Carbon Capture And Storage Projects Research Articles

Future directions in geological research impacting renewable energy and carbon capture: A synthesis of sustainable management techniques

Geological research plays a pivotal role in shaping the future of renewable energy and carbon capture initiatives, offering insights into sustainable management techniques. This review synthesizes the future directions in geological research that impact renewable energy and carbon capture, focusing on sustainable management techniques. Future geological research will increasingly focus on enhancing the integration of renewable energy sources into existing energy systems. This includes the development of innovative geological mapping techniques to identify and characterize renewable energy resources with greater precision, aiding in the selection of optimal sites for energy production. Additionally, there will be a growing emphasis on utilizing geological data to assess the feasibility of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, particularly in volcanic regions, where the unique geological characteristics offer potential for efficient carbon sequestration. Another key aspect of future geological research is the advancement of monitoring and modeling techniques to evaluate the long-term performance and environmental impact of renewable energy and CCS projects. This includes the use of advanced geophysical and geochemical methods to monitor subsurface changes associated with energy extraction and carbon storage, ensuring the effectiveness and safety of these practices. Furthermore, future research will explore the potential of geological formations, such as deep saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas reservoirs, for large-scale carbon storage. This will involve developing strategies to enhance storage capacity and mitigate the risk of CO2 leakage, contributing to the sustainable management of carbon emissions. In conclusion, future geological research will play a critical role in advancing renewable energy and carbon capture technologies, offering sustainable management techniques that are essential for addressing climate change. By focusing on innovative mapping, monitoring, and modeling approaches, researchers can pave the way for a more sustainable energy future.

Securing the Australian CCS project rollout by improving aspects of the GHG storage legislation: a discussion paper

The respective Federal petroleum and greenhouse-gas (GHG) storage legislation was examined in detail to understand the interactions between the technical requirements in the legislation, the overarching emissions-policy framework and the existing and likely future technical capabilities of the carbon capture and storage (CCS) industry. Key elements of the GHG legislation were then stress-tested using CCS project examples to determine applicability. The number of CCS projects required to meet the nation’s emission reduction targets over the next 5–25 years is high (probably between 20–40 projects of 4 million tonnes per annum (Mtpa)), but the existing 8–10 year approvals timeline provides only a maximum of 2.5 full project cycles to undertake 20–40 projects, a goal not considered possible without substantial regulatory reform. Opportunities for improvement should focus on facilitating a robust and rapid CCS project rollout and could include the following: changing the legislation to facilitate the accelerated utilisation of depleted petroleum fields to storage facilities, including allowing the progressive expansion of the awarded injection licence (IL); changing the concept of containment to emphasise carbon dioxide (CO2) plume management via assessing risk and potential impacts, not by artificial constraints into GHG permits and licences; including unitisation and combination pathways in the GHG legislation; ‘CO2 plume’ is not defined in legislation, even though the spatial location of a plume is central to numerous approvals, such as declaration of storage, demonstrating containment and all measurement, monitoring and verification (MMV) programs; developing a framework to manage future CCS project interactions at a basin scale, as is undertaken in groundwater management onshore.

Challenges and opportunities in Australian greenhouse gas storage legislation: insights from the CarbonNet project

Co-funded by the Victorian and Australian Governments, the CarbonNet Project (CarbonNet) was established in 2009 to enable commercial deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS). The duration and first-of-a-kind nature of the project has also provided an opportunity to test the Australian legislative greenhouse gas (GHG) framework. Although the Commonwealth legislative regime has comprehensive GHG legislation in place, one of the recognised barriers to geological storage in Australia is permitting and regulatory complexity. CarbonNet’s practical application of the legislation has emphasised that regulatory maturity will only be achieved once a number of projects have been permitted through the full project lifecycle. While the project has achieved many regulatory firsts, there have been several policy and regulatory challenges. Successes have come via legislative reform, scientific investigation and collaboration, and stakeholder engagement and communication. This paper provides insights into CarbonNet’s regulatory journey and key learnings in testing first-of-a-kind regulatory processes. It also explores opportunities for improvement in the GHG regulatory framework, while noting the progress of recent legislative reform and government collaboration. The paper concludes with a recognition of the need for the CCS regulatory framework to be straightforward, fit-for-purpose, proportionate, risk-based, and not overly prescriptive or complex. CCS projects may span decades and require significant upfront investment from multiple companies or consortia. Proponents and investors require confidence in the regulatory framework underpinning a project before making these large commitments. Accordingly, there is a key role for both Australian and State governments in providing the enabling legislative and regulatory framework for CCS projects.

