Can Carbon Capture and Storage Clean up Fossil Fuels Geoffrey Thyne Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute University of Wyoming

Can Carbon Capture and Storage Clean up Fossil Fuels

Geoffrey Thyne

Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute

University of Wyoming

Conclusions

Ultimately CCS is viable only if legislation (international and national) produces a carbon-constrained world. Legal/Regulatory framework under construction. CCS industry will be on scale of oil and gas industry (largest in human history). Expense is uncertain until large scale project completed, but on order of $1 trillion/year to build CCS industry. Possible with current science and technologies.

Future technological advances will reduce cost, improve efficiency and enhance safety. More scientific work needs to be done.

There is technical knowledge and experience within petroleum industry.

Carbon (Dioxide) Emissions and Climate Change

Increase in atmosphere is “linked” to climate changes. There is still no proof of the link.

Carbon Capture and Sequestration

First step is capture of carbon applied to large point sources that currently emit 10,500MtCO2/year (e.g. power stations).

CO2 would be compressed and transported for storage and use.

Large Stationary CO2 Sources

•carbon dioxide sources >0.1 MtCO2/yr•most (75 %) CO2 emissions from fossil fuel combustion/processing (coal-fired power plants are almost 3 wedges)

Four basic systems Post combustion Pre combustion Oxyfuel Industrial

All gas is mostly CO2 plus N2, CO, SO2, etc.

All Methods capture 80-95% of CO2

Carbon Dioxide Capture

Carbon Dioxide Capture

Four basic systems Pre combustion Post combustion Oxyfuel Industrial

Separation stage CO2

Sequestration Targets

Terrestrial Release into the atmosphere for incorporation into biomass

(short term - 10-100’s years) Oceanic

Release into ocean for dissolution and dispersion (medium term – 100-1000’s years)

Geologic Injection into subsurface (long term – 10,000-1,000,000’s

years)

Sequestration Targets

Atmospheric Oceanic Geologic

Sequestration Targets Atmospheric Oceanic Geologic Disposal into deep ocean locations

Much of the ocean is deep enough for CO2 to remain liquid phase(average ocean depth is 12,460 feet)

Largest potential storage capacity(2,000 - 12,000GtCO2 – worldwide)

Storage time 100’s – 1000’s years

Potential ecological damage (pH change)

Models and small scale projects only

Characteristics

Sequestration Targets Atmospheric Oceanic Geologic

Disposal costs are fairly well known

Distance and volume are primary considerations (inverse relationship)



Disposal into subsurface locations

Deep enough to remain supercritical(greater than 2500 feet depth)

Large potential storage capacity(200 - 2,000GtCO2 worldwide)

Storage time 10,000’s – 1,000,000’s years

Potential ecological damage (point source leaks)

40+ years experience in petroleum EOR operations and sour gas disposal

Characteristics

Carbon Dioxide Phase Behavior

Supercritical Fluid is a liquid-like gasGas-like viscosity, fluid-like compressibility and solvent behaviorCO2 above critical T and P(31°C and 73.8 bar or 1085 psi)Density about 50% of water

Combustion product from fossil fuel

GHG Four phases of interest

Carbon StorageGeological Sequestration

want to inject to greater than 800 m depth

CO2 in supercritical state behaves like a fluid with

properties that are mixture of liquid and gas

also stores more in given volume

price to pay in compressing gas

Terrestrial, Oceanic and Geologic P and T conditions.

Ocean conditions allow disposal of liquid CO2

Geologic conditions allow disposal of supercritical CO2

Carbon Dioxide Phase Behavior and Sequestration

need geologic site that will hold CO2 safely for 1000s of years – natural analogs

four possible geologic targets enhanced oil and gas recovery depleted oil and gas fields saline aquifers enhanced CBM recovery

Geological Carbon Sequestration

Geological Carbon Sequestration Leakage Paths

CCS relative costCapture + Pressurization

Cost data from IGPCC 2005

Includes cost of compression to pipeline pressure (1500 psi)


45% difference

CCS relative cost Capture + Pressurization + Transport

Price highly dependent on volume per year.

Includes construction, O&M, design, insurance, right of ways.

for capacities of >5 MtCO2 yr-1 the cost is between 2 and 4 2002US$/tCO2 per 250km for an onshore pipe


37% difference


+ Storage (Oceanic and Geologic)

Oceanic - For transport (ship) distance of 100-500km and injection depths of 3000m

Geologic - For storage in onshore, shallow, highly permeable reservoir with pre-existing infrastructure


31% difference23% difference


+ Storage (Oceanic and Geologic) – EOR Offset

Assuming oil price of $50 bbl.

Without Sequestration Credit (Carbon Tax)


Pilot Projects

Sleipner, Norway (North Sea) Weyburn Project, Saskatchewan (Canada)

Pilot Projects: Sleipner

Sleipner is a North Sea gas field operated by Statoil,

Norway’s largest oil company

produces natural gas for European market

in North Sea, hydrocarbons are produced from platforms


special platform, Sleipner T, built to separate CO2 from natural gas supports 20 m (65 ft) tall,

8,000 ton treatment plant plant produces 1 million tons

of CO2 also handles gas piped from

Sleipner West Norway has a carbon tax of

about $50/ton for any CO2 emitted to the atmosphere

to avoid the tax, Statoil has re-injected CO2 underground since production began in 1996

production is from Heimdal Formation 2,500 m (8,200 ft) below

sea level produces natural gas -

mixture of hydrocarbons (methane (CH4), ethane (C2H6), butane (C4H10)), gases (N2, O2, CO2, sulfur compounds, water)

the natural gas at Sleipner has 9 % CO2


CO2 injected into Utsira Formation high porosity & permeability

sandstone layer 250 m thick and 800 m

(2,600 ft) below sea bed filled with saline water, not

oil or gas CO2 storage capacity

estimated at 600 billion tons (20 years of world CO2 emissions)

millions tons CO2 stored since 1996

first commercial storage of CO2 in deep, saline aquifer


seismic surveys conducted to determine location of CO2

results shown in diagram to left

Optimum conditions for geophysical imaging


Conclusions

Ultimately CCS is viable only if legislation (international and national) produces a carbon-constrained world. Legal/Regulatory framework under construction. CCS industry will be on scale of oil and gas industry (largest in human history). Expense is uncertain until large scale project completed, but on order of $1 trillion/year to build CCS industry. Possible with current science and technologies.

Future technological advances will reduce cost, improve efficiency and enhance safety. More scientific work needs to be done.

There is technical knowledge and experience within petroleum industry.

Documents

Can Carbon Capture and Storage Clean up Fossil Fuels Geoffrey Thyne Enhanced Oil Recovery Institute University of Wyoming