An overview of the monitoring program design for the FutureGen 2.0 CO2 storage site

Abstract

As part of the FutureGen 2.0 Project, a design was developed for a first-of-its-kind, commercial-scale, near-zero emissions coal-fueled power plant that includes carbon capture and storage (CCS) in a deep saline reservoir. To assess storage site performance and meet the regulatory requirements of the Class VI Underground Injection Control Program for CO2 Geologic Sequestration, the FutureGen 2.0 Project evaluated, selected, and designed a suite of monitoring technologies for use in (1) evaluating CO2 mass balance, (2) detecting significant loss of CO2 containment, (3) tracking the spatial extent of the CO2 plume and advancement of the pressure front within the storage reservoir, and (4) identifying the occurrence and location of injection-related induced seismicity. The monitoring program design includes direct monitoring of the injection process (above ground and in the injection wells), injection-zone monitoring, early-leak-detection monitoring directly above the primary confining zone, and compliance monitoring within the lowermost underground source of drinking water (USDW); it also includes measurements of formation pressure and other geochemical/isotopic signatures that provide an indication of changes in CO2 concentration and/or brine composition, both within the injection zone and immediately above the primary confining zone. In addition to these direct measurements, several indirect geophysical monitoring technologies were included in the monitoring program design such as passive seismic and integrated surface deformation monitoring. Although the FutureGen 2.0 Project was suspended by the U.S. Department of Energy prior to implementation of the monitoring program design, this overview is provided with the hope that other current or future CCS projects will derive benefit from consideration of the approach and monitoring network configuration adopted by the project.