Illinois Basin – Decatur Project Research Articles

Machine Learning-Driven Quantification of CO2 Plume Dynamics at Illinois Basin Decatur Project Sites Using Microseismic Data

This study utilizes machine learning to quantify CO2 plume extents by analyzing microseismic data from the Illinois Basin Decatur Project (IBDP). Leveraging a unique dataset of well logs, microseismic records, and CO2 injection metrics, this work aims to predict the temporal evolution of subsurface CO2 saturation plumes. The findings illustrate that machine learning can predict plume dynamics, revealing vertical clustering of microseismic events over distinct time periods within certain proximities to the injection well, consistent with an invasion percolation model. The buoyant CO2 plume partially trapped within sandstone intervals periodically breaches localized barriers or baffles, which act as leaky seals and impede vertical migration until buoyancy overcomes gravity and capillary forces, leading to breakthroughs along vertical zones of weakness. Between different unsupervised clustering techniques, K-Means and DBSCAN were applied and analyzed in detail, where K-means outperformed DBSCAN in this specific study by indicating the combination of the highest Silhouette Score and the lowest Davies–Bouldin Index. The predictive capability of machine learning models in quantifying CO2 saturation plume extension is significant for real-time monitoring and management of CO2 sequestration sites. The models exhibit high accuracy, validated against physical models and injection data from the IBDP, reinforcing the viability of CO2 geological sequestration as a climate change mitigation strategy and enhancing advanced tools for safe management of these operations.

Geostatistical Inversion for Subsurface Characterization Using Stein Variational Gradient Descent With Autoencoder Neural Network: An Application to Geologic Carbon Sequestration

AbstractGeophysical subsurface characterization plays a key role in the success of geologic carbon sequestration (GCS). While deterministic inversion methods are commonly used due to their computational efficiency, they often fail to adequately quantify the model uncertainty, which is essential for informed decision‐making and risk mitigation in GCS projects. In this study, we propose the SVGD‐AE method, a novel geostatistical inversion approach that integrates geophysical data with prior geological knowledge to estimate subsurface properties. SVGD‐AE combines Stein Variational Gradient Descent (SVGD) for sampling high‐dimensional distributions with an autoencoder (AE) neural network for re‐parameterizing reservoir models, aiming to accurately preserve geologic characteristics of reservoir models derived from prior knowledge. Through a synthetic example of pre‐stack seismic inversion, we demonstrate that the SVGD‐AE method outperforms traditional probabilistic methods, particularly in inverse problems with complex posterior distributions. Then, we apply the SVGD‐AE method to the Illinois Basin—Decatur Project (IBDP), a large‐scale CO2 storage initiative in Decatur, Illinois, USA. The resulting petrophysical models with quantified uncertainty enhance our understanding of subsurface properties and have broad implications for the feasibility, decision making, and long‐term safety of CO2 storage at the IBDP.

An efficient deep learning-based workflow for real-time CO2 plume visualization in saline aquifer using distributed pressure and temperature measurements

