Fault and top seals thematic collection: a perspective

2021 ◽  
pp. petgeo2020-136
Author(s):  
Quentin Fisher ◽  
Frauke Schaefer ◽  
Ieva Kaminskaite ◽  
David N Dewhurst ◽  
Graham Yielding

Predicting the sealing capacity of faults and caprocks has been a long-standing uncertainty for those involved in the exploration, appraisal and development of petroleum reservoirs. In more recent years, interest in the topic has increased in a wide range of other applications, particularly those related to the decarbonization of our energy supply such as carbon capture and storage (CCS), radioactive waste disposal, geothermal energy production and underground energy storage (e.g. compressed air, hydrogen). Knowledge of how faults impact fluid flow is also important for management of drinking water supplies. To communicate new advances in research in these areas, the EAGE organized the first international conference on Fault and Top Seals in 2003. These conferences have continued to be held at roughly 4 yearly intervals and have brought together scientists from a wide range of disciplines to discuss new research findings and workflows relevant to predicting fault and top seal behaviour, as well as presenting case studies covering both successful and unsuccessful attempts to predict sealing capacity.Thematic collection: This article is part of the Fault and top seals collection available at: https://www.lyellcollection.org/cc/fault-and-top-seals-2019

Solid Earth ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 10 (5) ◽  
pp. 1707-1715 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Wilkinson ◽  
Debbie Polson

Abstract. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a potentially important technology for the mitigation of industrial CO2 emissions. However, the majority of the subsurface storage capacity is in saline aquifers, for which there is relatively little information. Published estimates of the potential storage capacity of such formations, based on limited data, often give no indication of the uncertainty, despite there being substantial uncertainty associated with the data used to calculate such estimates. Here, we test the hypothesis that the uncertainty in such estimates is a significant proportion of the estimated storage capacity, and should hence be evaluated as a part of any assessment. Using only publicly available data, a group of 13 experts independently estimated the storage capacity of seven regional saline aquifers. The experts produced a wide range of estimates for each aquifer due to a combination of using different published values for some variables and differences in their judgements of the aquifer properties such as area and thickness. The range of storage estimates produced by the experts shows that there is significant uncertainty in such estimates; in particular, the experts' range does not capture the highest possible capacity estimates. This means that by not accounting for uncertainty, such regional estimates may underestimate the true storage capacity. The result is applicable to single values of storage capacity of regional potential but not to detailed studies of a single storage site.


Subject Carbon capture and storage technology. Significance Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is considered critical to achieving the ambitious reductions in greenhouse gas emissions set out in the 2015 Paris Agreement. CCS technology would allow power plants and industrial facilities to continue burning fossil fuels without pumping climate change-inducing gases into the atmosphere. However, deployment of CCS has been slow and the prospect of meeting the expectations placed upon it by the Paris climate negotiators is moving further out of scope. The recent cancellation of the Kemper CCS project in the United States is a bad sign for the future of the technology. Impacts Without faster deployment of CCS, many countries will struggle to meet their Paris Agreement emissions reduction pledges. If the rollout of CCS continues to falter, more wind and solar power will be needed to reduce carbon emissions. Absent a viable CCS model, it will be even more difficult to replace aged coal plants in the United States and other developed economies.


Significance The country has made considerable progress in recent years on energy security and cutting emissions. However, achieving the 2050 target requires the development of a hydrogen strategy, a breakthrough on carbon capture and storage (CCS), significant electrification of transport, and a huge expansion of solar and wind power. Impacts Offshore wind again looks likely to be the main beneficiary of the government’s next CfD bid rounds. Hydrogen technologies appear set to become the next major area of innovation and growth within the renewables sector. CCS will remain a problematic area of development.


Significance The extent of their preparedness reflects a combination of willingness and ability. Willingness is evident in government policy and in the public's environmental consciousness and support for government targets and policies. Ability stems from wealth, both public and private, industrial expertise and the capacity to innovate. Impacts North European countries are likely to take a lead in hydrogen and carbon capture and storage technologies. Lower-income European countries will struggle to raise capital to invest in electricity transmission. Those countries able to develop deployable clean energy technologies will be better placed to offset the costs of transition.


