Implications of spatial reservoir uncertainty for CO2 sequestration in the east Snake River Plain, Idaho (USA)

Basalt-hosted hydrogeologic systems have been proposed for geologic CO 2 sequestration based on laboratory research suggesting rapid mineralization rates. However, despite this theoretical appeal, little is known about the impacts of basalt fracture heterogeneity on CO 2 migration at commercial scal...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Published in:Hydrogeology journal 2012-06, Vol.20 (4), p.689-699
Main Authors: Pollyea, Ryan M., Fairley, Jerry P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aquatic Pollution
Aquifers
Carbon dioxide
Earth and Environmental Science
Earth Sciences
Geology
Geophysics/Geodesy
Hydrogeology
Hydrology
Hydrology/Water Resources
Rivers
Waste Water Technology
Water Management
Water Pollution Control
Water Quality/Water Pollution
Citations: Items that this one cites
Items that cite this one
Online Access:Get full text
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
Description
Summary:Basalt-hosted hydrogeologic systems have been proposed for geologic CO 2 sequestration based on laboratory research suggesting rapid mineralization rates. However, despite this theoretical appeal, little is known about the impacts of basalt fracture heterogeneity on CO 2 migration at commercial scales. Evaluating the suitability of basalt reservoirs is complicated by incomplete knowledge of in-situ fracture distributions at depths required for CO 2 sequestration. In this work, a numerical experiment is used to investigate the effects of spatial reservoir uncertainty for geologic CO 2 sequestration in the east Snake River Plain, Idaho (USA). Two criteria are investigated: (1) formation injectivity and (2) confinement potential. Several theoretical tools are invoked to develop a field-based approach for geostatistical reservoir characterization and their implementation is illustrated. Geologic CO 2 sequestration is simulated for 10 years of constant-rate injection at ~680,000 tons per year and modeled by Monte Carlo simulation such that model variability is a function of spatial reservoir heterogeneity. Results suggest that the spatial distribution of heterogeneous permeability structures is a controlling influence on formation injectivity. Analysis of confinement potential is less conclusive; however, in the absence of confining sedimentary interbeds within the basalt pile, rapid mineralization may be necessary to reduce the risk of escape.
ISSN:1431-2174
1435-0157
DOI:10.1007/s10040-012-0847-1