10+ years of the IEA-GHG Weyburn-Midale CO2 monitoring and storage project: Successes and lessons learned from multiple hydrogeological investigations

Abstract

In July 2000, the IEA-GHG Weyburn CO2 monitoring and storage project was initiated to study the geological storage of CO2 as part of an EOR project planned for the Weyburn Field in Saskatchewan, Canada. Over the period 2000-present, a diverse group of researchers have worked on: assessing the integrity of the geosphere encompassing the Weyburn oil pool for effective long-term storage of CO2; monitoring the movement of the injected CO2, and assessing the risk of migration of CO2 from the injection zone to the surface. Learnings from 10+ years of hydrogeological investigations include: (i) low flow rates and favourable flow directions indicate the Weyburn reservoir is an excellent place to store CO2; (ii) shallow groundwater monitoring reveals no significant changes in water chemistry that can be attributed to storage operations (interactions); and (iii) co-ordination and integration of multiple hydrogeological research programs on the same site can be rewarding but challenging.