Underground carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration is widely accepted as a proven and established technology to respond to global warming from greenhouse gas emissions. It is crucial to monitor the CO2 plume effectively throughout the life cycle of a geologic CO2 sequestration project to ensure safety and storage efficacy. We propose a fast and efficient deep learning workflow for near real-time data assimilation, forecasting and visualization of CO2 plume evolution in saline aquifer and demonstrate its application at a field site.Our proposed workflow integrates field measurements, including distributed pressure and temperature at wells to visualize spatial and temporal migration of the CO2 plume in the subsurface. The deep learning framework has two key concepts that enhance the efficiency of the training and robustness of the CO2 plume prediction: first, instead of using multiple saturation images as output of the deep-learning model, a single Time of Flight (TOF) image are used to represent CO2 plume propagation; second, we use variational autoencoder-decoder (VAE) for high dimensional image data compression considering uncertainties in the predicted images. Time-of-Flight (TOF) is the travel time of a neural particle from the injection point, which is calculated along streamline based on the velocity field by considering reservoir heterogeneity and driving forces. The latent variables of VAE are estimated through a deep neural network model with inputs of distributed pressure and temperature measurements. Subsequently, the decoder part of the VAE expands the estimated latent variables to the original dimension of the TOF images. We demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed method by comparison with the more traditional pareto-based multi-objective Genetic Algorithm (MOGA) for the assimilation of the field measurements and forecasting of the CO2 plume migration.The power and utility of our proposed workflow are demonstrated by application to the Illinois Basin-Decatur Project (IBDP). The IBDP is a large scale 3-year CO2 storage test and is part of the Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP). The field measurements include bottom-hole pressure and distributed temperature sensing (DTS) data at the injection well, and the distributed pressure measurements at several locations along the monitoring well. The dynamic model is a compositional model with 1.7 million cells. First, we identify the influential parameters using sensitivity analysis based on the pressure and temperature responses. Next, the sensitive parameters are sampled from a pre-specified range and a comprehensive training dataset is generated, including the pressure and temperature measurements and TOF images based on flow simulation results from a variety of geological model realizations. The trained neural network model can identify geological model realizations that capture the spatial and temporal migration of pressure and CO2 saturation based on Euclidean distance within the VAE latent space. For comparison with traditional history matching workflow, the selected sensitive parameters are also tuned using MOGA with the pressure and temperature measurements. A reasonable agreement is obtained for the predicted CO2 plume migration between two workflows. The proposed deep learning workflow shows significant speed-up compared to the traditional multi-objective optimization-based history matching workflow (5 h for training and seconds for prediction; compared to several days/weeks for the MOGA).The novelty of this work is the application of an efficient deep learning-based workflow to a large-scale CO2 storage test site for assimilating field measurements and predicting CO2 plume propagation in a near real-time and comparison with traditional history matching approach.

Mechanisms for Microseismicity Occurrence Due to CO2 Injection at Decatur, Illinois: A Coupled Multiphase Flow and Geomechanics Perspective

ABSTRACT We numerically investigate the mechanisms that resulted in induced seismicity occurrence associated with CO2 injection at the Illinois Basin–Decatur Project (IBDP). We build a geologically consistent model that honors key stratigraphic horizons and 3D fault surfaces interpreted using surface seismic data and microseismicity locations. We populate our model with reservoir and geomechanical properties estimated using well-log and core data. We then performed coupled multiphase flow and geomechanics modeling to investigate the impact of CO2 injection on fault stability using the Coulomb failure criteria. We calibrate our flow model using measured reservoir pressure during the CO2 injection phase. Our model results show that pore-pressure diffusion along faults connecting the injection interval to the basement is essential to explain the destabilization of the regions where microseismicity occurred, and that poroelastic stresses alone would result in stabilization of those regions. Slip tendency analysis indicates that, due to their orientations with respect to the maximum horizontal stress direction, the faults where the microseismicity occurred were very close to failure prior to injection. These model results highlight the importance of accurate subsurface fault characterization for CO2 sequestration operations.

Advancing subsurface analysis: Integrating computer vision and deep learning for the near real-time interpretation of borehole image logs in the Illinois Basin-Decatur Project