2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 413
Author(s):  
Christopher Consoli ◽  
Alex Zapantis ◽  
Peter Grubnic ◽  
Lawrence Irlam

In 1972, carbon dioxide (CO2) began to be captured from natural gas processing plants in West Texas and transported via pipeline for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) to oil fields also in Texas. This marked the beginning of carbon capture and storage (CCS) using anthropogenic CO2. Today, there are 22 such large-scale CCS facilities in operation or under construction around the world. These 22 facilities span a wide range of capture technologies and source feedstock as well as a variety of geologic formations and terrains. Seventeen of the facilities capture CO2 primarily for EOR. However, there are also several significant-scale CCS projects using dedicated geological storage options. This paper presents a collation and summary of these projects. Moving forward, if international climate targets and aspirations are to be achieved, CCS will increasingly need to be applied to all high emission industries. In addition to climate change objectives, the fundamentals of energy demand and fossil fuel supply strongly suggests that CCS deployment will need to be rapid and global. The oil and gas sector would be expected to be part of this deployment. Indeed, the oil and gas industry has led the deployment of CCS and this paper explores the future of CCS in this industry.


Significance The companies use carbon offsets in a bid to sustain demand in the face of rising concern about methane emissions, evolving sustainability criteria, the adoption of carbon net-zero targets and a decline in public sector funding for LNG supply chain infrastructure. They are also seeking to reduce the greenhouse gas (GHG) impact of their operations. Impacts Downstream LNG infrastructure projects will find it more difficult to raise public and private finance. Carbon-neutral LNG deliveries will make a negligible contribution to limiting climate change. The adoption of carbon capture and storage to cut emissions from LNG liquefaction will offer insights for other sectors.


2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (9) ◽  
pp. 918-927 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sergiu Sima ◽  
Julia Cruz-Doblas ◽  
Martin Cismondi ◽  
Catinca Secuianu

AbstractThe phase behavior of the carbon dioxide + cycloalkane mixtures usually receives low attention, though these systems are important for many industries, e.g. the carbon capture and storage. In this paper calculations results for the carbon dioxide + cyclopentane binary system are presented, based on SRK and PR cubic equations of state with classical van der Waals mixing rules. A single set of binary parameters for each model was proposed to predict the global phase behavior of the system in a wide range of pressure and temperature. Albeit the thermodynamic models used are simple, they are able to represent fairly well the phase behavior of the system analyzed in this paper.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Wilkinson ◽  
Debbie Polson

Abstract. Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a potentially important technology for the mitigation of industrial CO2 emissions, however the majority of the subsurface storage capacity is in geological strata for which there is relatively little information, the so-called saline aquifers. Published estimates of the potential storage capacity of such formations, based on limited data, often give no indication of the uncertainty, despite there being substantial uncertainty associated with the data used to calculate such estimates. Using only publicly available data, a group of experts independently estimated the storage capacity of 7 regional saline aquifers. The experts produced a wide range of estimates for each aquifer due a combination of using different published values for some variables and differences in their judgements of the aquifer properties such as area and thickness. The range of storage estimates produced by the experts shows that there is significant uncertainty in such estimates, in particular the experts' range does not capture the highest possible capacity estimates, meaning that by not accounting for uncertainty, such regional estimates may underestimate the true storage capacity. The result is applicable to single values of storage capacity of regional potential, but not to detailed studies of a single storage site.


Significance This will have significant impact on the greening of the power sector and for new technologies dependent on affordable electricity including electric vehicles and the production of bioenergy and hydrogen. Yet in some cases, progress depends on a breakthrough in carbon capture and storage (CCS). Impacts Renewable energy sectors look likely to emerge from COVID-19 impacts stronger than before. Long-term natural gas demand is at risk if CCS development is delayed or unrealised. Electrification technologies, boosted by cheaper power, may receive enhanced regulatory support.


Significance Although the exact details of the package remain subject to clarification and amendment, it requires a much broader decarbonisation effort beyond the power sector, as well as public-sector financial commitments to higher-risk energy transition technologies such as hydrogen and carbon capture and storage. Impacts Increased renewable energy capacity and wider electrification will highlight lagging investment in electricity grid infrastructure. Enhanced offshore wind targets and European developers’ desire to enter foreign markets will stretch offshore wind supply chains. Although increasingly contentious, the role of gas is likely to become more important in terms of European security of energy supply.


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