Defining the geomechanical operating limits for subsurface CO2 storage

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a critical component of proposed pathways to limit global warming, though considerable upscaling is required to meet emissions reduction targets. Quantifying and managing the risks of fault reactivation is a leading barrier to scaling global CCS projects from current levels of ~40 million tonnes of carbon dioxide(CO2) per year (to target levels of several gigatonnes of CO2 per year), because CO2 injection into reservoirs can result in increased pore-fluid pressure and temperature changes, which can reduce the strength of rocks and faults and induce brittle failure. This can result in induced seismicity, whilst hydraulic fracturing of seals could provide pathways for CO2 leakage. Consequently, identifying favourable geomechanical conditions (typically determined through data on pre-injection rock stress, mechanical and elastic properties, and pore-fluid pressures) to minimise deformation of reservoirs and seals represents a key challenge in the selection of safe and effective sites for CCS projects. Critically, however, such geomechanical data are typically spatially limited (i.e. restricted to wells) and mainly consist of pre-injection crustal stress orientation measurements, rather than a full 3D description of the stress tensor and related geomechanical properties. This paper reviews some key geomechanical issues and knowledge gaps (particularly those associated with data availability and limitations) that need to be understood to enable successful reservoir and seal management for CCS projects. We also highlight recent advances in multi-scale and dimensional geomechanical modelling approaches that can be used to assess sites for the secure storage of CO2 as well as other gases, including hydrogen.

Requalification of pipelines for CO2 transport – giving new life to the Bayu-Undan and Reindeer pipelines

Australia has in the order of 3500 km of offshore pipelines currently operating in Commonwealth waters which will require either re-use or decommissioning at the end of hydrocarbon service. Santos are currently developing the Bayu-Undan and Reindeer CCS (carbon, capture and storage) Projects, to make use of the depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs to store carbon dioxide (CO2) via existing offshore infrastructure. A key aspect of these projects is the requalification of existing offshore hydrocarbon pipelines to transport CO2, both of which have been in operation for 10–20 years. The Bayu-Undan and Reindeer pipelines were designed and operated for (a) distinctly different hydrocarbon services and (b) with no initial consideration for future CO2 service. This presents two unique technical starting points in the delivery of safe and robust conversion to CO2 service. Using knowledge gained from this, the paper provides an outline of the key technical considerations to requalification of pipelines unique to the combination of life extension and CO2 service. These are framed in the context of existing industry codes and technical challenges with CO2 pipelines. The outcomes are structured against typical phases in the project lifecycle and opportunities for optimisation of future CO2 re-purposing projects are proposed.

Alternative application of availability and deliverability studies to reduce the energy sectors’ carbon emissions

The objective of the paper is to present the advantages of utilising reliability, availability and maintainability (RAM) studies as a decision-making tool for the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), by providing detailed and quantifiable CCS rates of the analysed design concept. The study used methodology to predict carbon capture rates with high confidence for several compression and dehydration train design concepts. This allowed the operator to make decisions on the most cost-efficient design, while having a confident understanding of the design-specific carbon capture potentials. The most favourable CCS concept was combined with the existing liquefied natural gas plant RAM model and production profile for a detailed analysis of remaining daily carbon dioxide (CO2) venting rates as a result of potential CCS outages. The RAM models are based on generic and proven reliability data and include a level of detail that ensures a very reliable prediction of exact carbon capture rates. Besides analysing and comparing the design concept results as system availability, the CCS concept was analysed for its carbon capture deliverability. This provided the operator with a high confidence of average as well as monthly CO2 capture and venting rates for selected CO2 production profiles. The application of RAM for CCS and other energy sustainability projects has proven to be a powerful tool, allowing operators to make informed decisions towards achieving net-zero efficiency. Providing operators with an accurate and long-term prediction of their carbon footprint, when analysed in combination with their energy portfolio.