The accurate quantification and mapping of subsurface natural fracture systems using borehole imaging logs are critical for the success of CO2 sequestration in geologic formations, optimization of engineered geothermal systems, and hydrocarbon production enhancement. However, traditional interpretation processes suffer from time-consuming procedures and human bias. To address these challenges and expedite fracture analysis, we investigated the application of integrated computer vision and DL workflows to automate image log analysis. Specifically, the design of our workflow was crafted to swiftly detect fractures and baffles by using actual electrical resistivity of borehole wall from microresistivity imaging device alongside their binary representation. This novel approach significantly reduces computational time while providing invaluable insights. By incorporating conventional logging and microseismic data, we present a regional subsurface natural fracture mapping technique. Through the minimization of human bias in image log analysis, our automated workflow achieves reduced fracture interpretation time and costs while ensuring robust and reproducible results. We demonstrated the efficacy of our approach by applying the workflow to the Illinois Basin-Decatur Project site. The automated workflow successfully identified major fractured zones, multiple baffles, and an interbedded layer with a high resolution of 0.01 ft or 0.12 in. (0.3 cm) and can be upscaled to any desired resolution. Validation through microseismic and image log interpretations allows for accurate and near-real-time mapping of fractures and baffles, significantly enhancing CO2 pressure forecasting and postinjection site care. Our approach stands out due to its robustness, consistency, and reduced computational cost compared with alternative feature extraction technologies. It presents exciting possibilities for advancing CO2 sequestration and engineered geothermal efforts by offering comprehensive and efficient fracture mapping solutions. This technology can contribute significantly to the optimization of CO2 sequestration projects, facilitating sustainable environmental practices, and combating climate change.

Quantitative seismic fracture characterization of a sandstone reservoir — Decatur, Illinois Basin

The Illinois Basin Decatur Project, a carbon capture and sequestration task, was undertaken to sequester 1 million tonnes of CO2 into a sandstone reservoir. A 3D seismic survey was conducted to characterize the reservoir. A geomodel was developed from seismic data, inversion results, and well data to geostatistically map the storage potential of the reservoir. However, no fracture model was created or utilized in this exercise. Fractures inherently influence the porosity and permeability of a reservoir. Ignoring them in reservoir characterization is not an optimal reservoir management practice. The image-log interpretation from a few vertical wells drilled in the area shows the bedding plane dips, but no fracture has been identified. However, the lack of fracture crossings in a few vertical wells does not imply that a formation is devoid of fractures altogether. Hence, seismic fracture characterization (leveraging the dense 3D seismic data) is necessary for a reservoir characterization exercise. We utilized the publicly available Decatur 3D seismic data set to run a seismic fracture characterization workflow to delineate potential fracture corridors present in the reservoir. We calculated three edge detection attributes (structural tensor, structure-oriented semblance, and structural dip) in combination to delineate the fracture lineaments. Our workflow extracts several quantitative measures of the seismic lineaments such as dip, azimuth, area, and length, which can be analyzed statistically. The principal focus of this work is to find a way forward to integrate the fractures from seismic data in a geologic model that can be utilized in simulations. Based on our interpretation of seismic fractures, we created a discrete fracture network that can be a building block for creating a finer-resolution fracture model. We also explored the fractal characteristics of seismic-derived fracture lineaments as a way forward for generating discrete fracture networks.

Illitization in the Mt. Simon Sandstone, Illinois Basin, USA: Implications for carbon dioxide storage

Clay mineral cementation is one of the most important controls on sandstone reservoir properties. In this paper, the diagenetic history of the Mt. Simon reservoir complex is studied to reveal the origin, timing, and controls of illitization. Samples of sandstone and shale from Mt. Simon reservoir complex were acquired from the Illinois Basin–Decatur Project (IBDP), a CO2 storage demonstration project in the central Illinois Basin. Petrographic, SEM, TEM, XRD analyses and K/Ar age dating were completed to identify the major detrital and diagenetic components of the samples and reveal illite to be the major clay component in all samples. Illitic clay coatings in the lower Mt. Simon reservoir are identified as a major control on reservoir properties by inhibiting major precipitation of authigenic quartz during illitization, resulting in highly permeable sandstone, essential for CO2 storage. The coating box-work morphology and mineralogy are indicative of a detrital smectite origin with subsequent illite growth associated with feldspar dissolution and kaolinite alteration. The mineralogy of bulk material and separate grain size fractions (2–0.6 μm; 0.6–0.2 μm; < 0.2 μm) with illite polytypes 2M1, 1M, and 1Md were quantified and age dated via 40K-40Ar methods. The shales or reservoir seals contain the highest proportions of detrital illite with illite in the lower Mt. Simon Sandstone reservoir identified as solely diagenetic. Two major events of illitization are identified throughout the Mt. Simon with more porous reservoir rock exhibiting the older event from approximately 360 to 315 Ma and tighter sandstone units with reservoir properties too low to be considered reservoir exhibiting illite dates from 250 to 220 Ma. This partitioning of illitization is attributed to varied mineralogy controlled by depositional changes and evolution of the greater basin.

