Abstract
Enhanced oil recovery with carbon dioxide (CO 2 -EOR) is considered to be a cost effective way for carbon capture and storage. However, due to the complexity of geological structure in underground reservoirs, long-term leakage is possible. A case study of CO 2 -EOR has been conducted at Citronelle, Alabama in the United State of America. A total of 8,036-ton of CO 2 were injected from November 2009 to September 2010 and some leakages via production were identified by isotopic analysis in May 2010. In this study, remote sensing data of CO 2 and methane (CH 4 ) concentrations, and aerosol optical depth (AOD) at a large scale were used to monitor emissions to atmosphere at the study site. Based on the observed monthly CO 2 and CH 4 concentrations in the atmosphere at the study site and surrounding areas, some abnormal values related to possible emission were identified at different time scales by correlation, variance and entropy analysis. The annual average of ratios between CO 2 concentration and CH 4 concentration, which might be due to CO 2 emission, reached the highest value in 2009. In comparison with surrounding areas, the monthly values of AOD at the study site were relatively higher, especially during the time periods of 2008, 2009 and part of 2010. Our results might confirm the isotopic analysis at the ground and may provide more detailed information. Therefore, through this approach remote sensing data could be used to monitor and evaluate emissions from areas involved in CO 2 -EOR at a large scale and provide helpful information for ecological assessment of CO 2 -EOR.
Highlights
Increasing atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases is considered to be a critical driving force of global climate change
Based on the observed monthly CO2 and CH4 concentrations in the atmosphere at the study site and surrounding areas, some abnormal values related to possible emission were identified at different time scales by correlation, variance and entropy analysis
The annual average of ratios between CO2 concentration and CH4 concentration, which might be due to CO2 emission, reached the highest value in 2009
Summary
Increasing atmospheric CO2 and other greenhouse gases is considered to be a critical driving force of global climate change. Dramatic reduction in CO2 emission is needed to significantly stabilize and decrease atmospheric greenhouse gas concentration while fossil fuels are continuously used. Carbon capture and storage are well-understood in oil and gas industries (Mertz, Davidson, de Coninck, Loos, & Meyer, 2005; Thomas & Benson, 2005). Based on the possible benefits for carbon storage, enhanced oil recovery with CO2 (CO2-EOR) is considered cost effective. CO2-EOR has the potential to recover 30-60% more of the original oil in reservoirs based on Department of Energy Oil Recovery Program, and even without CO2 credits or taxes, there are revenues from oil or gas production (Zweigel, Arts, Lothe, & Lindeberg, 2004; Thomas & Benson, 2005). CO2-EOR practice has been applied for decades by the oil and gas industry in the USA and Canada (van Bergen, Gale, Damen, & Wildenborg, 2004; Thomas & Benson, 2005), such as those projects at Weyburn and Cranfield (Whittakers, White, Law, & Chalaturnyk, 2004; Meckel & Hovorka, 2009)
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