Carbon Sequestration Monitoring Activities

Abstract

In its 'Carbon Sequestration Technology Roadmap and Program Plan 2007' the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE)'s Office of Fossil Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) identified as a major objective extended field tests to fully characterize potential carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) storage sites and to demonstrate the long-term storage of sequestered carbon (p. 5). Among the challenges in this area are 'improved understanding of CO{sub 2} flow and trapping within the reservoir and the development and deployment of technologies such as simulation models and monitoring systems' (p. 20). The University of Wyoming (UW), following consultations with the NETL, the Wyoming State Geological Survey, and the Governor's office, identified potential for geologic sequestration of impure carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) in deep reservoirs of the Moxa Arch. The Moxa Arch is a 120-mile long north-south trending anticline plunging beneath the Wyoming Thrust Belt on the north and bounded on the south by the Uinta Mountains. Several oil and gas fields along the Moxa Arch contain accumulations of natural CO{sub 2}. The largest of these is the La Barge Platform, which encompasses approximately 800 square miles. Several formations may be suitable for storage of impure CO{sub 2} gas, foremost among them the Madison Limestone, Bighorn Dolomite, and Nugget Sandstone. This project responded to the challenges described above by preparing a geological site characterization study on the Moxa Arch. The project included four priority research areas: (A) geological characterization of geologic structure of the Arch, the fault, and fracture patterns of the target formations and caprocks, (B) experimental characterization of carbon dioxide-brine-rock reactions that may occur, (C) optimization of geophysical and numerical models necessary for measurement, monitoring and verification (MMV), and (D) a preliminary performance assessment. Research work to accomplish these goals was coordinated by one administrative task under the direction of Dr. Carol Frost, Professor of Geology and Geophysics (Task 1.0), and one task devoted to designing and creating an interdisciplinary, project-specific carbon cyberinfrastructure to support collaborative carbon dioxide sequestration research among University of Wyoming scientists and their collaborators, performed by Jeff Hammerlinck, Director of the Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center at the University of Wyoming (Task 1.5). The results of these tasks are presented in the Introduction and in Chapter 1, respectively.