Risk assessment-led characterisation of the SiteChar UK North Sea site for the geological storage of CO2

Risk assessment-led characterisation of a site for the geological storage of CO2 in the UK northern North Sea was performed for the EU SiteChar research project as one of a portfolio of sites. Implementation and testing of the SiteChar project site characterisation workflow has produced a ‘dry-run’ storage permit application that is compliant with regulatory requirements. A site suitable for commercial-scale storage was characterised, compatible with current and future industrial carbon dioxide (CO2) sources in the northern UK. Pre-characterisation of the site, based on existing information acquired during hydrocarbon exploration and production, has been achieved from publicly available data. The project concept is to store captured CO2 at a rate of 5 Mt per year for 20 years in the Blake Oil Field and surrounding Captain Sandstone saline aquifer. This commercial-scale storage of 100 Mt CO2 can be achieved through a storage scenario combining injection of CO2 into the oil field and concurrent water production down-dip of the field. There would be no encroachment of supercritical phase CO2 for more than two kilometres beyond the field boundary and no adverse influence on operating hydrocarbon fields provided there is pressure management. Components of a storage permit application for the site are presented, developed as far as possible within a research project. Characterisation and technical investigations were guided by an initial assessment of perceived risks to the prospective site and a need to provide the information required for the storage permit application. The emphasis throughout was to reduce risks and uncertainty on the subsurface containment of stored CO2, particularly with respect to site technical performance, monitoring and regulatory issues, and effects on other resources. The results of selected risk assessment-led site characterisation investigations and the subsequent risk reassessments are described together with their implications for the understanding of the site. Additional investigations are identified that could further reduce risks and uncertainties, and enable progress toward a full storage permit application. Permit performance conditions are presented as SiteChar-recommended useful tools for discussion between the competent authority and operator

Qualification of a CO2 Storage Site Using an Integrated Reservoir Study

AbstractIn recent years, global concerns about greenhouse gas emissions have stimulated considerable interest in CO2 storage as a potential “bridging technology”, which could reduce significantly CO2 emissions, while allowing fossil fuels to be used until alternative energy sources are more widely deployed. Flow modeling is a relevant step in the characterization of a CO2 storage site, to provide quantitative predictions of reservoir behavior and assessing the uncertainty [1].The scope of this work is to analyze the impact of CO2 injection in Pliocene offshore water-bearing sands potentially suitable for CO2 storage, through the implementation of an integrated reservoir study. The approach undertaken was first to build several geological models (local and regional), stochastically populate them with petrophysical properties and, through the gathering and generation of representative dynamic data, develop a dynamic model to simulate a set of possible CO2 injection scenarios. Furthermore a base case scenario was identified to perform a comparison between two different simulators: COORESTM, a code designed by IFPEN, and ECLIPSE300 - CO2STORETM, the Schlumberger compositional tool designed specifically for CO2 storage in saline aquifers

Risk Assessment-Led Characterisation of the SiteChar UK North Sea Site for the Geological Storage of CO2

Risk assessment-led characterisation of a site for the geological storage of CO2 in the UK northern North Sea was performed for the EU SiteChar research project as one of a portfolio of sites. Implementation and testing of the SiteChar project site characterisation workflow has produced a ‘dry-run’ storage permit application that is compliant with regulatory requirements. A site suitable for commercial-scale storage was characterised, compatible with current and future industrial carbon dioxide (CO2) sources in the northern UK. Pre-characterisation of the site, based on existing information acquired during hydrocarbon exploration and production, has been achieved from publicly available data. The project concept is to store captured CO2 at a rate of 5 Mt per year for 20 years in the Blake Oil Field and surrounding Captain Sandstone saline aquifer. This commercial-scale storage of 100 Mt CO2 can be achieved through a storage scenario combining injection of CO2 into the oil field and concurrent water production down-dip of the field. There would be no encroachment of supercritical phase CO2 for more than two kilometres beyond the field boundary and no adverse influence on operating hydrocarbon fields provided there is pressure management. Components of a storage permit application for the site are presented, developed as far as possible within a research project. Characterisation and technical investigations were guided by an initial assessment of perceived risks to the prospective site and a need to provide the information required for the storage permit application. The emphasis throughout was to reduce risks and uncertainty on the subsurface containment of stored CO2, particularly with respect to site technical performance, monitoring and regulatory issues, and effects on other resources. The results of selected risk assessment-led site characterisation investigations and the subsequent risk reassessments are described together with their implications for the understanding of the site. Additional investigations are identified that could further reduce risks and uncertainties, and enable progress toward a full storage permit application. Permit performance conditions are presented as SiteChar-recommended useful tools for discussion between the competent authority and operator

Integrated Carbon Risk Assessment (ICARAS)

AbstractIn this paper an integrated workflow is described for risk assessment within CCS. IFPEN, SINTEF and TNO joined forces to define a comprehensive and transparent risk assessment methodology. The tools developed in these institutes are thereby integrated. The workflow can be applied to proposed carbon storage sites. Starting with a qualitative analysis and scenario definition potential risky scenarios are defined. These are subsequently investigated in a quantitative way, either by so-called fast models or by fully developed numerical codes. The scenario analysis includes modelling of the reservoir and caprock behaviour, well integrity evaluation and migration path analysis. The important item of sensitivity analysis is addressed by probabilistic means. Finally, the consequences of potential surface leakage are addressed in this suite, resulting in a clear picture of the risks at a specific site/time. The presented methodology is tested on a real offshore gas field

METSTOR : a GIS to look for potential CO2 storage zones in France

The METSTOR project offers a methodology to look for potentially interesting CO2 storage areas in France at the initial stage, before the "site selection" step. Our tool, embodied in a Geographic Information System, is based on an interactive map of CO2 storage capacities. Other relevant information layers are included. The geographic layers are complemented with a series of online technical notices. It seems to be the first open online GIS that offers policy makers, businesses and the public at large an integrated access to that necessary information. Our prototype, limited mainly to the Paris Basin, is released online at www.metstor.f

METSTOR : a GIS to look for potential CO2 storage zones in France

The METSTOR project offers a methodology to look for potentially interesting CO2 storage areas in France at the initial stage, before the "site selection" step. Our tool, embodied in a Geographic Information System, is based on an interactive map of CO2 storage capacities. Other relevant information layers are included. The geographic layers are complemented with a series of online technical notices. It seems to be the first open online GIS that offers policy makers, businesses and the public at large an integrated access to that necessary information. Our prototype, limited mainly to the Paris Basin, is released online at www.metstor.f