Hydromechanical impact of basement rock on injection-induced seismicity in Illinois Basin

The common explanation of observed injection-induced microseismicity is based on the measured stress state at the injection interval and the assumption that it remains the same in the vicinity. We argue here that representing the stress state in different geologic formations over the injection site with the single Mohr’s circle is insufficient due to local stratigraphic features and contrast in compressibilities of the involved formations. The role of hydromechanical coupling in the microseismic response is also crucial for the proper assessment of the problem. Thoroughly monitored Illinois Basin Decatur Project revealed the majority of CO2 injection-associated microseismic events being originated in the crystalline basement. Even though basement faults can serve as the conduits for fluid flow—the predicted pressure increase seems to be insufficient to trigger seismicity. To address this issue, accurate laboratory measurements of rock properties from the involved formations are conducted. The pre-injection stress state and its evolution are evaluated with the hydromechanically coupled numerical model. It appears that the presence of an offset in a stiff competent layer affects the stress state in its vicinity. Therefore, both the pre-injection stress state and its evolution during the fluid injection should be addressed during the induced seismicity assessment.

High-Resolution Pore Space Imaging, Mineralogical Characterization, and Sealing Capacity Estimates of Confining Units at a Geologic Carbon Storage Demonstration: The Illinois Basin–Decatur Project, USA

At the Illinois Basin–Decatur Project, a large-scale CO2 capture and geologic storage demonstration project in the saline Mount Simon Sandstone in central Illinois, three overlying and laterally continuous shale formations (the Eau Claire, Maquoketa, and New Albany) are considered confining units overlying the sandstone reservoir. The Mount Simon reservoir contains internal mudstone baffles that will influence CO2 migration pathways and future interaction with seals. Understanding the sealing properties of rock units deemed seals or confining units is vital to commercialization of geologic carbon storage. For this article, nanoscale-resolution focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (SEM), mercury injection capillary pressure (MICP), X-ray diffraction (XRD) spectroscopy, and quantitative evaluation of minerals by SEM were used to characterize the controls on the sealing integrity of these seals and reservoir confining units. Results show that porosity and pore size generally decrease with depth, except in the carbonate-rich Maquoketa Shale. The Maquoketa contains the highest pore volume owing to abundant dolomite in the mineral matrix compared with the other mudstone and shale intervals, which are clay rich. The shallowest seal sample, the organic-rich New Albany Shale, contains the highest frequency of the smallest pore throat size and is most comparable, with respect to pore sizes and entry pressures, to the deepest black shale and primary Mount Simon reservoir seal, the Eau Claire. Point-specific MICP threshold pressure results, theoretical calculations based on a range of permeabilities, and column height calculations indicate that the internal Mount Simon mudstone and Eau Claire Shale are effective seals of CO2 in the Mount Simon reservoir.

Coupled Hydromechanical Modeling of Induced Seismicity From CO2 Injection in the Illinois Basin

AbstractInjection of CO2 for geologic carbon sequestration into deep sedimentary formations involves fluid pressure increases that engage hydromechanical processes that can cause seismicity by activation of existing faults. In this work, we use a coupled multiphase fluid flow and geomechanical simulator to model spatiotemporal fluid pressure and stress changes in order to study the poroelastic effect of CO2 injection on faults in crystalline basement rock below the injection zone. The seismicity rate along features interpreted to be basement faults is modeled using Dieterich's rate‐and‐state earthquake nucleation model. The methodology is applied to microseismicity detected during CO2 injection into the Mount Simon formation during the Illinois Basin—Decatur Project. The modeling accurately captures an observed reduction in seismicity rate when the injection in the second well was into a slightly shallower zone above the base of the Mount Simon formation. Moreover, the modeling shows that it is important to consider poroelastic stress changes, in addition to fluid pressure changes for accurately modeling of the observed seismicity rate.

