The IEA Weyburn CO2 Monitoring and Storage Project - Integrated results from Europe

Abstract

The objective of IEA Weyburn CO2 Monitoring and Storage Project is to study the geological sequestration of CO2 during a commercial enhanced oil recovery (EGR) operation at the Weyburn oilfield, Saskatchewan, Western Canada. EnCana Resources (formerly PanCanadian Resources) began injecting a 95% pure CO2 stream into the oil reservoir, the Midale Beds, at Weyburn during September 2000. The IEA Weyburn CO2 Monitoring and Storage Project has analyzed the effects of a miscible CO2 flood into a carbonate reservoir rock at an onshore Canadian oilfield. Anthropogenic CO2 is being injected as part of an enhanced oil recovery operation. The European research pays attention on analyzing long-term migration pathways of CO2 and the effects of CO2 on the hydrochemical and mineralogical properties of the reservoir rock. The long-term safety and performance of CO2 storage is assessed by the construction of a Features, Events and Processes (FEP) database that provides a comprehensive knowledge base for the geological storage of CO2. The pre-CO2 injection hydrogeological, hydrochemical, and petrographical conditions in the reservoir are investigated to recognize changes caused by the CO2 flood and assessing the fate of the CO2. The Weyburn oilfield has proven to be an outstanding natural laboratory for the study of CO2 storage that is based on its comprehensive well/field data, the extensive core material and the accessibility of the site.