Sequestration Test to Demonstrate Carbon Dioxide Storage While Increasing Oil Production

Washington, DC–The first geologic sequestration project to occur under the guidance of the Department of Energy's Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships program is taking place in Alberta, Canada.
 

MORE INFO Learn more about DOE's Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships program

Through funding from the Office of Fossil Energy’s National Energy Technology Laboratory, the test is being conducted by the Energy and Environmental Research Center at the University of North Dakota Plains CO2 Reduction Partnership, in collaboration with its industry partner Apache Canada Ltd., and the Alberta Department of Energy and Natural Resources Canada.   It will evaluate the potential for geological sequestration of carbon dioxide as part of an acid gas stream that also includes high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide.
 
The gas will be obtained from the Zama gas-processing plant, owned and operated by Apache Canada Ltd., and will be injected 4,900 feet below the surface into the Zama oil field, located about 10 miles from the plant. The Zama geology includes steep, mound-like carbonate structures with an average size of 40 acres and 400 feet in height.  Their structure makes them ideal traps for storing these gases.
 
The gas will be injected into a well at a rate of 100 tons per day over the next two years. With various types of verification equipment being used, the tests will monitor such things as resistivity, changes in bulk fluid density, pH, pressure, and temperature.  This project has the ability to sequester 67,000 tons of carbon dioxide annually.
 
The Zama test will help determine the impact that high concentrations of hydrogen sulfide may have on carbon dioxide integrity, as well as enhanced oil recovery. Results will provide valuable data on the accuracy of how well carbon dioxide storage capacity can be predicted and also aid in validating geologic sequestration testing under acid gas conditions. 
 
The injection process will give an added economic benefit as well.  Acid gas injection allows for large volumes of carbon dioxide to be sequestered, eliminating the need to use more expensive disposal methods for hydrogen sulfide in the gas stream, and simultaneously producing oil from these formations that would otherwise be unrecoverable. 
 
This test is to be one of 25 tests performed by the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships designed to validate opportunities for geologic sequestration throughout the United States showing that this technology is a safe and cost effective way to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.

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For more information, contact: David Anna, DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory, 412-386-4646, newsinfo@netl.doe.gov