air, and supercritical CO 2. Use of subsurface resources can overlap in space, and pressure changes at one site can remotely influence resource use at other sites. Resource use can also vary in time, such as the use of depleted oil or gas fields for natural gas or CO 2 storage. Before allocation of a subsurface resource it is therefore useful to understand the potentially wide range of resources available in an area, how they might be developed successively, and how they could affect each other if used concurrently. While these issues are primarily geological, they have critical significance for legal, environmental, and economic considerations.
“…Preparation for the mitigation of adverse effects of subsurface interactions can be viewed as a two-stage process where (1) geologically-governed, physical interactions are predicted, and (2) the significance and impacts of likely interactions are assessed and resolved through legal, economic, and cultural responses. For (1) the tool is primarily dynamic modeling at relevant scales, preferably basin-wide assessment followed by focus on specific sites and their associated ''fringes'' of potential interaction, and these tools are well-established, [2][3][4][5] though not commonly implemented at a basin-wide scale. Preparation for mitigation at specific sites, as part of contingency planning, can include cessation or reduction in activities (perhaps balanced by the use of back-up alternative sites), and the use of injection or extraction wells to alter subsurface pressure fronts.…”
Section: Mitigation Toolsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The strategic importance of pore space can vary with time, as witnessed in the growth of unconventional oil/gas extraction in response to price rises, or of increased interest in geothermal resources and requirement for CO 2 storage space to mitigate climate change. It is therefore useful to consider pore space as a strategic asset that is likely to have potential future uses and where direct and indirect interactions need to be assessed and prioritized 1–5 (Figure 2). Figure 1.Typical depth ranges for the use of subsurface resources, with widths of polygons reflecting intensity of use.…”
Subsurface resources include oil, gas, coal, groundwater, saline aquifer minerals, and heat (for geothermal use). Pore space itself should also be considered as a resource as it can be used for injection of waste fluids, produced water, storage of natural gas, compressed air, and supercritical CO 2. Use of subsurface resources can overlap in space, and pressure changes at one site can remotely influence resource use at other sites. Resource use can also vary in time, such as the use of depleted oil or gas fields for natural gas or CO 2 storage. Before allocation of a subsurface resource it is therefore useful to understand the potentially wide range of resources available in an area, how they might be developed successively, and how they could affect each other if used concurrently. While these issues are primarily geological, they have critical significance for legal, environmental, and economic considerations.
“…Only a few recent projects in Canada [5] and eastern Australia [6], have been investigating the migration behaviour and detectability of gaseous CO2 between 25m to 600m depth. Furthermore, the identification and characterisation of potential leakage processes and pathways are important for developing properly targeted monitoring schemes [7,8]. In this context, fault zones have been identified as a potential leakage pathway that may concentrate or focus CO2 migration upward to the shallow subsurface, potentially accumulating in groundwater aquifers or continuing to migrate to the atmosphere [9,10,11].…”
The CSIRO In-Situ Laboratory Project (ISL) is located in Western Australia and has two main objectives related to monitoring leaks from a CO2 storage complex by controlled-release experiments: 1) improving the monitorability of gaseous CO2 accumulations at intermediate depth, and 2) assessing the impact of faults on CO2 migration. A first test at the In-situ Lab has evaluated the ability to monitor and detect unwanted leakage of CO2 from a storage complex in a major fault zone. The ISL consists of three instrumented wells up to 400 m deep: 1) Harvey-2 used primarily for gaseous CO2 injection, 2) ISL OB-1, a fibreglass geophysical monitoring well with behind-casing instrumentation, and 3) a shallow (27 m) groundwater well for fluid sampling. A controlled-release test injected 38 tonnes of CO2 between 336-342 m depth in February 2019, and the gas was monitored by a wide range of downhole and surface monitoring technologies. CO2 reached the ISL OB-1 monitoring well (7 m away) after approximately 1.5 days and an injection volume of 5 tonnes. Evidence of arrival was determined by distributed temperature sensing and the CO2 plume was detected also by borehole seismic after injection of as little as 7 tonnes. Observations suggest that the fault zone did not alter the CO2 migration along bedding at the scale and depth of the experiment. No vertical CO2 migration was detected beyond the perforated injection interval; no notable changes were observed in groundwater quality or soil gas chemistry during and post injection.The early detection of significantly less than 38 tonnes of CO2 injected into the shallow subsurface demonstrates rapid and sensitive monitorability of potential leaks in the overburden of a commercial-scale storage project, prior to reaching shallow groundwater, soil zones or the atmosphere. The ISL is a unique and enduring research facility at which monitoring technologies will be further developed and tested for increasing public and regulator confidence in the ability to detect potential CO2 leakage at shallow to intermediate depth.
“…More information for this depth interval would be helpful for improving monitoring schemes of large-scale CO2 storage projects by demonstrating detectability of CO2 leakage before it reaches potable groundwater or the atmosphere. Furthermore, the identification and characterisation of potential leakage processes and pathways are important for developing properly targeted monitoring schemes (Birkholzer et al, 2014, Michael et al, 2016. For example, fault zones have been identified as a potential leakage pathway that may concentrate or focus CO2 migration upward to the shallow subsurface, potentially accumulating in groundwater aquifers or continuing to migrate to the atmosphere (e.g.…”
A controlled-release test at the In-Situ Laboratory Project in Western Australia injected 38 tonnes of gaseous CO2 between 336-342 m depth in a fault zone, and the gas was monitored by a wide range of downhole and surface monitoring technologies. Injection of CO2 at this depth fills the gap between shallow release (<25 m) and storage (>600 m) field trials. The main objectives of the controlled-release test were to assess the monitorability of shallow CO2 accumulations, and to investigate the impacts of a fault zone on CO2 migration. CO2 arrival was detected by distributed temperature sensing at the monitoring well (7 m away) after approximately 1.5 days and an injection volume of 5 tonnes. The CO2 plume was detected also by borehole seismic and electric resistivity imaging. The detection of significantly less than 38 tonnes of CO2 in the shallow subsurface demonstrates rapid and sensitive monitorability of potential leaks in the overburden of a commercial-scale storage project, prior to reaching shallow groundwater, soil zones or the atmosphere.Observations suggest that the fault zone did not alter the CO2 migration along bedding at the scale and depth of the test. Contrary to model predictions, no vertical CO2 migration was detected beyond the perforated injection interval. CO2 and formation water escaped to the surface through the monitoring well at the end of the experiment due to unexpected damage to the well's fibreglass casing. The well was successfully remediated without impact to the environment and the site is ready for future experiments.
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