Environmental Responses to Carbon Mitigation through Geological Storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cunningham, Alfred [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Bromenshenk, Jerry [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States)

2013-08-30

In summary, this DOE EPSCoR project is contributing to the study of carbon mitigation through geological storage. Both deep and shallow subsurface research needs are being addressed through research directed at improved understanding of environmental responses associated with large scale injection of CO₂ into geologic formations. The research plan has two interrelated research objectives. Objective 1: Determine the influence of CO₂-related injection of fluids on pore structure, material properties, and microbial activity in rock cores from potential geological carbon sequestration sites. Objective 2: Determine the Effects of CO₂ leakage on shallow subsurface ecosystems (microbial and plant) using field experiments from an outdoor field testing facility.

Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources—Southern Rocky Mountain Basins: Chapter M in Geologic framework for the national assessment of carbon dioxide storage resources

Science.gov (United States)

Merrill, Matthew D.; Drake, Ronald M.; Buursink, Marc L.; Craddock, William H.; East, Joseph A.; Slucher, Ernie R.; Warwick, Peter D.; Brennan, Sean T.; Blondes, Madalyn S.; Freeman, Philip A.; Cahan, Steven M.; DeVera, Christina A.; Lohr, Celeste D.; Warwick, Peter D.; Corum, Margo D.

2016-06-02

The U.S. Geological Survey has completed an assessment of the potential geologic carbon dioxide storage resources in the onshore areas of the United States. To provide geological context and input data sources for the resources numbers, framework documents are being prepared for all areas that were investigated as part of the national assessment. This report, chapter M, is the geologic framework document for the Uinta and Piceance, San Juan, Paradox, Raton, Eastern Great, and Black Mesa Basins, and subbasins therein of Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. In addition to a summary of the geology and petroleum resources of studied basins, the individual storage assessment units (SAUs) within the basins are described and explanations for their selection are presented. Although appendixes in the national assessment publications include the input values used to calculate the available storage resource, this framework document provides only the context and source of the input values selected by the assessment geologists. Spatial-data files of the boundaries for the SAUs, and the well-penetration density of known well bores that penetrate the SAU seal, are available for download with the release of this report.

Underground storage. Study of radwaste storage in deep geological formations: environmental protection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoorelbeke, J.M.

1993-01-01

The purpose of the Agence nationale pour la gestion des dechets radioactifs (Andra) is to monitor the management methods and storage of radioactive waste produced in France. The agency has this undertaken a vast study program for the evaluation of the management conditions of long-life radwaste, which cannot be stored indefinitely in shallow-ground repositories. Underground laboratories are investigating the feasibility of a possible solution which is to store radwaste in a deep geological layer. However, there will be no decision on this type of storage before the year 2006. 7 figs

Australia's CO2 geological storage potential and matching of emission sources to potential sinks

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bradshaw, J.; Bradshaw, B.E.; Wilson, P.; Spencer, L.; Allinson, G.; Nguyen, V.

2004-01-01

Within the GEODISC program of the Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre (APCRC), Geoscience Australia (GA) and the University of New South Wales (UNSW) have completed an analysis of the potential for the geological storage of CO 2 . The geological analysis assessed over 100 potential environmentally sustainable sites for CO 2 injection (ESSCIs) by applying a deterministic risk assessment based on the five factors of: storage capacity, injectivity potential, site details, containment and natural resources. Utilising a risked storage capacity suggests that at a regional scale Australia has a CO 2 storage potential in excess of 1600 years of current annual total net emissions. Whilst this estimate does give an idea of the enormous magnitude of the geological storage potential of CO 2 in Australia, it does not account for various factors that are evident in source to sink matching. If preferences due to source to sink matching are incorporated, and an assumption is made that some economic imperative will apply to encourage geological storage of CO 2 , then a more realistic analysis can be derived. In such a case, Australia may have the potential to store a maximum of 25% of our total annual net emissions, or approximately 100-115 Mt CO 2 per year. (author)

Assessing European capacity for geological storage of carbon dioxide-the EU GeoCapacity project

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Vangkilde-Pedersen, T.; Anthonsen, K.L.; Smith, N.; Kirk, K.; Neele, F.; Meer, B. van der; Le Gallo, Y. le; Bossie-Codreanu, D.; Wojcicki, A.; Nindre, Y.-M. le; Hendriks, C.; Dalhoff, F.; Peter Christensen, N.

2009-01-01

The focus of the GeoCapacity project is GIS mapping of CO2 point sources, infrastructure and geological storage in Europe. The main objective is to assess the European capacity for geological storage of CO2 in deep saline aquifers, oil and gas structures and coal beds. Other priorities are further

Geological storage of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barthoux, A.

1983-01-01

Certain radioactive waste contains substances which present, although they disappear naturally in a progressive manner, a potential risk which can last for very long periods, of over thousands of years. To ensure a safe long-term handling, provision has been made to bury it deep in stable geological structures which will secure its confinement. Radioactive waste is treated and conditioned to make it insoluble and is then encased in matrices which are to immobilize them. The most radioactive waste is thus incorporated in a matrix of glass which will ensure the insulation of the radioactive substances during the first thousands of years. Beyond that time, the safety will be ensured by the properties of the storage site which must be selected from now on. Various hydrogeological configurations have been identified. They must undergo detailed investigations, including even the creation of an underground laboratory. This document also presents examples of underground storage installations which are due to be built [fr

Classification of CO2 Geologic Storage: Resource and Capacity

Science.gov (United States)

Frailey, S.M.; Finley, R.J.

2009-01-01

The use of the term capacity to describe possible geologic storage implies a realistic or likely volume of CO2 to be sequestered. Poor data quantity and quality may lead to very high uncertainty in the storage estimate. Use of the term "storage resource" alleviates the implied certainty of the term "storage capacity". This is especially important to non- scientists (e.g. policy makers) because "capacity" is commonly used to describe the very specific and more certain quantities such as volume of a gas tank or a hotel's overnight guest limit. Resource is a term used in the classification of oil and gas accumulations to infer lesser certainty in the commercial production of oil and gas. Likewise for CO2 sequestration, a suspected porous and permeable zone can be classified as a resource, but capacity can only be estimated after a well is drilled into the formation and a relatively higher degree of economic and regulatory certainty is established. Storage capacity estimates are lower risk or higher certainty compared to storage resource estimates. In the oil and gas industry, prospective resource and contingent resource are used for estimates with less data and certainty. Oil and gas reserves are classified as Proved and Unproved, and by analogy, capacity can be classified similarly. The highest degree of certainty for an oil or gas accumulation is Proved, Developed Producing (PDP) Reserves. For CO2 sequestration this could be Proved Developed Injecting (PDI) Capacity. A geologic sequestration storage classification system is developed by analogy to that used by the oil and gas industry. When a CO2 sequestration industry emerges, storage resource and capacity estimates will be considered a company asset and consequently regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Additionally, storage accounting and auditing protocols will be required to confirm projected storage estimates and assignment of credits from actual injection. An example illustrates the use of

Influence of geologic layering on heat transport and storage in an aquifer thermal energy storage system

Science.gov (United States)

Bridger, D. W.; Allen, D. M.

2014-01-01

A modeling study was carried out to evaluate the influence of aquifer heterogeneity, as represented by geologic layering, on heat transport and storage in an aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) system in Agassiz, British Columbia, Canada. Two 3D heat transport models were developed and calibrated using the flow and heat transport code FEFLOW including: a "non-layered" model domain with homogeneous hydraulic and thermal properties; and, a "layered" model domain with variable hydraulic and thermal properties assigned to discrete geological units to represent aquifer heterogeneity. The base model (non-layered) shows limited sensitivity for the ranges of all thermal and hydraulic properties expected at the site; the model is most sensitive to vertical anisotropy and hydraulic gradient. Simulated and observed temperatures within the wells reflect a combination of screen placement and layering, with inconsistencies largely explained by the lateral continuity of high permeability layers represented in the model. Simulation of heat injection, storage and recovery show preferential transport along high permeability layers, resulting in longitudinal plume distortion, and overall higher short-term storage efficiencies.

System-level modeling for geological storage of CO2

OpenAIRE

Zhang, Yingqi; Oldenburg, Curtis M.; Finsterle, Stefan; Bodvarsson, Gudmundur S.

2006-01-01

One way to reduce the effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gases on climate is to inject carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial sources into deep geological formations such as brine formations or depleted oil or gas reservoirs. Research has and is being conducted to improve understanding of factors affecting particular aspects of geological CO2 storage, such as performance, capacity, and health, safety and environmental (HSE) issues, as well as to lower the cost of CO2 capture and related p...

Applications of geological labs on chip for CO_2 storage issues

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Morais, Sandy

2016-01-01

CO_2 geological storage in deep saline aquifers represents a mediation solution for reducing the anthropogenic CO_2 emissions. Consequently, this kind of storage requires adequate scientific knowledge to evaluate injection scenarios, estimate reservoir capacity and assess leakage risks. In this context, we have developed and used high pressure/high temperature micro-fluidic tools to investigate the different mechanisms associated with CO_2 geological storage in deep saline aquifers. The silicon-Pyrex 2D porous networks (Geological Labs On Chips) can replicate the reservoir p,T conditions (25 ≤ T ≤ 50 C, 50 ≤ p ≤ 10 MPa), geological and topological properties. This thesis manuscript first highlights the strategies developed during this work to fabricate the GLoCs and to access to global characteristics of our porous media such as porosity and permeability, which are later compared to numerical modelling results. The carbon dioxide detection in GLoCs mimicking p,T conditions of geological reservoirs by using the direct integration of optical fiber for IR spectroscopy is presented. I then detail the strategies for following the dissolution of carbonates in GLoCs with X-rays laminography experiments.Then, the manuscript focuses on the use of GLoCs to investigate each CO_2 trapping mechanism at the pore scale. The direct optical visualization and image processing allow us to follow the evolution of the injected CO_2/aqueous phase within the reservoir, including displacement mechanisms and pore saturation levels. Eventually, I present the ongoing works such as experiments with reactive brines and hydrates formations in porous media [fr

Petrophysical Characterization of Arroyal Antiform Geological Formations (Aguilar de Campoo, Palencia) as a Storage and Seal Rocks in the Technology Development Plant for Geological CO2 Storage (Hontomin, Burgos)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Campos, R.; Barrios, I.; Gonzalez, A. M.; Pelayo, M.; Saldana, R.