Angel CCS project – decarbonising the hard-to-abate industries of WA

The Angel CCS Project is a proposed large-scale multi-user carbon capture and storage (CCS) hub located near Karratha, WA. It is being progressed by the Angel CCS Joint Venture (JV). Angel CCS is ideally located to aggregate emissions from existing sources in the Pilbara region and has the potential to facilitate the development of new lower-carbon industries, such as the production of hydrogen and ammonia, by providing a local solution for emissions. The JV has been awarded greenhouse gas assessment permit G-10-AP, located in the Northern Carnarvon Basin off the north-western coast of Western Australia and is now assessing the technical, regulatory and commercial feasibility of aggregating emissions from existing and potential future facilities and the geological storage of carbon dioxide in the permit area. Notionally, the Angel CCS project is expected to be able to handle up to 5 Mtpa. The proposed project could be the first large scale CCS hub with offshore storage in Australia and potentially one of the largest CCS hubs in the Asia Pacific. The paper provides an overview of the Angel CCS Project, outlines key enabling factors for CCS Hub developments, and explains the key considerations that informed the development concept.

Development of long-distance and large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) value chain using liquefied CO2 ship transportation

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is central to clean energy transition. Globally, potential aggregated carbon dioxide (CO2) storage resource capacity is ~13,000 billion tonnes. Assuming global greenhouse gas emissions of 51 billion tonnes per annum, CO2 storage capacity equates to 250 years of global emissions reduction. While there is significant momentum to deploy CCS technology for meeting Paris Agreement targets, the key challenge for offering CCS to all industrial sectors is that many major CO2 emission sources are located hundreds of kilometres away from geological storage sites. To address this key challenge, there is a need to develop a long-distance and large-scale CCS value chain that utilises liquefied CO2 (LCO2) ship transportation. This paper discusses key technical, commercial, and regulatory considerations that must be addressed in parallel for developing such a CCS value chain. More specifically, it will cover the following: (1) technical – CO2 liquefaction condition, CO2 supply specification and LCO2 ship parcel size; (2) commercial – business model (ownership of CO2 retained by emitters or transferred to CCS project proponent), CO2 supply or CCS facility lease terms and conditions; and (3) regulatory – domestic versus transboundary projects and associated needs for policy and legislative underpinning.

Modelling CO2 storage in oil and gas reservoirs in the Gippsland Basin

The Gippsland Basin has world class geology for carbon capture and storage (CCS) and a long history of oil and gas production. Depleted oil and gas fields within the Gippsland Basin that are candidates for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage are in close proximity to existing infrastructure that could be repurposed as part of a CCS project. Modelling of CO2 storage in the depleted Bream oil and gas reservoir is being progressed. Bream reservoir properties are very well understood due to extensive geological and geophysical data sets available from wells and seismic data. Additionally, the field has been through three key phases of development during its production history; oil production and gas re-injection in 1988, gas cap blowdown started in 2002, and seasonal gas storage and withdrawal started in 2012 through to field shut-in in 2020. This provides a wealth of dynamic data that is used to calibrate the reservoir models to improve our confidence in the CO2 plume prediction. However, there are also challenges in modelling CO2 storage in depleted fields. Unlike saline aquifers, CO2 can be injected into a three-phase depleted reservoir that contains residual oil and gas saturation. The key aspects of our workflow to evaluate the plume behaviour are presented in this paper.

Exploring attributes of global CCS projects and the key factors to their accomplishment based on the CCUS project database

In recent decades, the serious excessive level of carbon emissions has become the worthiest of human consideration to alleviate the problem. The negative impacts of carbon emissions on human beings involve a variety of aspects, such as sea level rise, deforestation, air pollution, global warming, etc. Any one of these issues could cause serious negative impacts on human society. In a large number of relevant studies, Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) programs are considered to be the most promising and effective approach. The carbon produced during production is captured and transported to rock formations deep underground where it is centrally stored. There are nearly 300 CCS plants in operation around the world that demonstrate the feasibility of such projects. However, one relevant question is whether the project is costly and has barriers to deploy at a scale. We gathered a comprehensive list of large-scale CCS projects globally by utilizing the CCUS Projects Database. We then conducted a comparative analysis of these projects across various categories of project status, ensuring comparability by standardizing cost and extraction figures for each project. We found that the cost of Capture and Storage Projects is the highest, followed by just Capture Projects and just Storage Projects. These plants predominantly exist in developed regions: the U.S. hosts the most, then Europe, parts of Australia, with fewer plants scattered globally. Based on detailed project-specific information, we found that that the two most common reasons for suspended or closed plants are high costs without sufficient financial support and the impact of government agencies permissions and regulation. As such, improvement in the capital market and more policy support would be crucial for the deployment and operation of Carbon Capture and Storage projects.

