WESTCARB Phase I NETL Review Presentation

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Geologic Sequestration
Working Toward Large-Scale Deployment
Larry Myer WESTCARB Technical Director California
Energy Commission [phone]
lrmyer_at_lbl.gov Mid-America Regulatory
Conference Oklahoma City, OK June 15, 2008
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There Is No Silver Bullet for CO2 Stabilization

• Increase efficiency by 25 in buildings and
  appliances
• Add 100 times current U. S.ethanol production
• Increase fuel economy for 2 billion cars from 30
  to 60 mpg
• Add 2000 GW-peak PV on 2x106 ha
• Decrease tropical deforestation to zero and
  establish 300 Mha of plantations
• Create 3500 Sleipners to store CO2 captured
  from large point sources

Source Pacala and Socolow, Science, 2004
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Geologic Storage Involves Capture, Transport and
Underground Injection for Long Term Storage
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Options for CO2 Capture

• Post-combustion
• Established technology
• Pre-combustion
• Established technology for other applications
• Not demonstrated for power production
• Oxygen combustion
• Not demonstrated for power production

Source S Benson, Stanford
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Primary Storage Options

• Oil and gas reservoirs
• Storage with Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR),
  Enhanced Gas Recovery (EGR)
• Storage only
• Deep, unminable coal beds
• Storage with Enhanced Coal Bed Methane (ECBM)
  recovery
• Saline formations
• Storage only

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Geologic Storage Mechanisms

• CO2 is stored in the subsurface by a combination
  of physical and chemical processes

W Gunter, ARC
S Benson, Stanford
S Benson, Stanford,
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CO2 EOR is a Commercial Technology
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Saline Formation Storage Is Already Under Way

• Statoil injects 1x106 tons per year at Sleipner
• BP to inject 0.8x106 tons per year at In Salah

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Geologic Sequestration is a Large Scale
Undertaking

• 1,000 MW coal fired plant produces 30,000 t of
  CO2 per day for 30 years project size on order
  of 110 Km2
• For todays utility emissions, need 180 such
  projects

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National Atlas Documents Sequestration
Opportunities
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HSE Risks of Geologic Storage

• Impacts of unintended leakage
• Health and safety of workers and general
  population
• Environmental impacts
• Unwanted intrusion into drinking water
• Earthquakes
• Unwanted intrusion of saline fluids

Tree kill at Mammoth Mountain, CA
http//quake.wr.usgs.gov/prepare/factsheets/CO2/
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International Consensus on Geologic Storage
Issues Provided by IPCC Report
With appropriate site selection informed by
available subsurface information, a monitoring
program to detect problems, a regulatory system,
and the appropriate use of remediation methods to
stop or control CO2 releases if they arise, the
local health, safety, and environment risks of
geological storage would be comparable to risks
of current activities such as natural gas
storage, EOR, and deep underground disposal of
acid gas.
IPCC, 2005
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Monitoring will be a Key Element of Geologic
Sequestration Projects

• Sophisticated geophysical technologies, directly
  applicable to geologic sequestration, have been
  developed in oil and gas industry
• Additional approaches should, and are, being
  developed
• Cost of monitoring over the operational life of a
  project using current technology on the order of
  0.10/ton CO2

Time-lapse seismic monitoring results from
Sleipner, after Chadwick et al., 2005
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Risk Decreases Rapidly After Operational Phase
Pressure recovery Secondary trapping
mechanisms Confidence in predictive models
Risk Profile
Injection begins
Injection stops
2 x injection period
3 x injection period
n x injection period
Monitor
Calibrate Validate Models
Calibrate Validate Models
Model
Source S Benson, Stanford
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Field Tests Provide Regional Knowledge Base
Essential for Commercial Implementation

• Tests demonstrate best sequestration options,
  unique technologies and approaches, in region
• Tests involve site-specific focus for
• Testing technologies
• Defining costs
• Assessing leakage risks
• Gauging public acceptance
• Exercising regulatory requirements
• Validating monitoring methods

Photos from Frio saline formation CO2 injection
test
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US DOE Regional Partnership Program (RCSP)
Addresses Implementation Issues

• Opportunities for terrestrial and geologic CO2
  storage are being evaluated
• Over 350 participating organizations in U. S, and
  Canada
• Phase I (complete) focus on regional assessments
• Phase II (underway) focus on pilot studies
• Phase III (just starting) large volume geologic
  field tests

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IEA Finds U.S. CO2 Sequestration Program World's
Most Ambitious
Seven large volume tests planned in RCSP Phase
III Program

• Site selection and characterization
• Permitting and NEPA/CEQA compliance
• Well completion and testing
• Infrastructure development
• CO2 procurement and transportation
• Injection operations
• Monitoring activities
• Post-injection monitoring
• Site closure
• Project assessment

Years 1-3
Years 4-7
Years 8-10
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Getting to Commercial Implementation

• There are no technical show-stoppers, but.
• Storage capacity needs to be refined
• Large scale tests at multiple sites with
  different geologies are needed to build knowledge
  base for large-scale commercialization
• Regulatory and legal ambiguities need to be
  cleared (multiple efforts are underway)
• Regulatory authority needs definition
• Regulations needed specific to CO2
• Pore space ownership needs to be defined
• A stable carbon market is needed
• Public confidence needs to be gained