2011-01-01

The geological storage program of Energy City Foundation is focusing its research effort in the Technological Development and Research Plant in Hontomin (Burgos) start off. The present report shows the petrophysical characterization of of the Arroyal antiform geological formations since they are representatives, surface like, of the storage and seal formations that will be found in the CO 2 injection plant in Hontomin. In this petrophysics characterization has taken place the study of matrix porosity, specific surface and density of the storage and seal formations. Mercury intrusion porosimetry, N 2 adsorption and He pycnometry techniques have been used for the characterization. Furthermore, it has carried out a mineralogical analysis of the seal materials by RX diffraction. (Author) 26 refs.

Onshore/ Offshore Geologic Assessment for Carbon Storage in the Southeastern United States

Science.gov (United States)

Knapp, C. C.; Knapp, J. H.; Brantley, D.; Lakshmi, V.; Almutairi, K.; Almayahi, D.; Akintunde, O. M.; Ollmann, J.

2017-12-01

Eighty percent of the world's energy relies on fossil fuels and under increasingly stricter national and international regulations on greenhouse gas emissions storage of CO2 in geologic repositories seems to be not only a feasible, but also and vital solution for near/ mid-term reduction of carbon emissions. We have evaluated the feasibility of CO2 storage in saline formations of the Eastern North American Margin (ENAM) including (1) the Jurassic/Triassic (J/TR) sandstones of the buried South Georgia Rift (SGR) basin, and (2) the Mesozoic and Cenozoic geologic formations along the Mid- and South Atlantic seaboard. These analyses have included integration of subsurface geophysical data (2- and 3-D seismic surveys) with core samples, well logs as well as uses of geological databases and geospatial analysis leading to CO2 injection simulation models. ENAM is a complex and regionally extensive mature Mesozoic passive margin rift system encompassing: (1) a large volume and regional extent of related magmatism known as the Central Atlantic Magmatic Province (CAMP), (2) a complete stratigraphic column that records the post-rift evolution in several basins, (3) preserved lithospheric-scale pre-rift structures including Paleozoic sutures, and (4) a wide range of geological, geochemical, and geophysical studies both onshore and offshore. While the target reservoirs onshore show heterogeneity and a highly complex geologic evolution they also show promising conditions for significant safe CO2 storage away from the underground acquifers. Our offshore study (the Southeast Offshore Storage Resource Assessment - SOSRA) is focused on the outer continental shelf from North Carolina to the southern tip of Florida. Three old exploration wells are available to provide additional constraints on the seismic reflection profiles. Two of these wells (TRANSCO 1005-1 and COST GE-1) penetrate the pre-rift Paleozoic sedimentary formations while the EXXON 564-1 well penetrates the post

System-level modeling for economic evaluation of geological CO2 storage in gas reservoirs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhang, Yingqi; Oldenburg, Curtis M.; Finsterle, Stefan; Bodvarsson, Gudmundur S.

2007-01-01

One way to reduce the effects of anthropogenic greenhouse gases on climate is to inject carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) from industrial sources into deep geological formations such as brine aquifers or depleted oil or gas reservoirs. Research is being conducted to improve understanding of factors affecting particular aspects of geological CO 2 storage (such as storage performance, storage capacity, and health, safety and environmental (HSE) issues) as well as to lower the cost of CO 2 capture and related processes. However, there has been less emphasis to date on system-level analyses of geological CO 2 storage that consider geological, economic, and environmental issues by linking detailed process models to representations of engineering components and associated economic models. The objective of this study is to develop a system-level model for geological CO 2 storage, including CO 2 capture and separation, compression, pipeline transportation to the storage site, and CO 2 injection. Within our system model we are incorporating detailed reservoir simulations of CO 2 injection into a gas reservoir and related enhanced production of methane. Potential leakage and associated environmental impacts are also considered. The platform for the system-level model is GoldSim [GoldSim User's Guide. GoldSim Technology Group; 2006, http://www.goldsim.com]. The application of the system model focuses on evaluating the feasibility of carbon sequestration with enhanced gas recovery (CSEGR) in the Rio Vista region of California. The reservoir simulations are performed using a special module of the TOUGH2 simulator, EOS7C, for multicomponent gas mixtures of methane and CO 2 . Using a system-level modeling approach, the economic benefits of enhanced gas recovery can be directly weighed against the costs and benefits of CO 2 injection

Investigation concerning geologic storage of radioactive waste in the Netherlands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1986-01-01

The first stage of the research program concerning geological storage of radioactive waste in the Netherlands encloses desk studies for the preparation of a selection out of a number of locations for closer field examination, and of a choice of the most proper storage technique (mines, deep boreholes, caverns). This report is the first of two intermediate reports concerning the state of affairs of this first stage. 10 refs.; 6 figs

Technical framework to facilitate foreign spent fuel storage and geologic disposal in Russia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jardine, L.J.; Halsey, W.G.; Cmith, C.F.

2000-01-01

The option of storage and eventual geologic disposal in Russia of spent fuel of US origin used in Taiwan provides a unique opportunity that can benefit many parties. Taiwan has a near term need for a spent fuel storage and geologic disposal solution, available financial resources, but limited prospect for a timely domestic solution. Russia has significant spent fuel storage and transportation management experience, candidate storage and repository sites, but limited financial resources available for their development. The US has interest in Taiwan energy security, national security and nonproliferation interests in Russian spent fuel storage and disposal and interest in the US origin fuel. While it is understood that such a project includes complex policy and international political issues as well as technical issues, the goal of this paper is to begin the discussion by presenting a technical path forward to establish the feasibility of this concept for Russia

A life cycle cost analysis framework for geologic storage of hydrogen : a user's tool.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Kobos, Peter Holmes; Lord, Anna Snider; Borns, David James; Klise, Geoffrey T.

2011-09-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has an interest in large scale hydrogen geostorage, which could offer substantial buffer capacity to meet possible disruptions in supply or changing seasonal demands. The geostorage site options being considered are salt caverns, depleted oil/gas reservoirs, aquifers and hard rock caverns. The DOE has an interest in assessing the geological, geomechanical and economic viability for these types of geologic hydrogen storage options. This study has developed an economic analysis methodology and subsequent spreadsheet analysis to address costs entailed in developing and operating an underground geologic storage facility. This year the tool was updated specifically to (1) incorporate more site-specific model input assumptions for the wells and storage site modules, (2) develop a version that matches the general format of the HDSAM model developed and maintained by Argonne National Laboratory, and (3) incorporate specific demand scenarios illustrating the model's capability. Four general types of underground storage were analyzed: salt caverns, depleted oil/gas reservoirs, aquifers, and hard rock caverns/other custom sites. Due to the substantial lessons learned from the geological storage of natural gas already employed, these options present a potentially sizable storage option. Understanding and including these various geologic storage types in the analysis physical and economic framework will help identify what geologic option would be best suited for the storage of hydrogen. It is important to note, however, that existing natural gas options may not translate to a hydrogen system where substantial engineering obstacles may be encountered. There are only three locations worldwide that currently store hydrogen underground and they are all in salt caverns. Two locations are in the U.S. (Texas), and are managed by ConocoPhillips and Praxair (Leighty, 2007). The third is in Teeside, U.K., managed by Sabic Petrochemicals (Crotogino

Geological storage of carbon dioxide: the role of sedimentary basins

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gunter, W.D.; Bachu, S.

2001-01-01

Sedimentary basins, occuring throughout the world, are thick piles of geologically deposited sediments that are the hosts for fossil fuel deposits. They may become even more important in the future if their large storage capacity is utilized for disposing of carbon dioxide. Sedimentary basins are dynamic, in the sense that they have an intricate plumbing system defined by the location of high and low permeability strata that control the flow of fluids throughout the basins and define 'hydrogeological' traps. The most secure type of hydrogeological trapping is found in oil and gas reservoirs in the form of 'structural' or 'stratigraphic' traps, termed 'closed' hydrogeological traps which have held oil and gas for millions of years. Obviously, these would be very attractive for CO 2 storage due to their long history of containment. A second type of hydrogeological trapping has been recognized in aquifers of sedimentary basins that have slow flow rates. The pore space in such 'open' hydrogeological traps is usually filled with saline ground or formation water. A volume of CO 2 injected into a deep open hydrogeological trap can take over a million years to travel updip to reach the surface and be released to the atmosphere. Although the capacity of structural/stratigraphic traps for CO 2 storage is small relative to open hydrogeological traps in deep sedimentary basins, they are likely to be used first as they are known to be secure, having held oil and gas for geological time. As the capacity of closed traps is exhausted and more is learned about geochemical trapping, the large storage capacity available in open hydrogeological traps will be utilized where security of the geological storage of CO 2 can be enhanced by geochemical reactions of the CO 2 with basic silicate minerals to form carbonates. Potential short circuits to the surface through faults or abandoned wells must be located and their stability evaluated before injection of CO 2 . In any event, a

Reduction of emissions and geological storage of CO2. Innovation an industrial stakes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mandil, C.; Podkanski, J.; Socolow, R.; Dron, D.; Reiner, D.; Horrocks, P.; Fernandez Ruiz, P.; Dechamps, P.; Stromberg, L.; Wright, I.; Gazeau, J.C.; Wiederkehr, P.; Morcheoine, A.; Vesseron, P.; Feron, P.; Feraud, A.; Torp, N.T.; Christensen, N.P.; Le Thiez, P.; Czernichowski, I.; Hartman, J.; Roulet, C.; Roberts, J.; Zakkour, P.; Von Goerne, G.; Armand, R.; Allinson, G.; Segalen, L.; Gires, J.M.; Metz, B.; Brillet, B.