Impact of Regional Pressure Dissipation on Carbon Capture and Storage Projects: A Comprehensive Review

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a critical technology for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and combating climate change. CCS involves capturing CO2 emissions from industrial processes and power plants and injecting them deep underground for long-term storage. The success of CCS projects is influenced by various factors, including the regional pressure dissipation effects in subsurface geological formations. The safe and efficient operation of CCS projects depends on maintaining the pressure in the storage formation. Regional pressure dissipation, often resulting from the permeability and geomechanical properties of the storage site, can have significant effects on project integrity. This paper provides a state-of-art of the impact of regional pressure dissipation on CCS projects, highlights its effects, and discusses ongoing investigations in this area based on different case studies. The results corroborate the idea that the Sleipner project has considerable lateral hydraulic connectivity, which is evidenced by pressure increase ranging from <0.1 MPa in case of an uncompartmentalized reservoir to >1 MPa in case of substantial flow barriers. After five years of injection, pore pressures in the water leg of a gas reservoir have increased from 18 MPa to 30 MPa at Salah project, resulting in a 2 cm surface uplift. Furthermore, artificial CO2 injection was simulated numerically for 30 years timespan in the depleted oil reservoir of Jurong, located near the Huangqiao CO2-oil reservoir. The maximum amount of CO2 injected into a single well could reach 5.43 × 106 tons, potentially increasing the formation pressure by up to 9.5 MPa. In conclusion, regional pressure dissipation is a critical factor in the implementation of CCS projects. Its impact can affect project safety, efficiency, and environmental sustainability. Ongoing research and investigations are essential to improve our understanding of this phenomenon and develop strategies to mitigate its effects, ultimately advancing the success of CCS as a climate change mitigation solution.

Effects of aquifer size and formation fracture pressure on CO2 geological storage capacity

Introduction: Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is important for achieving net-zero carbon emissions. However, although the current geological storage capacity stands at approximately 3,000 Gt-CO2, the formation pressure increases with CO2 injection, imposing severe constraints on capacity from a geomechanical perspective. This study numerically examined nine cases (combinations of three fracture pressures and three aquifer radius factors) through sensitivity analysis to quantify the effects of these parameters on CO2 injection mass and storage capacity.Methods: The CO2 injection mass was determined as the cumulative CO2 injected until the formation pressure reached a specified fracture pressure. Storage capacity was defined as the amount of CO2 enclosed within the reservoir based on a fill-and-spill analysis encompassing 200 years after the start of injection (2230).Results: Based on the sensitivity analysis, the aquifer radius had a greater impact on the CO2 injection mass and storage capacity than the fracture pressure. A sufficiently high aquifer radius factor can compensate for the capacity limitations imposed by a low fracture pressure. For the lowest fracture pressure (20.95 MPa), considering a safety factor of 0.8, the CO2 injection mass increased approximately 5.5 times, from 3.2 to 17.6 Mt-CO2, depending on the aquifer radius factor ranging from 2 to 7.Discussion: Therefore, geological sites with high aquifer radius factors and low fracture pressures were preferred over those with low aquifer radius factors and high fracture pressures. Nevertheless, when considering space-limited capacity, storage efficiency, defined as the ratio of injected to stored CO2, tends to be higher (approximately 80%) when both parameters are low. The scenario featuring the highest aquifer radius factor and fracture pressure reached an injection mass of 68.9 Mt-CO2. However, the storage efficiency was only 23% due to space constraints. This study provides key insights into two pivotal parameters from pressure- and space-limited perspectives, which must be collectively considered to reliably evaluate CCS projects.

Assessing the potential for CO2 storage in saline aquifers in Brazil: Challenges and Opportunities

AbstractThis study underscores the critical role of carbon capture and storage (CCS) in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and addresses the potential for CCS projects in saline aquifers in Brazil, one of the world's largest carbon emitters. The country's ability to adopt CCS is significantly influenced by the availability of data related to regional CO2 storage potential and identifying suitable geological framework for CO2 injection. While oil and gas reservoirs have traditionally been prioritized, saline aquifers represent an underexplored and potentially higher capacity storage option. Despite Brazil's 31 sedimentary basins, the data quantity and availability for these contexts remain insufficient for advanced studies on the geological storage of CO2 considering saline aquifers. An initial study was conducted indicating five potential targets in the Paraná and Potiguar Basins for geological storage in saline aquifers based on available public data, mainly drilling data. This review reveals substantial challenges related to the evaluation of Brazil's CO2 storage capacity, such as the lack of modern seismic studies, the absence of a regulatory framework for CO2 storage, and insufficient investment in new well exploration. These challenges necessitate multistakeholder collaboration, the development of a supportive regulatory environment, and investment in extensive site characterization campaigns. Addressing these barriers is fundamental to realizing the country's CCS potential and contributing to global decarbonization efforts. © 2024 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A computationally efficient approach to model reactive transport during CO2 storage in naturally fractured saline aquifers