Advanced Geomechanical Model to Predict the Impact of CO2-Induced Microstructural Alterations on the Cohesive-Frictional Behavior of Mt. Simon Sandstone

We investigated the influence of CO2-induced geochemical reactions on the cohesive-frictional properties of host rock within the context of CO2 storage in a saline aquifer and focused on the Mt. Simon sandstone. The research objective was to model geo-mechanical changes due to host rock exposure to CO2-saturated brine while accounting for heterogeneity, double-scale porosity, and granular structure. We formulated a three-level multi-scale model for host rocks. We conducted scanning electron microscopy analyses to probe the microstructure and grid nanoindentation to measure the mechanical response. We derived new nonlinear strength upscaling solutions to correlate the effective strength characteristics and the macroscopic yield surface to the micro-structure at the nano-, micro-, and meso-scales. Specifically, our theoretical model links CO2-induced microstructural alterations to a reduction in the size of the yield surface, and a drop in the value of the friction coefficient. In turn, regarding the Illinois Basin Decatur Project, the CO2-induced drop in friction coefficient is linked to an increase in the risk of fault slip and a higher probability of induced microseismicity during and after the end of CO2 underground injection operations. The theoretical model presented is essential for the geo-mechanical modeling of CO2 underground injection operations at multiple length-scales.

Analysis of Microseismicity and Reactivated Fault Size to Assess the Potential for Felt Events by CO2 Injection in the Illinois Basin

ABSTRACTThe results of monitoring of carbon dioxide (CO2) injection at the Illinois Basin—Decatur Project (IBDP) and the companion Illinois Industrial Carbon Capture and Sequestration Sources (IL-ICCS) project—have shown that reservoir response to fluid pressure changes can vary significantly at different injection locations within the same reservoir. Predrill reservoir characterization is important to identify potentially seismogenic faults. However, interpretations of newly reprocessed 3D seismic reflection data illustrate the challenges related to their identification in a region dominated by faulting with small vertical offsets. Faults interpreted in the 3D seismic volume range from ∼300 to 1200 m wide and are in the same size range as faults that could have been the source of historical events up to Mw 2.7 in central Illinois. The array of monitoring sensors that was installed for the IBDP continues to collect data, as injection operates in IL-ICCS, the second injection well. CO2 injection rates for the IL-ICCS well are on average 1.7 times the rates injected in the IBDP well, but a significantly reduced rate of induced seismicity is observed. This article presents results of passive seismic monitoring for the duration of the project to date, integrating active and passive seismic data to develop a new interpretation of the subsurface structure at the Decatur site that explicitly identifies pathways for fluid flow into the basement leading to induced seismicity, and provides a geological explanation for the sharp reduction of induced seismicity during injection at higher rates into the second well. The use of seismic moment to estimate the length of seismogenic slip planes in the local subsurface suggests that faults large enough to produce felt seismicity are unlikely to be present at or near the Decatur site.

CO2 induced changes in Mount Simon sandstone: Understanding links to post CO2 injection monitoring, seismicity, and reservoir integrity