2005-01-01

An international symposium on the reduction of emissions and geological storage of CO 2 was held in Paris from 15 to 16 September 2005. The event, jointly organized by IFP, ADEME and BRGM, brought together over 400 people from more than 25 countries. It was an opportunity to review the international stakes related to global warming and also to debate ways of reducing CO 2 emissions, taking examples from the energy and transport sectors. The last day was dedicated to technological advances in the capture and geological storage of CO 2 and their regulatory and economic implications. This document gathers the available transparencies and talks presented during the colloquium: Opening address by F. Loos, French Minister-delegate for Industry; Session I - Greenhouse gas emissions: the international stakes. Outlook for global CO 2 emissions. The global and regional scenarios: Alternative scenarios for energy use and CO 2 emissions until 2050 by C. Mandil and J. Podkanski (IEA), The stabilization of CO 2 emissions in the coming 50 years by R. Socolow (Princeton University). Evolution of the international context: the stakes and 'factor 4' issues: Costs of climate impacts and ways towards 'factor 4' by D. Dron (ENS Mines de Paris), CO 2 emissions reduction policy: the situation in the United States by D. Reiner (MIT/Cambridge University), Post-Kyoto scenarios by P. Horrocks (European Commission), Possibilities for R and D in CO 2 capture and storage in the future FP7 program by P. Fernandez Ruiz and P. Dechamps (European Commission). Session II - CO 2 emission reductions in the energy and transport sectors. Reducing CO 2 emissions during the production and conversion of fossil energies (fixed installations): Combined cycles using hydrogen by G. Haupt (Siemens), CO 2 emission reductions in the oil and gas industry by I. Wright (BP). Reducing CO 2 emissions in the transport sector: Sustainable transport systems by P. Wiederkehr (EST International), The prospects for reducing

International and European legal aspects on underground geological storage of CO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wall, C.; Olvstam, M.-L.; Bernstone, C.

2005-01-01

The often disconnected international and European legal rules regarding carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) storage in geological formations create legal uncertainty and a slow down in investments. Existing rules for waste dumping, such as the OSPAR and London Conventions implies that CO 2 storage in sub seabed geological formations is not permitted for climate change mitigating purposes. This paper emphasized that even in cases when complete certainty about the exact application of a legal rule is not possible, it is necessary to know if an activity is lawful. It also emphasized that CO 2 storage should be a priority in the international agenda. The current gaps in knowledge concerning the relevant international and European legislation directly related to CO 2 storage were identified in this paper, including long-term liability for risk of damages caused during the injection phase of the well. The current relevant legislation that is not directly concerned with CO 2 storage but which might have an impact on future legislation was also discussed along with relevant legal principles that might influence future legislation. Some of the many ongoing projects concerning CO 2 storage were reviewed along with papers and reports on regulating CO 2 storage. It was concluded that if CO 2 capture and storage is going to be a large-scale concept for mitigating climate change, the legal issues and requirements need to be an area of priority. 16 refs

Rates of CO2 Mineralization in Geological Carbon Storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Zhang, Shuo; DePaolo, Donald J

2017-09-19

Geologic carbon storage (GCS) involves capture and purification of CO 2 at industrial emission sources, compression into a supercritical state, and subsequent injection into geologic formations. This process reverses the flow of carbon to the atmosphere with the intention of returning the carbon to long-term geologic storage. Models suggest that most of the injected CO 2 will be "trapped" in the subsurface by physical means, but the most risk-free and permanent form of carbon storage is as carbonate minerals (Ca,Mg,Fe)CO 3 . The transformation of CO 2 to carbonate minerals requires supply of the necessary divalent cations by dissolution of silicate minerals. Available data suggest that rates of transformation are highly uncertain and difficult to predict by standard approaches. Here we show that the chemical kinetic observations and experimental results, when they can be reduced to a single cation-release time scale that describes the fractional rate at which cations are released to solution by mineral dissolution, show sufficiently systematic behavior as a function of pH, fluid flow rate, and time that the rates of mineralization can be estimated with reasonable certainty. The rate of mineralization depends on both the abundance (determined by the reservoir rock mineralogy) and the rate at which cations are released from silicate minerals by dissolution into pore fluid that has been acidified with dissolved CO 2 . Laboratory-measured rates and field observations give values spanning 8 to 10 orders of magnitude, but when they are evaluated in the context of a reservoir-scale reactive transport simulation, this range becomes much smaller. The reservoir scale simulations provide limits on the applicable conditions under which silicate mineral dissolution and subsequent carbonate mineral precipitation are likely to occur (pH 4.5 to 6, fluid flow velocity less than 5 m/year, and 50-100 years or more after the start of injection). These constraints lead to estimates of

Capture and geological storage of CO2. Innovation, industrial stakes and realizations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lavergne, R.; Podkanski, J.; Rohner, H.; Otter, N.; Swift, J.; Dance, T.; Vesseron, Ph.; Reich, J.P.; Reynen, B.; Wright, L.; Marliave, L. de; Stromberg, L.; Aimard, N.; Wendel, H.; Erdol, E.; Dino, R.; Renzenbrink, W.; Birat, J.P.; Czernichowski-Lauriol, I.; Christensen, N.P.; Le Thiez, P.; Paelinck, Ph.; David, M.; Pappalardo, M.; Moisan, F.; Marston, Ph.; Law, M.; Zakkour, P.; Singer, St.; Philippe, Th.; Philippe, Th.

2007-01-01

: the ULCOS program; CO 2 capture technologies: road-maps and potential cost abatement; membranes: oxygen production and hydrogen separation; CO2GeoNet: integration of European research for the establishment of confidence in CO 2 geologic storage; CO2SINK, CO 2 geologic storage test at the European pilot site of Ketzin (Germany); storage in aquifers for European industrial projects: AQUA CO2; the US approach: US standards for the qualification of a CO 2 storage in agreement with federal and state regulations; legal and regulatory aspects; societal acceptation; CO 2 capture, geologic storage and carbon market; economic aspects of CO 2 capture and storage; an experience of implementation of 'clean development mechanisms' in an industrial strategy; closing talk. (J.S.)

Deep geologic storage of high level radioactive wastes: conceptual generic designs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1995-01-01

This report summarizes the studies on deep geologic storage of radioactive wastes and specially for the high-level radioactive wastes. The study is focussed to the geotechnical assessment and generic-conceptual designs. Methodology analysis, geotechnical feasibility, costs and operation are studied

Noble gas geochemistry to monitor CO2 geological storages

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lafortune, St.

2007-11-01

According to the last IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report, a probability of 90 % can be now established for the responsibility of the anthropogenic CO 2 emissions for the global climate change observed since the beginning of the 20. century. To reduce these emissions and keep producing energy from coal, oil or gas combustions, CO 2 could be stored in geological reservoirs like aquifers, coal beds, and depleted oil or gas fields. Storing CO 2 in geological formations implies to control the efficiency and to survey the integrity of the storages, in order to be able to detect the possible leaks as fast as possible. Here, we study the feasibility of a geochemical monitoring through noble gas geochemistry. We present (1) the development of a new analytical line, Garodiox, developed to extract quantitatively noble gas from water samples, (2) the testing of Garodiox on samples from a natural CO 2 storage analogue (Pavin lake, France) and (3) the results of a first field work on a natural CO 2 accumulation (Montmiral, France). The results we obtain and the conclusions we draw, highlight the interest of the geochemical monitoring we suggest. (author)

Predicting long-term performance of engineered geologic carbon dioxide storage systems to inform decisions amidst uncertainty

Science.gov (United States)

Pawar, R.

2016-12-01

Risk assessment and risk management of engineered geologic CO2 storage systems is an area of active investigation. The potential geologic CO2 storage systems currently under consideration are inherently heterogeneous and have limited to no characterization data. Effective risk management decisions to ensure safe, long-term CO2 storage requires assessing and quantifying risks while taking into account the uncertainties in a storage site's characteristics. The key decisions are typically related to definition of area of review, effective monitoring strategy and monitoring duration, potential of leakage and associated impacts, etc. A quantitative methodology for predicting a sequestration site's long-term performance is critical for making key decisions necessary for successful deployment of commercial scale geologic storage projects where projects will require quantitative assessments of potential long-term liabilities. An integrated assessment modeling (IAM) paradigm which treats a geologic CO2 storage site as a system made up of various linked subsystems can be used to predict long-term performance. The subsystems include storage reservoir, seals, potential leakage pathways (such as wellbores, natural fractures/faults) and receptors (such as shallow groundwater aquifers). CO2 movement within each of the subsystems and resulting interactions are captured through reduced order models (ROMs). The ROMs capture the complex physical/chemical interactions resulting due to CO2 movement and interactions but are computationally extremely efficient. The computational efficiency allows for performing Monte Carlo simulations necessary for quantitative probabilistic risk assessment. We have used the IAM to predict long-term performance of geologic CO2 sequestration systems and to answer questions related to probability of leakage of CO2 through wellbores, impact of CO2/brine leakage into shallow aquifer, etc. Answers to such questions are critical in making key risk management

Near-surface monitoring strategies for geologic carbon dioxide storage verification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oldenburg, Curtis M.; Lewicki, Jennifer L.; Hepple, Robert P.

2003-10-31

Geologic carbon sequestration is the capture of anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) and its storage in deep geologic formations. Geologic CO{sub 2} storage verification will be needed to ensure that CO{sub 2} is not leaking from the intended storage formation and seeping out of the ground. Because the ultimate failure of geologic CO{sub 2} storage occurs when CO{sub 2} seeps out of the ground into the atmospheric surface layer, and because elevated concentrations of CO{sub 2} near the ground surface can cause health, safety, and environmental risks, monitoring will need to be carried out in the near-surface environment. The detection of a CO{sub 2} leakage or seepage signal (LOSS) in the near-surface environment is challenging because there are large natural variations in CO{sub 2} concentrations and fluxes arising from soil, plant, and subsurface processes. The term leakage refers to CO{sub 2} migration away from the intended storage site, while seepage is defined as CO{sub 2} passing from one medium to another, for example across the ground surface. The flow and transport of CO{sub 2} at high concentrations in the near-surface environment will be controlled by its high density, low viscosity, and high solubility in water relative to air. Numerical simulations of leakage and seepage show that CO{sub 2} concentrations can reach very high levels in the shallow subsurface even for relatively modest CO{sub 2} leakage fluxes. However, once CO{sub 2} seeps out of the ground into the atmospheric surface layer, surface winds are effective at dispersing CO{sub 2} seepage. In natural ecological systems with no CO{sub 2} LOSS, near-surface CO{sub 2} fluxes and concentrations are controlled by CO{sub 2} uptake by photosynthesis, and production by root respiration, organic carbon biodegradation in soil, deep outgassing of CO{sub 2}, and by exchange of CO{sub 2} with the atmosphere. Existing technologies available for monitoring CO{sub 2} in the near-surface environment

Geological setting of the Novi Han radioactive waste storage site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Evstatiev, D.; Kozhukharov, D.