Energy storage is critical to any decarbonization, energy sustainability, and energy security strategy. Natural gas, CO2, and hydrogen will compete for sizeable geological storage sites in the future, and society needs to consider all possible storage sites. Saline aquifers and depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs have emerged as key sites for storage. While carbonate rocks possess significant storage potential, as evidenced by successful CO2-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) projects, most operational and planned Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) initiatives primarily focus on sandstones. Consequently, extensive fundamental and applied research is necessary to advance technologies for carbonate rock utilization and capitalize on the storage capacities of vast saline aquifers and infrastructure available in near-abandoned depleted carbonate reservoirs. However, the challenges posed by the fracture systems and the substantial heterogeneity inherent to such reservoirs necessitate a comprehensive understanding of rock integrity and the role of fracture networks in the overall storage process. Moreover, modeling CCS in carbonates introduces additional complexities due to reactive minerals, such as calcite and dolomite, which can undergo reactions with injected CO2. Consequently, a numerical formulation capable of producing accurate results within a reasonable computational time is required, considering computationally intensive processes like fracture flow and geochemical reactions. In this work, three approaches to modeling naturally fractured media were assessed, such as the explicit representation of fractures through local grid refinement (LGR), the traditional dual permeability/dual porosity model (DPDK), and the embedded discrete fracture model (EDFM). The combination of EDFM with dynamic gridding in the matrix gridblocks demonstrated superior computational efficiency compared to LGR and DPDK simulations. This novel approach was 75 times faster than LGR and 37 times faster than DPDK while yielding comparable results in terms of different CO2 retention forms (free supercritical fluid, dissolved in water, and residual trapped gas) in one of the geological models investigated. Therefore, it was proposed a novel combination of EDFM and dynamic gridding as a suitable and accurate numerical approach to simulate reactive CO2 transport in fractured saline aquifers. This approach offers a practical means of efficiently evaluating carbonate reservoir targets for CCS projects, enabling effective decision-making in energy storage endeavors.

Prospecting CCS Project in Indonesia: A Case Study in Meratus Mountains, South Borneo

Long-term extensive carbon dioxide exposure inflicts diseases for humans and endangers the ecosystem. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is a breakthrough to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. The purpose of this study is to describe the CCS principles and suitability of this work in Indonesia, especially in the Meratus Mountains. The studied region is the major area of the Meratus Geopark. Selected ultramafic rocks from the Meratus Geopark were analyzed using X-Ray Fluorescence in the University of Tasmania. CCS project should consider the minimum implication for conservation strategy of geopark. Geologically, CCS is adapted through direct sequestration and carbon mineralization. Mafic-ultramafic lithologies are the best option for mineral carbonation. Most of the basaltic rocks in Indonesia are situated near active volcanoes that are heavily risky for CCS works. Ultramafic in the range of Meratus Geopark is clearly suitable for CCS because of its large expanse, far away from active volcanoes, without significant nickel mining activity. The project would promote geohazards and climate change issues of Meratus Geopark. In-situ CSS mineral carbonation should be located avoiding the Sultan Adam Mandiangin Serpentinite Geosite to nourish the geoconservation of Meratus Geopark. A successful CCS adaptation would be good evidence for the Indonesian government implementing the Paris Agreement. Keywords: Carbon Capture and Storage, In-situ mineral carbonation, ultramafic, Meratus Geopark.