The purpose of this study is to quantify geochemical reactions of CO2 and brine with subsurface samples taken from the Mt. Simon sandstone and identify any potential alterations of the geomechanical rock properties that could lead to changes observable in seismic monitoring or result in changes of micro seismicity such as those observed at the Illinois Basin-Decatur Project (IBDP) site. Two Mt. Simon sandstone samples from 6919.3 feet (2109.0 m) and 6926.1 feet (2111.1 m) depth were exposed to supercritical CO2 (scCO2) dissolved in brine at in-situ reservoir conditions for one month. Geochemical, spectral, scanning electron microscopy, and petrophysical methods were used to analyze the samples before and after the one-month exposure. Significant changes were observed. Multiple geomechanical properties were chosen to form the framework against which to interrogate the petrophysical data: Young’s modulus (E), Poisson’s ratio (ν), lambda·rho (λρ), and mu·rho (μρ). In this study we conclude that framework composition, porosity, heterogeneities, effective pressure, and reactive geochemistry are first order controls on trends in the E-μ and λρ-μρ cross plot spaces. Changes in porosity, permeability, dynamic moduli, and brittleness with exposure to these fluids were observed. No change in ultrasonic P-wave attenuation (QP) was observed. Geochemical alteration causes a distinct shift in λρ-μρ in both samples as well as changes in E, ν , and P and S wave seismic velocity values. These observations could provide insight into subsurface monitoring using seismic methods including amplitude variation with offset (AVO) classification.

Integrated Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage for the Mid-Continent Region of the United States

Carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) with CO2 captured from bio-energy projects (BECCS) has been identified as an important technology for reducing CO2 emissions by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change [1]. Capture from ethanol sources is proved at commercial scale (i.e., million tonnes per year scale) for storage at the Illinois Basin-Decatur Project . In states like Nebraska and Kansas where there is a large ethanol production industry in addition to significant electricity generation, CCUS projects can be started immediately with ethanol-based-CO2 as a source and expanded as electricity-generated-CO2 comes on line commercially. A CO2 source corridor was identified from sources in eastern Nebraska westward to sources in Columbus and then southwestward to storage areas in the oilfields in Red Willow and surrounding counties. Between 2.1 and 2.4 million tonnes of CO2 per year could be collected from this source corridor. Stacked storage is an important vehicle for early implementation because revenue from CO2-enhanced oil recovery could be paired with existing tax credits and subsidies to support the construction of capture and transport infrastructure as a commercial enterprise. This study demonstrates the feasibility of the midcontinent hub concept. It shows that the economics and geology are favorable for early implementation of commercial scale CCUS utilizing BECCS to decarbonize biofuels and support local agriculture and oil production.

Mobilization of trace metals from caprock and formation rocks at the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project demonstration site under geological carbon dioxide sequestration conditions

One concern for geologic CO2 sequestration is the potential leakage of CO2 or CO2-saturated brine containing trace metals into overlying aquifers, which poses the risk of adversely affecting underground sources of drinking water. In this work, rock and brine samples collected in the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project (IBDP), a large-scale geological CO2 sequestration demonstration project in Decatur, Illinois, USA, as well as synthetic brine samples were used to understand the mobilization of trace metals as a result of CO2–rock–brine interactions under IBDP-specific conditions (50 °C and 20.6 MPa). Rock sample characterization indicated that, at the IBDP site, trace metal concentrations were greatest in cap rock samples from the Eau Claire Formation, compared with those from formations above and below this Formation. The natural brine samples collected from the Mt. Simon Sandstone reservoir were highly reducing and saline, with trace metal concentrations up to 680 times greater than the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency-prescribed drinking water standards. Batch leaching experiments indicated that both trace metal mobilization from rock and immobilization from the brine occurred when high-pressure CO2 was introduced into the rock-brine system. The amounts of metals mobilized from the rock generally accounted for <5% of the total metals in the rock, but for some metals, including Ni, Pb, and Tl, up to 63% of the metals in the rock were mobilized to the brine. Leaching of trace metals into synthetic brines was different from that into the natural brine. The results of this study provided current information on the trace element sources and will help in risk simulations and experimental design to further evaluate potential impact of leakage on groundwater quality, which is important for future GCS projects to consider for monitoring and containment assurance purposes.