2000-01-01

The geo environment in the area of the only operating radioactive waste repository in Bulgaria has been analysed. The repository is intended for storage of all kinds of low and medium level radioactive wastes with the exception of these from nuclear power production. The performed investigations prove that the 30 years of operation have not caused pollution of the geo environment. Meanwhile the existing complex geological settings does not provide prerequisites to rely on the natural geological safety barriers. The studies performed so far are considered to be incomplete since they do not provide the necessary information for the development of a model describing the radionuclide migration as well as for understanding of the neotectonic circumstances. The tasks of the future activities are described in order to obtain more detailed information about the geology in the area. (authors)

10 CFR 72.103 - Geological and seismological characteristics for applications for dry cask modes of storage on or...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-01-01

... 10 Energy 2 2010-01-01 2010-01-01 false Geological and seismological characteristics for... § 72.103 Geological and seismological characteristics for applications for dry cask modes of storage on... foundation and geological investigation, literature review, and regional geological reconnaissance show no...

U.S. Department of Energy's site screening, site selection, and initial characterization for storage of CO2 in deep geological formations

Science.gov (United States)

Rodosta, T.D.; Litynski, J.T.; Plasynski, S.I.; Hickman, S.; Frailey, S.; Myer, L.

2011-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is the lead Federal agency for the development and deployment of carbon sequestration technologies. As part of its mission to facilitate technology transfer and develop guidelines from lessons learned, DOE is developing a series of best practice manuals (BPMs) for carbon capture and storage (CCS). The "Site Screening, Site Selection, and Initial Characterization for Storage of CO2 in Deep Geological Formations" BPM is a compilation of best practices and includes flowchart diagrams illustrating the general decision making process for Site Screening, Site Selection, and Initial Characterization. The BPM integrates the knowledge gained from various programmatic efforts, with particular emphasis on the Characterization Phase through pilot-scale CO2 injection testing of the Validation Phase of the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (RCSP) Initiative. Key geologic and surface elements that suitable candidate storage sites should possess are identified, along with example Site Screening, Site Selection, and Initial Characterization protocols for large-scale geologic storage projects located across diverse geologic and regional settings. This manual has been written as a working document, establishing a framework and methodology for proper site selection for CO2 geologic storage. This will be useful for future CO2 emitters, transporters, and storage providers. It will also be of use in informing local, regional, state, and national governmental agencies of best practices in proper sequestration site selection. Furthermore, it will educate the inquisitive general public on options and processes for geologic CO2 storage. In addition to providing best practices, the manual presents a geologic storage resource and capacity classification system. The system provides a "standard" to communicate storage and capacity estimates, uncertainty and project development risk, data guidelines and analyses for adequate site characterization, and

Public Acceptance for Geological CO2-Storage

Science.gov (United States)

Schilling, F.; Ossing, F.; Würdemann, H.; Co2SINK Team

2009-04-01

Public acceptance is one of the fundamental prerequisites for geological CO2 storage. In highly populated areas like central Europe, especially in the vicinity of metropolitan areas like Berlin, underground operations are in the focus of the people living next to the site, the media, and politics. To gain acceptance, all these groups - the people in the neighbourhood, journalists, and authorities - need to be confident of the security of the planned storage operation as well as the long term security of storage. A very important point is to show that the technical risks of CO2 storage can be managed with the help of a proper short and long term monitoring concept, as well as appropriate mitigation technologies e.g adequate abandonment procedures for leaking wells. To better explain the possible risks examples for leakage scenarios help the public to assess and to accept the technical risks of CO2 storage. At Ketzin we tried the following approach that can be summed up on the basis: Always tell the truth! This might be self-evident but it has to be stressed that credibility is of vital importance. Suspiciousness and distrust are best friends of fear. Undefined fear seems to be the major risk in public acceptance of geological CO2-storage. Misinformation and missing communication further enhance the denial of geological CO2 storage. When we started to plan and establish the Ketzin storage site, we ensured a forward directed communication. Offensive information activities, an information centre on site, active media politics and open information about the activities taking place are basics. Some of the measures were: - information of the competent authorities through meetings (mayor, governmental authorities) - information of the local public, e.g. hearings (while also inviting local, regional and nation wide media) - we always treated the local people and press first! - organizing of bigger events to inform the public on site, e.g. start of drilling activities (open

Practical modeling approaches for geological storage of carbon dioxide.

Science.gov (United States)

Celia, Michael A; Nordbotten, Jan M

2009-01-01

The relentless increase of anthropogenic carbon dioxide emissions and the associated concerns about climate change have motivated new ideas about carbon-constrained energy production. One technological approach to control carbon dioxide emissions is carbon capture and storage, or CCS. The underlying idea of CCS is to capture the carbon before it emitted to the atmosphere and store it somewhere other than the atmosphere. Currently, the most attractive option for large-scale storage is in deep geological formations, including deep saline aquifers. Many physical and chemical processes can affect the fate of the injected CO2, with the overall mathematical description of the complete system becoming very complex. Our approach to the problem has been to reduce complexity as much as possible, so that we can focus on the few truly important questions about the injected CO2, most of which involve leakage out of the injection formation. Toward this end, we have established a set of simplifying assumptions that allow us to derive simplified models, which can be solved numerically or, for the most simplified cases, analytically. These simplified models allow calculation of solutions to large-scale injection and leakage problems in ways that traditional multicomponent multiphase simulators cannot. Such simplified models provide important tools for system analysis, screening calculations, and overall risk-assessment calculations. We believe this is a practical and important approach to model geological storage of carbon dioxide. It also serves as an example of how complex systems can be simplified while retaining the essential physics of the problem.

A methodology for the geological and numerical modelling of CO2 storage in deep saline formations

Science.gov (United States)

Guandalini, R.; Moia, F.; Ciampa, G.; Cangiano, C.

2009-04-01

Several technological options have been proposed to stabilize and reduce the atmospheric concentrations of CO2 among which the most promising are the CCS technologies. The remedy proposed for large stationary CO2 sources as thermoelectric power plants is to separate the flue gas, capturing CO2 and to store it into deep subsurface geological formations. In order to support the identification of potential CO2 storage reservoirs in Italy, the project "Identification of Italian CO2 geological storage sites", financed by the Ministry of Economic Development with the Research Fund for the Italian Electrical System under the Contract Agreement established with the Ministry Decree of march 23, 2006, has been completed in 2008. The project involves all the aspects related to the selection of potential storage sites, each carried out in a proper task. The first task has been devoted to the data collection of more than 6800 wells, and their organization into a geological data base supported by GIS, of which 1911 contain information about the nature and the thickness of geological formations, the presence of fresh, saline or brackish water, brine, gas and oil, the underground temperature, the seismic velocity and electric resistance of geological materials from different logs, the permeability, porosity and geochemical characteristics. The goal of the second task was the set up of a numerical modelling integrated tool, that is the in order to allow the analysis of a potential site in terms of the storage capacity, both from solubility and mineral trapping points of view, in terms of risk assessment and long-term storage of CO2. This tool includes a fluid dynamic module, a chemical module and a module linking a geomechanical simulator. Acquirement of geological data, definition of simulation parameter, run control and final result analysis can be performed by a properly developed graphic user interface, fully integrated and calculation platform independent. The project is then

South Louisiana Enhanced Oil Recovery/Sequestration R&D Project Small Scale Field Tests of Geologic Reservoir Classes for Geologic Storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hite, Roger [Blackhorse Energy LLC, Houston, TX (United States)

2016-10-01

The project site is located in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, approximately 26 miles due east of Baton Rouge. This project proposed to evaluate an early Eocene-aged Wilcox oil reservoir for permanent storage of CO₂. Blackhorse Energy, LLC planned to conduct a parallel CO₂ oil recovery project in the First Wilcox Sand. The primary focus of this project was to examine and prove the suitability of South Louisiana geologic formations for large-scale geologic sequestration of CO₂ in association with enhanced oil recovery applications. This was to be accomplished through the focused demonstration of small-scale, permanent storage of CO₂ in the First Wilcox Sand. The project was terminated at the request of Blackhorse Energy LLC on October 22, 2014.

Developments since 2005 in understanding potential environmental impacts of CO2 leakage from geological storage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Jones, D.G.; Beaubien, S.E.; Blackford, J.C.; Foekema, E.M.; Lions, J.; Vittor, de C.; West, J.M.; Widdicombe, S.; Hauton, C.; Queiros, A.M.