BKV CEO: If You Have the Skills To Pay the Bills, CCS Is a ‘Tremendous Business’

Shale gas producer BKV Corp. has made the leap into the US carbon capture and storage (CCS) sector, becoming the latest upstream firm to challenge the idea that only industry giants can make significant moves in this emerging arena. Founded in 2015 as a privately held subsidiary of Thailand’s coal and energy conglomerate Banpu, BKV and its fewer than 400 employees have quickly built the company into the 17th largest gas producer in the US. In addition to its upstream operations in the Barnett and Marcellus shales, BKV’s business model borrows from its Thai energy roots and includes ownership of two natural gas power plants in Texas. But the firm is better known within upstream technical circles for its leadership in refracturing horizontal wells in the Barnett where it is the largest operator both in terms of acreage and flowing wells. No stranger to diversification, BKV is now shifting its focus to CCS—a market anticipated to balloon almost fivefold from $3 billion to over $14 billion by the end of the decade. This growth is being propelled in the US by new legislation offering $85 in tax credits for each ton of CO2 sequestered, effectively turning the greenhouse gas into a valuable commodity. The company’s inaugural CCS project, in collaboration with Dallas-based EnLink Midstream, launched this past November in Bridgeport, Texas. Called the Barnett Zero Project, BKV and its partner are targeting the sequestration of approximately 210,000 mtpa of CO2e. Hitting that target means potentially generating over $17.8 million in annual tax credits, a sum that offers a swift return on investment for those who can manage costs. BKV has also established a new business unit called dCarbon Ventures which is leading a separate CCS joint venture in the Barnett play called Cotton Cove. The $17.6-million project, $9 million of which will be put up by BKV, is expected to begin injecting up to 45,000 mtpa by the end of next year. Beyond that, BKV and its subsidiaries have secured rights for a large-scale project spanning 21,000 acres in neighboring Louisiana which would source its emissions from the industrial and petrochemical plants around the New Orleans area. Steering these ambitious projects is BKV’s CEO, Chris Kalnin, alongside Lauren Read, vice president of the gas company’s dCarbon Ventures. Under their leadership, BKV hopes to achieve net-zero Scope 1 and 2 emissions by next year—decades ahead of most industry reduction targets. The company is not stopping there and is ambitioning to do what most US-based operators have so far refrained from, which is to offset its Scope 3 emissions sometime next decade. In the following Q&A, Kalnin and Read discuss the motivations behind the Barnett Zero Project, its significance in the context of independent producers, and what it signals about BKV’s broader strategy.

Toward Cleaner and More Sustainable Cement Production in Vietnam via Carbon Capture and Storage

Vietnam is the world’s largest cement exporter. In 2022, it produced 118 Mtpa cement while emitting 109 Mtpa cement-related CO2, equal to 33% of Vietnam’s total CO2 emission. As Vietnam has pledged to achieve net zero by 2050, unabated cement-related CO2 emission must be drastically reduced in the future. This paper investigates the contribution of carbon capture and storage (CCS) to decarbonizing Vietnam’s cement industry to make cement production cleaner and more sustainable. A first-of-a-kind CO2 source-sink mapping exercise was conducted to map 68 cement plants to subsurface sinks, including oil and gas reservoirs and saline aquifers, using four CCS field development concepts. The results have identified four first-mover CCS projects where CO2 emissions from 27 cement plants are mapped to nearby offshore subsurface CO2 sinks. Two of these projects are located in Vietnam-north, one in Vietnam-central, and one in Vietnam-south. In the Vietnam-south CCS project, CO2 emission from the Kien Giang province is transported and stored in the offshore Block B gas field. In the other three CCS projects, CO2 emission is transported to nearshore saline aquifers in the Song Hong Basin. At a CO2 capture rate of 90%, these four projects will mitigate 50 Mtpa CO2, which is 46% of cement-related CO2 emission or 15% of total CO2 emission from Vietnam, thus making Vietnam’s cement production cleaner and more sustainable. Future research should focus on subsurface characterization of saline aquifers in the Song Hong Basin. The methodology developed in this study is usable in other cement-producing countries with significant CO2 sinks in the nearshore continental shelf.

The Pathway Towards Supporting the Implementation of the New Indonesian Law on Carbon Capture and Storage in Indonesian Universities

Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology emerges as a promising solution to combat CO2 emissions from industrial processes and power generation, playing a vital role in the global efforts to mitigate climate change. However, despite its potential benefits, the widespread adoption of CCS faces challenges across technical, economic, and regulatory domains. In Indonesia, a nation heavily dependent on fossil fuels, CCS presents a significant opportunity to reduce emissions while sustaining economic growth. Therefore, this paper explores Indonesia’s strategic approach to CCS initiatives, examining the regulatory framework and the current landscape of CCS projects within the country. The study discusses the contributions of Indonesian universities towards advancing CCS technology through collaborative research, partnerships, and innovative initiatives. By assessing the role of universities in addressing environmental challenges and fostering a greener future, this paper highlights the pivotal importance of universities in driving sustainable solutions for mitigating greenhouse gas emissions and achieving climate objectives. The finding concludes that Indonesian universities significantly contribute to the development and implementation of CCS through collaborative efforts and partnerships, facilitating a path towards sustainability.

