3D structural and stratigraphic characterization of X field Niger Delta: implications for CO2 sequestration

Mariam Yahaya-Shiru,Seyi Obafemi,Ogbonnaya Igwe

doi:10.1007/s13202-021-01348-2

Abstract

Carbon capture and sequestration technology has been a ground-breaking tool in tackling carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions worldwide but has limitedly been researched and practised in Africa at present. Considering the vast growth and developmental level in the continent, there is a need to consider this option of mitigating global climate change. In this study, a systematic and process-based incorporation of seismic and well logs datasets was used to characterize the structural and stratigraphic framework of sandstone reservoirs within the field in order to determine their capacities for effective CO2 sequestration. Petrophysical analysis, fault modelling as well as geostatistical techniques were used to build facies and property models which enabled a qualitative assessment of the sealing potential of faults associated with the reservoirs based on prediction of key properties such as shale gouge ratio, lithological juxtaposition, fault permeability and fault transmissibility across the fault faces. Nine water-bearing sandstone reservoirs (reservoirs A–J) with varying reservoir quality were identified in the field. The dominance of high SGR, low permeability, higher fault throws and low fault transmissibility values at the lower parts of the faults indicates the deeper structural traps of the field are low-risk zones and might serve as good storage areas for CO2.

Highlights

The sharp surge in Africa’s population from about 257 million to about 1.2 billion (Sankoh 2016) in the last few decades, coupled with technological advancement in Africa, has resulted in large-scale industrialization and an upscale in anthropogenic activities which has invariably impacted on its atmosphere in terms of its carbon dioxide (CO) intake (Herzog 2001).Virtually, all the gas generated during oil production in Nigeria’s Niger Delta oil-rich region is flared into the atmosphere
The technology of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is fast becoming very common and effective method in storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in subsurface reservoirs (Czarnogorska et al 2016). This method has been termed as a waste management strategy that has helped in curbing down the release of CO2 into the atmosphere thereby mitigating the negative effects associated with climate change (Bachu et al 2007; Akpanika et al 2015; Umar et al 2019a)
Pore volumes were estimated for the reservoirs associated with zones across the fault faces where there are indications of good fault sealing potentials, i.e. areas of

Summary

Introduction

The sharp surge in Africa’s population from about 257 million to about 1.2 billion (Sankoh 2016) in the last few decades, coupled with technological advancement in Africa, has resulted in large-scale industrialization and an upscale in anthropogenic activities (such as power generation, cement and petrochemical production, transportation emissions, industrial processes and agricultural practices) which has invariably impacted on its atmosphere in terms of its carbon dioxide (CO) intake (Herzog 2001).Virtually, all the gas generated during oil production in Nigeria’s Niger Delta oil-rich region is flared into the atmosphere. The technology of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is fast becoming very common and effective method in storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in subsurface reservoirs (Czarnogorska et al 2016). This method has been termed as a waste management strategy that has helped in curbing down the release of CO2 into the atmosphere thereby mitigating the negative effects associated with climate change (Bachu et al 2007; Akpanika et al 2015; Umar et al 2019a)

Methods

Results

Conclusion