2015-01-01

This paper reviews research into the potential environmental impacts of leakage from geological storage of CO2 since the publication of the IPCC Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage in 2005. Possible impacts are considered on onshore (including drinking water aquifers) and offshore

Modeling geologic storage of carbon dioxide: Comparison of non-hysteretic and hysteretic characteristic curves

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doughty, Christine

2007-01-01

Numerical models of geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in brine-bearing formations use characteristic curves to represent the interactions of non-wetting-phase CO 2 and wetting-phase brine. When a problem includes both injection of CO 2 (a drainage process) and its subsequent post-injection evolution (a combination of drainage and wetting), hysteretic characteristic curves are required to correctly capture the behavior of the CO 2 plume. In the hysteretic formulation, capillary pressure and relative permeability depend not only on the current grid-block saturation, but also on the history of the saturation in the grid block. For a problem that involves only drainage or only wetting, a non-hysteretic formulation, in which capillary pressure and relative permeability depend only on the current value of the grid-block saturation, is adequate. For the hysteretic formulation to be robust computationally, care must be taken to ensure the differentiability of the characteristic curves both within and beyond the turning-point saturations where transitions between branches of the curves occur. Two example problems involving geologic CO 2 storage are simulated with TOUGH2, a multiphase, multicomponent code for flow and transport through geological media. Both non-hysteretic and hysteretic formulations are used, to illustrate the applicability and limitations of non-hysteretic methods. The first application considers leakage of CO 2 from the storage formation to the ground surface, while the second examines the role of heterogeneity within the storage formation

Deep reversible storage. Design options for the storage in deep geological formation - High-medium activity, long living wastes 2009 milestone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-09-01

This report aims at presenting a synthesis of currently studied solutions for the different components of the project of deep geological radioactive waste storage centre. For each of these elements, the report indicates the main operational objectives to be taken into account in relationship with safety functions or with reversibility. It identifies the currently proposed design options, presents the technical solutions (with sometime several possibilities), indicates industrial references (in the nuclear sector, in underground works) and comments results of technological tests performed by the ANDRA. After a description of functionalities and of the overall organisation of storage components, the different following elements and aspects are addressed: surface installations, underground architecture, parcel transfer between the surface and storage cells, storage container for medium-activity long-life (MAVL) waste, storage cell for medium-activity long-life waste, handling of MAVL parcels in storage cells, storage container for high-activity (HA) waste, storage cell for HA waste, handling of HA parcels in storage cells, and works for site closing

Probabilistic Assessment of Above Zone Pressure Predictions at a Geologic Carbon Storage Site

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Namhata, Argha; Oladyshkin, Sergey; Dilmore, Robert M.; Zhang, Liwei; Nakles, David V.

2016-12-01

Carbon dioxide (CO2) storage into geological formations is regarded as an important mitigation strategy for anthropogenic CO2 emissions to the atmosphere. This study first simulates the leakage of CO2 and brine from a storage reservoir through the caprock. Then, we estimate the resulting pressure changes at the zone overlying the caprock also known as Above Zone Monitoring Interval (AZMI). A data-driven approach of arbitrary Polynomial Chaos (aPC) Expansion is then used to quantify the uncertainty in the above zone pressure prediction based on the uncertainties in different geologic parameters. Finally, a global sensitivity analysis is performed with Sobol indices based on the aPC technique to determine the relative importance of different parameters on pressure prediction. The results indicate that there can be uncertainty in pressure prediction locally around the leakage zones. The degree of such uncertainty in prediction depends on the quality of site specific information available for analysis. The scientific results from this study provide substantial insight that there is a need for site-specific data for efficient predictions of risks associated with storage activities. The presented approach can provide a basis of optimized pressure based monitoring network design at carbon storage sites.

Gas-water-rock interactions induced by reservoir exploitation, CO2 sequestration, and other geological storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lecourtier, J.

2005-01-01

Here is given a summary of the opening address of the IFP International Workshop: 'gas-water-rock interactions induced by reservoir exploitation, CO 2 sequestration, and other geological storage' (18-20 November 2003). 'This broad topic is of major interest to the exploitation of geological sites since gas-water-mineral interactions determine the physicochemical characteristics of these sites, the strategies to adopt to protect the environment, and finally, the operational costs. Modelling the phenomena is a prerequisite for the engineering of a geological storage, either for disposal efficiency or for risk assessment and environmental protection. During the various sessions, several papers focus on the great achievements that have been made in the last ten years in understanding and modelling the coupled reaction and transport processes occurring in geological systems, from borehole to reservoir scale. Remaining challenges such as the coupling of mechanical processes of deformation with chemical reactions, or the influence of microbiological environments on mineral reactions will also be discussed. A large part of the conference programme will address the problem of mitigating CO 2 emissions, one of the most important issues that our society must solve in the coming years. From both a technical and an economic point of view, CO 2 geological sequestration is the most realistic solution proposed by the experts today. The results of ongoing pilot operations conducted in Europe and in the United States are strongly encouraging, but geological storage will be developed on a large scale in the future only if it becomes possible to predict the long term behaviour of stored CO 2 underground. In order to reach this objective, numerous issues must be solved: - thermodynamics of CO 2 in brines; - mechanisms of CO 2 trapping inside the host rock; - geochemical modelling of CO 2 behaviour in various types of geological formations; - compatibility of CO 2 with oil-well cements

The potential of geological storage of CO2 in Austria: a techno-economic assessment

Science.gov (United States)

Brüstle, Anna Katharina; Welkenhuysen, Kris; Bottig, Magdalena; Piessens, Kris; Ramirez, Andrea; Swenner, Rudy

2014-05-01

An impressive two-third or about 40GWh/y of electricity in Austria is produced from renewable energy sources, in particular hydro energy. For the remaining part the country depends on fossil fuels, which together with iron & steel production form the most CO2 intensive industries in Austria with a combined emission of just over 20Mt/y. According to the IEA, CO2 capture and geological storage (CCS) can reduce the global CO2 emission until 2050 by 17%. A correct assessment of CCS needs to start with the storage potential. Prior to this study, only general estimates of the theoretical capacity of Austrian reservoirs were available, thus, up until now, the realistic potential for CCS technology has not been assessed. Both for policy and industry, an assessment of the matched capacity is required, which is the capacity that actually will be used in CCS projects. This hurdle can be taken by applying a recently developed methodology (Welkenhuysen et al., 2013). This policy support system (PSS) consists of two parts, PSS Explorer and PSS III simulator. In brief, the methodology is based on expert judgements of potential reservoirs. These assessments can provide the best available data, including the expert's experience and possibly confidential data, without disclosing specific data. The geo-techno-economic calculation scheme PSS Explorer uses the expert input to calculate for each individual reservoir an assessment of the practical capacity (as probability density functions), in function of an acceptable price for storage. This practical capacity can then be used by the techno-economic PSS III simulator to perform advanced source-sink matching until 2050 and thus provide the matched reservoir capacity. The analysed reservoirs are 7 active or abandoned oil and gas reservoirs in Austria. The simulation of the electricity and iron & steel sector of Austria resulted in the estimation of the geological storage potential, taking into account geological, technological and

Deep storage of radioactive waste from a geological point of view

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Venzlaff, Helmut

2015-01-01

For a deep storage of radioactive waste geologists gave their preference to salt prior to other rock complexes such as clay or granite. Major deposits from pure rock salt are particularly suitable to safely seal radioactive wastes from the biosphere because due to their plasticity they are free from fissures in which liquids and gases could circulate and because their thermal conductivity is higher than of other rocks. The geological stability of salt domes can be shown by their geological evolution. Thus the salt dome in Gorleben was formed 100 million years ago and is older than the Atlantic, the Alps or the ascent of the low mountain range. During this long period it survived ocean floods, mountain formations, earthquakes, volcanism and ice ages without considerably changing its shape. There are no geological reasons, why it should not remain stable during the next million years.

Deep storage of radioactive waste from a geological point of view

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Venzlaff, Helmut [Federal Institute for Geo-Sciences and Raw Materials, Hannover (Germany)

2015-08-15

For a deep storage of radioactive waste geologists gave their preference to salt prior to other rock complexes such as clay or granite. Major deposits from pure rock salt are particularly suitable to safely seal radioactive wastes from the biosphere because due to their plasticity they are free from fissures in which liquids and gases could circulate and because their thermal conductivity is higher than of other rocks. The geological stability of salt domes can be shown by their geological evolution. Thus the salt dome in Gorleben was formed 100 million years ago and is older than the Atlantic, the Alps or the ascent of the low mountain range. During this long period it survived ocean floods, mountain formations, earthquakes, volcanism and ice ages without considerably changing its shape. There are no geological reasons, why it should not remain stable during the next million years.

Geological storage of CO2: What do we know, where are the gaps and what more needs to be done?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gale, John

2004-01-01

If deep reductions in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are to be achieved, the introduction of CO 2 capture and storage in geological reservoirs is likely to be necessary. The technology would be deployed alongside other mitigation measures such as renewables, energy efficiency and fuel switching. Currently, research programmes on the geological storage of CO 2 are underway in the United States, the European Union, Australia and Japan. The aim of this paper is to present an overview of the research work that is currently underway and provide an analysis of the current state of knowledge on geological storage of CO 2. The analysis will be broken down to address the key geological storage options: deep coal seams, depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and deep saline aquifers. In each case, areas of uncertainty will be highlighted as well as areas where it is considered that further work will be needed so that the technology can be accepted by Governments and the general public as a mitigation option suitable for wide-scale application throughout the world

Geological storage of CO2: what do we know, where are the gaps and what more needs to be done?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gale, J.

2004-01-01

If deep reductions in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are to be achieved, the introduction of CO 2 capture and storage in geological reservoirs is likely to be necessary. The technology would be deployed alongside other mitigation measures such as renewables, energy efficiency and fuel switching. Currently, research programmes on the geological storage of CO 2 are underway in the United States, the European Union, Australia and Japan. The aim of this paper is to present an overview of the research work that is currently underway and provide an analysis of the current state of knowledge on geological storage of CO 2 . The analysis will be broken down to address the key geological storage options: deep coal seams, depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and deep saline aquifers. In each case, areas of uncertainty will be highlighted as well as areas where it is considered that further work will be needed so that the technology can be accepted by Governments and the general public as a mitigation option suitable for wide-scale application throughout the world. (author)

Numerical simulation of CO2 geological storage in saline aquifers – case study of Utsira formation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zhang, Zheming; Agarwal, Ramesh K. [Department of Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130 (United States)

2013-07-01

CO2 geological storage (CGS) is one of the most promising technologies to address the issue of excessive anthropogenic CO2 emissions in the atmosphere due to fossil fuel combustion for electricity generation. In order to fully exploit the storage potential, numerical simulations can help in determining injection strategies before the deployment of full scale sequestration in saline aquifers. This paper presents the numerical simulations of CO2 geological storage in Utsira saline formation where the sequestration is currently underway. The effects of various hydrogeological and numerical factors on the CO2 distribution in the topmost hydrogeological layer of Utsira are discussed. The existence of multiple pathways for upward mobility of CO2 into the topmost layer of Utsira as well as the performance of the top seal are also investigated.