Technology Focus: Well Integrity (January 2024)

The context of last year’s Well Integrity Technology Focus was the repurposing of existing oil and gas wells for carbon storage, flow-wet material conformity, and associated integrity risks. Typically, oil and gas producing wells are abandoned toward the end of their life cycles with reservoir pressures depleted compared with the virgin pressures. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects, however, present different operating conditions. First, the pressurized containment sites have a higher life expectancy, say, between 50 and 100 years. Second, the containment pressure is possibly higher than the virgin pressure. The overpressure limit is dependent on several factors, especially the caprock sealing capacity. It goes without saying that CCS storage in wells requires long-term integrity (i.e., for the entire project life cycle). It is well-known that barriers such as cement and casings deteriorate over time. Deterioration of barriers may be accelerated by chemical reaction with carbon dioxide or thermal cycling. Hence, these storage sites could present unique life-cycle integrity risks perhaps never experienced by the oil and gas industry. To further explain the scenario, a possible breach of the confining strata resulting in pressure communication to the overburden means CO2 finding its way through the deteriorated well barriers of any active or shut-in well, resulting in CO2 ingress to the upper formations; groundwater contamination; or, in a worst-case scenario, appearance at the surface. Therefore, one of the important subsurface aspects of a CCS site is the presence of two seals (i.e., primary and secondary), with sealing capacity of both caprocks characterized robustly. Lack of double barriers or improper characterization of these confining strata could present a scenario wherein CO2 flows into overburden (i.e., above the caprock). The wells’ outer annuli then could become a potential path of least resistance for CO2 to migrate further up. Such situations can defy the primary objective of CCS projects and can require mitigation with proper attention to detail following the “as low as reasonably practicable,” or ALARP, principle. The scenario discussed is unique and complex and requires continuous managing and monitoring of CCS storage sites. Furthermore, the role of artificial intelligence and automation is seen as imperative during the operational stage of the project. In addition to the primary paper selections synopsized here, three SPE papers focusing on artificial intelligence and machine learning as tools for well integrity management are recommended as alternates for further reading. Recommended additional reading at OnePetro: www.onepetro.org. SPE 212479 Improve Well Integrity Using an Annular Barrier AI Tool by Eirik Time, Equinor, et al. SPE 211537 Transforming Production-Phase WIMS to a Game Changer Smart Well Integrity Monitoring System With Real-Time Automated Engineering Analytics by Mohammed Jasem, ADNOC, et al. SPE 216600 Paradigm Shift in Well Integrity Management Through the Use of Autonomous Wireless Well Intervention Robots by Julio Q.M. Guedes, Ouronova, et al.

A Case Study on the CO2 Sequestration in Shenhua Block Reservoir: The Impacts of Injection Rates and Modes

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is the most promising method of curbing atmospheric carbon dioxide levels from 2020 to 2050. Accurate predictions of geology and sealing capabilities play a key role in the safe execution of CCS projects. However, popular forecasting methods often oversimplify the process and fail to guide actual CCS projects in the right direction. This study takes a specific block in Shenhua, China as an example. The relative permeability of CO2 and brine is measured experimentally, and a multi-field coupling CO2 storage prediction model is constructed, focusing on analyzing the sealing ability of the block from the perspective of injection modes. The results show that when injected at a constant speed, the average formation pressure and wellbore pressure are positively correlated with the CO2 injection rate and time; when the injection rate is 0.5 kg/s for 50 years, the average formation pressure increases by 38% and the wellbore pressure increases by 68%. For different injection modes, the average formation pressures of various injection methods are similar during injection. Among them, the pressure increases around the well in the decreasing injection mode is the smallest. The CO2 concentration around the wellbore is the largest, and the CO2 diffusion range continues to expand with injection time. In summary, formation pressure increases with the increase in injection rate and injection time, and the decreasing injection mode has the least impact on the increase in formation pressure. The CO2 concentration is the largest around the well, and the CO2 concentration gradually decreases. The conclusion helps determine the geological carrying capacity of injection volumes and provides insights into the selection of more appropriate injection modes. Accurate predictions of CO2 storage capacity are critical to ensuring project safety and monitoring potentially hazardous sites based on reservoir characteristics.