Reactive alteration of a Mt. Simon Sandstone due to CO2-rich brine displacement

We report a series of acidified brine flow-through experiments designed to quantify the coupled alteration of geochemical, structural and fluid transport properties of a Mt. Simon sandstone core recovered at a depth of 2110.5 m as part of the Illinois Basin Decatur Project (IBDP). Flow-through experiments were completed at representative in-situ conditions to isolate the stages of initial CO2 injection: first, a single-phase (CO2–saturated brine, Stage 1) followed by a second multi-phase (CO2–saturated brine and supercritical CO2, Stage 2) experiment. During both stages, effluent major and trace cation concentrations were tracked through time. Two imaging methods were employed to analyze the structural alterations of the rock core induced by the percolation of CO2-saturated brine and supercritical CO2: (1) scanning electron microscopy-petrography before Stage 1 and after Stage 2 and (2) computed tomography (CT) scans before and after Stage 2.The time series of Stage 1 effluent solutes were used to constrain a reactive transport simulation of the system. Modeling results suggest the evolution of the solute composition is a result of coupled dissolution of K-feldspar, calcite, illite and pyrite, and precipitation of montmorillonite, mesolite, alunite, diaspore, goethite and muscovite. The model predicted a net opening of pore space and associated increased permeability at the inlet. However, across the whole core, an overall decrease in permeability of approximately 23% ± 0.01 after Stage 1 was determined experimentally. CT analysis confirmed a corresponding decrease in porosity. A comparable permeability decrease was directly measured during Stage 2, concurrent with a decrease in the volume of macro-pores based on multiple CT-resolution methods. In total, this coupled approach demonstrates that geochemical alterations exert a first order control on the evolution of fluid transport properties through time at the earliest stages of in-situ CO2 injection and suggest that chemical dynamics ultimately influence both the magnitude and timing of alterations to the physical integrity of Mt. Simon reservoir over these timescales.

Carbon sequestration at the Illinois Basin-Decatur Project: experimental results and geochemical simulations of storage

The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium is conducting the Illinois Basin-Decatur Project (IBDP), a large-scale demonstration of carbon sequestration that injected the CO2 from an ethanol plant into the Mt. Simon Sandstone. Using site-specific data and samples, batch experiments were conducted at reservoir conditions and the reactive transport code TOUGHREACT was used to model the CO2 migration and interactions in the injection formation. In the model, most of the mineral alteration occurred after the injection was completed and brine displaced the CO2 at the base of the plume. K-feldspar dissolution led to a nearly 10% increase in porosity which is a maximum estimate of alteration because, the model omits mineral transformations and may underestimate clay precipitation and the effects of grain coatings. The batch experiments recreated these conditions and showed a little alteration. In both the model and experiments, the bulk of the mineralogy remained inert. Calcite precipitated within the modeled plume where the transformation of K-feldspar to clays buffered the pH, though this process only produced minor mineral sequestration. Less-permeable layers in the model baffled the ascent of the CO2 plume and caused it to spread laterally. The plume did not reach the upper third of the Mt. Simon Sandstone. Both the model and the batch experiments show that the bulk of the Mt. Simon Sandstone will undergo little change due to CO2 injection, and the batch experiments show the feldspar dissolution in the model is likely limited.

Sensitivity thresholds of groundwater parameters for detecting CO2 leakage at a geologic carbon sequestration site.

Geologic carbon sequestration (GCS) projects in the USA are required to monitor groundwater quality for geochemical changes above the injection area that may be a result of CO2 or brine leakage from the storage reservoir. Should CO2 migrate into the groundwater around the compliance wells monitoring the shallower hydrologic units, each compliance parameter could react differently depending on its sensitivity to CO2. Statistically determined limits (SDLs) for detection of CO2 leakage into groundwater were calculated using background water quality data from the Illinois Basin Decatur Project (IBDP) sequestration site and prediction and tolerance intervals for specific compliance parameters. If the parameter concentrations varied outside of these ranges during the injection and post injection periods of a GCS project, then additional actions would be required to determine the reason for the changes in groundwater concentrations. Geochemical modeling can simulate the amount of CO2 needed to alter water quality parameters a statistically significant amount. This information can then inform GCS operators and regulators as to which compliance parameters are relevant (sensitive) to CO2 leakage for a given setting. For the system studied in here, Fe, Ca, K, Mg, CO2, and pH were sensitive to CO2 addition while Al, Cl, Na, and Si were not.