Geologic and engineering dimensions of nuclear waste storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoskins, E.R.; Russell, J.E.

1983-01-01

Nuclear waste characteristics, existing and projected quantities of radioactive materials that need to be stored, various disposal or storage strategies or alternatives, geologic media under consideration, and repository construction techniques and problems are discussed. The best alternative at this time is containment in mined caverns, deep underground. There are still uncertainties in site selection criteria, in the design of underground openings, and in the prediction of both cultural and natural hazards and their effects on the repository over a 1000-year or longer time frame. It is possible to minimize the negative effects by careful site selection, although this involves more than just technical issues

The carbon dioxide capture and geological storage; Le captage et le stockage geologique de CO{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2006-06-15

This road-map proposes by the Group Total aims to inform the public on the carbon dioxide capture and geological storage. One possible means of climate change mitigation consists of storing the CO{sub 2} generated by the greenhouse gases emission in order to stabilize atmospheric concentrations. This sheet presents the CO{sub 2} capture from lage fossil-fueled combustion installations, the three capture techniques and the CO{sub 2} transport options, the geological storage of the CO{sub 2} and Total commitments in the domain. (A.L.B.)

Geological Storage of CO2. Site Selection Criteria; Almacenamiento Geologico de CO2. Criterios de Seleccion de Emplazamientos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruiz, C; Martinez, R; Recreo, F; Prado, P; Campos, R; Pelayo, M; Losa, A de la; Hurtado, A; Lomba, L; Perez del Villar, L; Ortiz, G; Sastre, J

2006-07-01

In year 2002 the Spanish Parliament unanimously passed the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, signed December 1997, compromising to limiting the greenhouse gas emissions increase. Later on, the Environment Ministry submitted the Spanish National Assignment Emissions Plan to the European Union and in year 2005 the Spanish Greenhouse Gas market started working, establishing taxes to pay in case of exceeding the assigned emissions limits. So, the avoided emissions of CO2 have now an economic value that is promoting new anthropogenic CO2 emissions reduction technologies. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) are among these new technological developments for mitigating or eliminate climate change. CO2 can be stored in geological formations such as depleted oil or gas fields, deep permeable saline water saturated formations and unmineable coal seams, among others. This report seeks to establish the selection criteria for suitable geological formations for CO2 storage in the Spanish national territory, paying attention to both the operational and performance requirements of these storage systems. The report presents the physical and chemical properties and performance of CO2 under storage conditions, the transport and reaction processes of both supercritical and gaseous CO2, and CO2 trapping mechanisms in geological formations. The main part of the report is devoted to geological criteria at watershed, site and formation scales. (Author) 100 ref.

The Cigeo project - Industrial centre of geological storage in Meuse/Haute-Marne

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-08-01

This publication proposes a general presentation of the Cigeo project. It first addresses the purpose of this radioactive waste storage site: to deal with wastes which will remain very dangerous for a very long time. It recalls the project history, explains the reasons for the choice of a deep geological storage. It outlines how safety and security are at the heart of Cigeo, and indicates how reversibility is part of the design. It briefly describes Cigeo installations and operation. It shows how Cigeo is integrated into its territory, and finally how the society can intervene in the project elaboration and development

Underground gas storage Lobodice geological model development based on 3D seismic interpretation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kopal, L.

2015-01-01

Aquifer type underground gas storage (UGS) Lobodice was developed in the Central Moravian part of Carpathian foredeep in Czech Republic 50 years ago. In order to improve knowledge about UGS geological structure 3D seismic survey was performed in 2009. Reservoir is rather shallow (400 - 500 m below surface) it is located in complicated locality so limitations for field acquisition phase were abundant. This article describes process work flow from 3D seismic field data acquisition to geological model creation. The outcomes of this work flow define geometry of UGS reservoir, its tectonics, structure spill point, cap rock and sealing features of the structure. Improving of geological knowledge about the reservoir enables less risky new well localization for UGS withdrawal rate increasing. (authors)

Feasibility of CO{sub 2} geological storage in the Xingou oil field, Jianghan Basin, China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Peng, Sanxi [School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074 (China); Changsha Engineering and Research Institute Ltd. of Nonferrous Metallurgy, Changsha, 410001 (China); Shana, Huimei; Li, Yilian [School of Environmental Studies, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, 430074 (China); Yang, Zhen; Zhong, Zhaohong [Changsha Engineering and Research Institute Ltd. of Nonferrous Metallurgy, Changsha, 410001 (China)

2013-07-01

Geological storage of CO{sub 2} as an effective way of reducing CO{sub 2} output to the atmosphere receives growing attention worldwide. To evaluate the feasibility of this technique in the Xingou oil field of Jianghan Basin in China, 2D and 3D models of CO{sub 2} geological storage were established using TOUGH2 software. Results showed that CO{sub 2} gas can be stored in the deepest reservoir through continuous injection over 50 years, and will remain effectively confined within the space under the second cap-rock during its diffusion over 500 years. Compared with 2D models, 3D models showed that the diffusion process of CO{sub 2} gas in the reservoir will create a mushroom-shaped zone of influence. (authors)

Study concerning the geological storage of radioactive waste in the Netherlands

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1987-03-01

This report presents an intermediate state of affairs in the execution of the first stage of the program of research concerning the geological storage of nuclear waste in the Netherlands (OPLA-program). This first stage consists of desk studies and laboratory investigations in view of the judgement of the desirability of continuation of this program in eventual next steps with field research. 19 refs.; 11 figs.; 1 table

Simplified models of rates of CO2 mineralization in Geologic Carbon Storage

Science.gov (United States)

DePaolo, D. J.; Zhang, S.

2017-12-01

Geologic carbon storage (GCS) reverses the flow of carbon to the atmosphere, returning the carbon to long-term geologic storage. Models suggest that most of the injected CO2 will be "trapped" in the subsurface by physical means, but the most risk-free and permanent form of carbon storage is as carbonate minerals (Ca,Mg,Fe)CO3. The transformation of CO2 to carbonate minerals requires supply of divalent cations by dissolution of silicate minerals. Available data suggest that rates of transformation are difficult to predict. We show that the chemical kinetic observations and experimental results, when reduced to a single timescale that describes the fractional rate at which cations are released to solution by mineral dissolution, show sufficiently systematic behavior that the rates of mineralization can be estimated with reasonable certainty. Rate of mineralization depends on both the abundance (determined by the reservoir rock mineralogy) and the rate at which cations are released by dissolution into pore fluid that has been acidified with dissolved CO2. Laboratory-measured rates and field observations give values spanning 8 to 10 orders of magnitude, but when evaluated in the context of reservoir-scale reactive transport simulations, this range becomes much smaller. Reservoir scale simulations indicate that silicate mineral dissolution and subsequent carbonate mineral precipitation occur at pH 4.5 to 6, fluid flow velocity less than 5m/yr, and 50-100 years or more after the start of injection. These constraints lead to estimates of 200 to 2000 years for conversion of 60-90% of injected CO2 when the reservoir rock has a sufficient volume fraction of divalent cation-bearing silicate minerals (ca. 20%), and confirms that when reservoir rock mineralogy is not favorable the fraction of CO2 converted to carbonate minerals is minimal over 104 years. A sufficient amount of reactive minerals represents the condition by which the available cations per volume of rock plus pore

Mesoscale Assessment of CO2 Storage Potential and Geological Suitability for Target Area Selection in the Sichuan Basin

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Yujie Diao

2017-01-01

Full Text Available In China, south of the Yangtze River, there are a large number of carbon sources, while the Sichuan Basin is the largest sedimentary basin; it makes sense to select the targets for CO2 geological storage (CGUS early demonstration. For CO2 enhanced oil and gas, coal bed methane recovery (CO2-EOR, EGR, and ECBM, or storage in these depleted fields, the existing oil, gas fields, or coal seams could be the target areas in the mesoscale. This paper proposed a methodology of GIS superimposed multisource information assessment of geological suitability for CO2 enhanced water recovery (CO2-EWR or only storage in deep saline aquifers. The potential per unit area of deep saline aquifers CO2 storage in Central Sichuan is generally greater than 50 × 104 t/km2 at P50 probability level, with Xujiahe group being the main reservoir. CO2 storage potential of depleted gas fields is 53.73 × 108 t, while it is 33.85 × 108 t by using CO2-EGR technology. This paper recommended that early implementation of CGUS could be carried out in the deep saline aquifers and depleted gas fields in the Sichuan Basin, especially that of the latter because of excellent traps, rich geological data, and well-run infrastructures.

Numerical Simulation of Natural Convection in Heterogeneous Porous media for CO2 Geological Storage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Ranganathan, P.; Farajzadeh, R.; Bruining, J.; Zitha, P.L.J.

2012-01-01

We report a modeling and numerical simulation study of density-driven natural convection during geological CO2 storage in heterogeneous formations. We consider an aquifer or depleted oilfield overlain by gaseous CO2, where the water density increases due to CO2 dissolution. The heterogeneity of the

Ganglion dynamics and its implications to geologic carbon dioxide storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Wang, Yifeng; Bryan, Charles; Dewers, Thomas; Heath, Jason E; Jove-Colon, Carlos

2013-01-02

Capillary trapping of a nonwetting fluid phase in the subsurface has been considered as an important mechanism for geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO(2)). This mechanism can potentially relax stringent requirements for the integrity of cap rocks for CO(2) storage and therefore can significantly enhance storage capacity and security. We here apply ganglion dynamics to understand the capillary trapping of supercritical CO(2) (scCO(2)) under relevant reservoir conditions. We show that, by breaking the injected scCO(2) into small disconnected ganglia, the efficiency of capillary trapping can be greatly enhanced, because the mobility of a ganglion is inversely dependent on its size. Supercritical CO(2) ganglia can be engineered by promoting CO(2)-water interface instability during immiscible displacement, and their size distribution can be controlled by injection mode (e.g., water-alternating-gas) and rate. We also show that a large mobile ganglion can potentially break into smaller ganglia due to CO(2)-brine interface instability during buoyant rise, thus becoming less mobile. The mobility of scCO(2) in the subsurface is therefore self-limited. Vertical structural heterogeneity within a reservoir can inhibit the buoyant rise of scCO(2) ganglia. The dynamics of scCO(2) ganglia described here provides a new perspective for the security and monitoring of subsurface CO(2) storage.

Geological Storage of CO2. Site Selection Criteria; Almacenamiento Geologico de CO2. Criterios de Selecci0n de Emplazamientos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruiz, C; Martinez, R; Recreo, F; Prado, P; Campos, R; Pelayo, M; Losa, A de la; Hurtado, A; Lomba, L; Perez del Villar, L; Ortiz, G; Sastre, J; Zapatero, M A; Suarez, I; Arenillas, A

2007-09-18

In year 2002 the Spanish Parliament unanimously passed the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, signed December 1997, compromising to limiting the greenhouse gas emissions increase. Later on, the Environment Ministry submitted the Spanish National Assignment Emissions Plan to the European Union and in year 2005 the Spanish Greenhouse Gas market started working, establishing taxes to pay in case of exceeding the assigned emissions limits. So, the avoided emissions of CO2 have now an economic value that is promoting new anthropogenic CO2 emissions reduction technologies. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) are among these new technological developments for mitigating or eliminate climate change. CO2 can be stored in geological formations such as depleted oil or gas fields, deep permeable saline water saturated formations and unmailable coal seams, among others. This report seeks to establish the selection criteria for suitable geological formations for CO2 storage in the Spanish national territory, paying attention to both the operational and performance requirements of these storage systems. The report presents the physical and chemical properties and performance of CO2 under storage conditions, the transport and reaction processes of both supercritical and gaseous CO2, and CO2 trapping mechanisms in geological formations. The main part of the report is devoted to geological criteria at watershed, site and formation scales. (Author) 100 refs.

Industrial complementarities between interim storage and reversible geological repository - 59237

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hoorelbeke, Jean-Michel

2012-01-01

The French Act voted in 2006 made the choice of deep geological disposal as the reference option for the long term management of high level (HLW) and intermediate level long-lived waste. The CIGEO repository project aims at avoiding or limiting burden to future generations, which could not be achieved by the extension in time of interim storage. The reversibility as provided by the Act will maintain a liberty of choice for waste management on a duration which is comparable to new storage facility. Interim storage is required to accommodate waste as long as the repository is not available. The commissioning of the repository in 2025 will not suppress needs for interim storage. The paper describes the complementarities between existing and future interim storage facilities and the repository project: repository operational issues and planning, HLW thermal decay, support for the reversibility, etc. It shows opportunities to prepare a global optimization of waste management including the utilization at best of storage capacities and the planning of waste emplacement in the repository in such a way to facilitate operational conditions and to limit cost. Preliminary simulations of storage-disposal scenarios are presented. Thanks to an optimal use of the waste management system, provision can be made for a progressive increase of waste emplacement flow during the first operation phase of the repository. It is then possible to stabilize the industrial activity level of the repository site. An optimal utilization of interim storage can also limit the diversity of waste packages emplaced simultaneously, which facilitates the operation of the repository. 60 years minimum interim storage duration is generally required with respect to HLW thermal output. Extending this interim storage period may reduce the underground footprint of the repository. Regarding reversibility, the capability to manage waste packages potentially retrieved from the repository should be analyzed. The

Nanoscale Chemical Processes Affecting Storage Capacities and Seals during Geologic CO2 Sequestration.

Science.gov (United States)

Jun, Young-Shin; Zhang, Lijie; Min, Yujia; Li, Qingyun

2017-07-18

Geologic CO 2 sequestration (GCS) is a promising strategy to mitigate anthropogenic CO 2 emission to the atmosphere. Suitable geologic storage sites should have a porous reservoir rock zone where injected CO 2 can displace brine and be stored in pores, and an impermeable zone on top of reservoir rocks to hinder upward movement of buoyant CO 2 . The injection wells (steel casings encased in concrete) pass through these geologic zones and lead CO 2 to the desired zones. In subsurface environments, CO 2 is reactive as both a supercritical (sc) phase and aqueous (aq) species. Its nanoscale chemical reactions with geomedia and wellbores are closely related to the safety and efficiency of CO 2 storage. For example, the injection pressure is determined by the wettability and permeability of geomedia, which can be sensitive to nanoscale mineral-fluid interactions; the sealing safety of the injection sites is affected by the opening and closing of fractures in caprocks and the alteration of wellbore integrity caused by nanoscale chemical reactions; and the time scale for CO 2 mineralization is also largely dependent on the chemical reactivities of the reservoir rocks. Therefore, nanoscale chemical processes can influence the hydrogeological and mechanical properties of geomedia, such as their wettability, permeability, mechanical strength, and fracturing. This Account reviews our group's work on nanoscale chemical reactions and their qualitative impacts on seal integrity and storage capacity at GCS sites from four points of view. First, studies on dissolution of feldspar, an important reservoir rock constituent, and subsequent secondary mineral precipitation are discussed, focusing on the effects of feldspar crystallography, cations, and sulfate anions. Second, interfacial reactions between caprock and brine are introduced using model clay minerals, with focuses on the effects of water chemistries (salinity and organic ligands) and water content on mineral dissolution and

Geological storage of CO2: risks analysis, monitoring and measures. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abou Akar, A.; Audibert, N.; Audigane, P.; Baranger, P.; Bonijoly, D.; Carnec, C.; Czernichowski, I.; Debeglia, N.; Fabriol, H.; Foerster, E.; Gaus, I.; Le Nindre, Y.; Michel, K.; Morin, D.; Roy, S.; Sanjuan, B.; Sayedi, D.

2005-01-01

To use the CO 2 geological storage as a coherent solution in the greenhouse gases reduction it needs to answer to safety and monitoring conditions. In this framework the BRGM presents this study in six chapters: risks analysis, the monitoring methods (geochemistry, geophysics, aerial monitoring, biochemistry, hydrogeology), the metrology, the corrosion problems, the thermal, hydrodynamical, geochemical and mechanical simulation and the today and future regulations. (A.L.B.)

Probabilistic modelling of rock damage: application to geological storage of CO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guy, N.

2010-01-01

The storage of CO 2 in deep geological formations is considered as a possible way to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The condition of the rocks constituting the reservoir is a key parameter on which rely both storage safety and efficiency. The objective of this thesis is to characterize the risks generated by a possible change of mechanical and transfer properties of the material of the basement after an injection of CO 2 . Large-scale simulations aiming at representing the process of injection of CO 2 at the supercritical state into an underground reservoir were performed. An analysis of the obtained stress fields shows the possibility of generating various forms of material degradation for high injection rates. The work is devoted to the study of the emergence of opened cracks. Following an analytical and simplified study of the initiation and growth of opened cracks based on a probabilistic model, it is shown that the formation of a crack network is possible. The focus is then to develop in the finite element code Code Aster a numerical tool to simulate the formation of crack networks. A nonlocal model based on stress regularization is proposed. A test on the stress intensity factor is used to describe crack propagation. The initiation of new cracks is modeled by a Poisson-Weibull process. The used parameters are identified by an experimental campaign conducted on samples from an actual geological site for CO 2 storage. The model developed is then validated on numerical cases, and also against experimental results carried out herein. (author)

Maximizing Storage Rate and Capacity and Insuring the Environmental Integrity of Carbon Dioxide Sequestration in Geological Reservoirs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

L.A. Davis; A.L. Graham; H.W. Parker; J.R. Abbott; M.S. Ingber; A.A. Mammoli; L.A. Mondy; Quanxin Guo; Ahmed Abou-Sayed

2005-12-07

Maximizing Storage Rate and Capacity and Insuring the Environmental Integrity of Carbon Dioxide Sequestration in Geological Formations The U.S. and other countries may enter into an agreement that will require a significant reduction in CO2 emissions in the medium to long term. In order to achieve such goals without drastic reductions in fossil fuel usage, CO2 must be removed from the atmosphere and be stored in acceptable reservoirs. The research outlined in this proposal deals with developing a methodology to determine the suitability of a particular geologic formation for the long-term storage of CO2 and technologies for the economical transfer and storage of CO2 in these formations. A novel well-logging technique using nuclear-magnetic resonance (NMR) will be developed to characterize the geologic formation including the integrity and quality of the reservoir seal (cap rock). Well-logging using NMR does not require coring, and hence, can be performed much more quickly and efficiently. The key element in the economical transfer and storage of the CO2 is hydraulic fracturing the formation to achieve greater lateral spreads and higher throughputs of CO2. Transport, compression, and drilling represent the main costs in CO2 sequestration. The combination of well-logging and hydraulic fracturing has the potential of minimizing these costs. It is possible through hydraulic fracturing to reduce the number of injection wells by an order of magnitude. Many issues will be addressed as part of the proposed research to maximize the storage rate and capacity and insure the environmental integrity of CO2 sequestration in geological formations. First, correlations between formation properties and NMR relaxation times will be firmly established. A detailed experimental program will be conducted to determine these correlations. Second, improved hydraulic fracturing models will be developed which are suitable for CO2 sequestration as opposed to enhanced oil recovery (EOR

Storage of radioactive wastes in geological formations. Technical criteria for site selection. Report by the work-group chaired by Professor Goguel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goguel, Jean; Candes, Pierre; Izabel, Cecile; Autran, Albert; Barthoux, Alain; Baudin, Guy; Devillers, Christian; Habib, Pierre; Lafuma, Jacques; Lefevre, Jean; Peaudecerf, Pierre; Pradel, Jacques; Salle, Claude; Treuil, Michel; Lebrun, Patrick; Tissier, Marie-Solange

1985-06-01

This document is the result of a prospective mission on the long term storage of radioactive wastes containing long-period emitters (wastes of B and C categories), and notably on a definitive storage in deep continental geological formations. After a presentation of hypotheses (brief description of the storage concept, main safety principles, objectives in terms of radiological safety, safety options, time-related considerations), the authors addressed the following issues: safety before closing during the exploitation period, and safety after closure (after backfilling and sealing of all underground cavities). For the first issue, they discuss the impacts of works on safety and thermal effects during exploitation. For the second issue, they discuss the site natural hydro-geological context, the disturbances brought by the storage (access of water to the storage, and return of water into the biosphere), and the influence of external factors (geological phenomena, human intrusion). Then, the authors make recommendations regarding reconnaissance programs and studies for the selection and qualification of a site. They finally propose technical criteria and main recommendations for site selection. Appendices propose a list of hearings, a presentation of the storage concept, a report on the impact of works, a report on the presence of mineralisation in granite massifs, reports on radiological consequences of intrusions in salt formations and in granite massif containing storage of radioactive wastes or vitrified wastes, a report on the characterization of unsteady parts of the French continental construction, a presentation of the evolution of climate and icings, and a study of seismic movements in the case of deep storages

The influence of open fracture anisotropy on CO2 movement within geological storage complexes

Science.gov (United States)

Bond, C. E.; Wightman, R.; Ringrose, P. S.