Petrology, geochronology, and geophysical characterization of Mesoproterozoic rocks in central Illinois, USA

The Precambrian basement rocks of the Eastern Granite-Rhyolite Province (EGRP) in central Illinois (midcontinent region of North America) exhibit a complex history of early volcanism, granite emplacement, and intrusion of mafic rocks. A comprehensive suite of dedicated petrographic analyses, geophysical logs, and drill core from four basement-penetrating wells, two-dimensional and three-dimensional seismic reflection data, and U-Pb age data from the Illinois Basin–Decatur Project (IBDP) and Illinois Carbon Capture Storage (ICCS) Project site provide new constraints for interpreting the Precambrian basement of the Illinois Basin. These new data reveal the basement to be compositionally and structurally complex, having typical EGRP felsic volcanic rocks intruded by the first reported gabbro in the Precambrian basement in Illinois. Zircons (n ​= ​29) from rhyolite give a U-Pb weighted mean average age of 1467 ​± ​9 ​Ma. Zircons (n ​= ​3) from a gabbro dike that intrudes the rhyolite yield a concordia age of 1073 ​± ​12 ​Ma, which corresponds to Grenville-age extension and represents the first Grenville-age rock in Illinois and in the EGRP. A high-resolution three-dimensional seismic reflection volume, coincident with the four wells, provides a context for interpreting the petrological data and implies a high degree of heterogeneity for basement rocks at the IBDP–ICCS site, as also shown by the drill cores. The occurrence of Grenville-age gabbro is related to a prominent bowl-like structure observed on local two-dimensional seismic reflection profiles and the three-dimensional volume that is interpreted as a deep-seated mafic sill complex. Furthermore, heterogeneities such as the brecciated EGRP rhyolite and later gabbro intrusion observed in the basement lithology at the IBDP–ICCS may reflect previously unknown distal elements of the 1.1 ​Ga Midcontinent Rift in the EGRP and more likely Grenville-age extension.

Soil gas monitoring at the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project carbon sequestration site

An extensive monitoring, verification, and accounting (MVA) program was carried out from 2011 to 2016 as part of the Illinois Basin – Decatur Project (IBDP), a large-scale carbon capture and storage (CCS) demonstration project in Decatur, Illinois, USA. As part of the monitoring program, a near-surface monitoring network for soil gas was used to characterize the natural variability of CO2 and identify anomalies that could be associated with CO2 leakage in the vadose zone. In the fall of 2011, 21 permanent soil gas sampling nests were installed on-site and three nests were installed off-site as reference locations. Soil gas was collected from three depth intervals (15–30, 47–61, 107–122 cm) at each nest. Fixed gas (CO2, N2, O2, and light hydrocarbon) concentrations, stable carbon isotopic composition (δ13C), and radiocarbon (14C) content of CO2 in soil gas were monitored during the pre-injection, injection, and post-injection phases from 2011 to 2016. Both CO2 concentrations and carbon isotopic compositions showed large spatial and temporal variations; however, the relationships among CO2, N2, and O2 concentrations in soil gas indicated that these variations should be attributed to natural processes and not CO2 leakage. Soil CO2 concentrations responded to temperature and precipitation variations and increased with increasing soil depth. While 14C cannot be used to determine the occurrence of CO2 leakage at IBDP site due to the indistinctive signature between injected CO2 and soil gas CO2, experiences at IBDP validated that δ13C can serve as an effective natural tracer at this site. Results from this project have value for future industrial CCS projects that plan to use soil gas monitoring techniques for site characterization and leakage detection.