2012-12-01

Carbon mitigation through the geological storage of carbon dioxide is dependent on the ability of geological formations to store CO2 trapping it within a geological storage complex. Secure long-term containment needs to be demonstrated, due to both political and social drivers, meaning that this containment must be verifiable over periods of 100-105 years. The effectiveness of sub-surface geological storage systems is dependent on trapping CO2 within a volume of rock and is reliant on the integrity of the surrounding rocks, including their chemical and physical properties, to inhibit migration to the surface. Oil and gas reservoir production data, and field evidence show that fracture networks have the potential to act as focused pathways for fluid movement. Fracture networks can allow large volumes of fluid to migrate to the surface within the time scales of interest. In this paper we demonstrate the importance of predicting the effects of fracture networks in storage, using a case study from the In Salah CO2 storage site, and show how the fracture permeability is closely controlled by the stress regime that determines the open fracture network. Our workflow combines well data of imaged fractures, with a discrete fracture network (DFN) model of tectonically induced fractures, within the horizon of interest. The modelled and observed fractures have been compared and combined with present day stress data to predict the open fracture network and its implications for anisotropic movement of CO2 in the sub-surface. The created fracture network model has been used to calculate the 2D permeability tensor for the reservoir for two scenarios: 1) a model in which all fractures are permeable, based on the whole DFN model and 2) those fractures determined to be in dilatational failure under the present day stress regime, a sub-set of the DFN. The resulting permeability anisotropy tensors show distinct anisotropies for the predicted CO2 movement within the reservoir. These

Southern Adriatic sea as a potential area for CO2 geological storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Volpi, V.; Forlin, F.; Donda, F.; Civile, D.; Facchin, L.; Sauli, L.; Merson, B.; Sinza-Mendieta, K.; Shams, A.

2015-01-01

The Southern Adriatic Sea is one of the five prospective areas for CO 2 storage being evaluated under the three year (FP7) European SiteChar project dedicated to the characterization of European CO 2 storage sites. The potential reservoir for CO 2 storage is represented by a carbonate formation, the wackstones and packstones of the Scaglia Formation (Upper Cretaceous-Paleogene). In this paper, we present the geological characterization and the 3D modeling that led to the identification of three sites, named Grazia, Rovesti and Grifone, where the Scaglia Formation, with an average thickness of 50 m, reveals good petrophysical characteristics and is overlain by an up to 1 200 thick cap-rock. The vicinity of the selected sites to the Enel - Federico II power plant (one of the major Italian CO 2 emitter) where a pilot plant for CO 2 capture has been already started in April 2010, represents a good opportunity to launch the first Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) pilot project in Italy and to apply this technology at industrial level, strongly contributing at the same time at reducing the national CO 2 emissions. (authors)

Well technologies for CO2 geological storage: CO2-resistant cement

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Barlet-Gouedard, V.; Rimmele, G.; Porcherie, O.; Goffe, B.

2007-01-01

Storing carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) underground is considered the most effective way for long-term safe and low-cost CO 2 sequestration. This recent application requires long-term well-bore integrity. A CO 2 leakage through the annulus may occur much more rapidly than geologic leakage through the formation rock, leading to economic loss, reduction of CO 2 storage efficiency, and potential compromise of the field for storage. The possibility of such leaks raises considerable concern about the long-term well-bore isolation and the durability of hydrated cement that is used to isolate the annulus across the producing/injection intervals in CO 2 -storage wells. We propose a new experimental procedure and methodology to study reactivity of CO 2 -Water-Cement systems in simulating the interaction of the set cement with injected supercritical CO 2 under downhole conditions. The conditions of experiments are 90 deg. C under 280 bars. The evolution of mechanical, physical and chemical properties of Portland cement with time is studied up to 6 months. The results are compared to equivalent studies on a new CO 2 -resistant material; the comparison shows significant promise for this new material. (authors)

Vision and framework for technical and management support to facilitate foreign spent fuel storage and geologic disposal in Russia

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halsey, W.G.; Jardine, L.J.; Smith, C.F.

1999-01-01

This 'Technical and Management Support' program would facilitate the transfer of spent fuel from commercial power plants in Taiwan to a storage and geologic repository site near Krasnoyarsk, Russia. This program resolves issues of disposition of Taiwan spent fuel (including US origin fuel) and provides revenue for Russia to develop an integrated spent fuel storage and radioactive waste management system including a geologic repository. LLNL has ongoing contracts and collaborations with all the principal parties and is uniquely positioned to facilitate the development of such a program. A three-phase approach over 20 years is proposed: namely, an initial feasibility investigation followed by an engineering development phase, and then implementation

SIMULATION FRAMEWORK FOR REGIONAL GEOLOGIC CO{sub 2} STORAGE ALONG ARCHES PROVINCE OF MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sminchak, Joel

2012-09-30

This report presents final technical results for the project Simulation Framework for Regional Geologic CO{sub 2} Storage Infrastructure along Arches Province of the Midwest United States. The Arches Simulation project was a three year effort designed to develop a simulation framework for regional geologic carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) storage infrastructure along the Arches Province through development of a geologic model and advanced reservoir simulations of large-scale CO{sub 2} storage. The project included five major technical tasks: (1) compilation of geologic, hydraulic and injection data on Mount Simon, (2) development of model framework and parameters, (3) preliminary variable density flow simulations, (4) multi-phase model runs of regional storage scenarios, and (5) implications for regional storage feasibility. The Arches Province is an informal region in northeastern Indiana, northern Kentucky, western Ohio, and southern Michigan where sedimentary rock formations form broad arch and platform structures. In the province, the Mount Simon sandstone is an appealing deep saline formation for CO{sub 2} storage because of the intersection of reservoir thickness and permeability. Many CO{sub 2} sources are located in proximity to the Arches Province, and the area is adjacent to coal fired power plants along the Ohio River Valley corridor. Geophysical well logs, rock samples, drilling logs, and geotechnical tests were evaluated for a 500,000 km{sup 2} study area centered on the Arches Province. Hydraulic parameters and historical operational information was also compiled from Mount Simon wastewater injection wells in the region. This information was integrated into a geocellular model that depicts the parameters and conditions in a numerical array. The geologic and hydraulic data were integrated into a three-dimensional grid of porosity and permeability, which are key parameters regarding fluid flow and pressure buildup due to CO{sub 2} injection. Permeability data

An Assessment of Geological Carbon Storage Options in the Illinois Basin: Validation Phase

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Finley, Robert

2012-12-01

The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC) assessed the options for geological carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) storage in the 155,400 km{sup 2} (60,000 mi{sup 2}) Illinois Basin, which underlies most of Illinois, western Indiana, and western Kentucky. The region has annual CO{sub 2} emissions of about 265 million metric tonnes (292 million tons), primarily from 122 coal-fired electric generation facilities, some of which burn almost 4.5 million tonnes (5 million tons) of coal per year (U.S. Department of Energy, 2010). Validation Phase (Phase II) field tests gathered pilot data to update the Characterization Phase (Phase I) assessment of options for capture, transportation, and storage of CO{sub 2} emissions in three geological sink types: coal seams, oil fields, and saline reservoirs. Four small-scale field tests were conducted to determine the properties of rock units that control injectivity of CO{sub 2}, assess the total storage resources, examine the security of the overlying rock units that act as seals for the reservoirs, and develop ways to control and measure the safety of injection and storage processes. The MGSC designed field test operational plans for pilot sites based on the site screening process, MVA program needs, the selection of equipment related to CO{sub 2} injection, and design of a data acquisition system. Reservoir modeling, computational simulations, and statistical methods assessed and interpreted data gathered from the field tests. Monitoring, Verification, and Accounting (MVA) programs were established to detect leakage of injected CO{sub 2} and ensure public safety. Public outreach and education remained an important part of the project; meetings and presentations informed public and private regional stakeholders of the results and findings. A miscible (liquid) CO{sub 2} flood pilot project was conducted in the Clore Formation sandstone (Mississippian System, Chesterian Series) at Mumford Hills Field in Posey County, southwestern

Capture and Geological Storage of CO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kerr, T.; Brockett, S.; Hegan, L.; Barbucci, P.; Tullius, K.; Scott, J.; Otter, N.; Cook, P.; Hill, G.; Dino, R.; Aimard, N.; Giese, R.; Christensen, N.P.; Munier, G.; Paelinck, Ph.; Rayna, L.; Stromberg, L.; Birat, J.P.; Audigane, P.; Loizzo, M.; Arts, R.; Fabriol, H.; Radgen, P.; Hartwell, J.; Wartmann, S.; Drosin, E.; Willnow, K.; Moisan, F.

2009-01-01

To build on the growing success of the first two international symposia on emission reduction and CO 2 capture and geological storage, held in Paris in 2005 and again in 2007, IFP, ADEME and BRGM organised a third event on the same topic the 5-6 November 2009. This time, the focus was on the urgency of industrial deployment. Indeed, the IPCC 4. assessment report indicates that the world must achieve a 50 to 85% reduction in CO 2 emissions by 2050 compared to 2000, in order to limit the global temperature increase to around 2 deg. C. Moreover, IPCC stresses that a 'business as usual' scenario could lead to a temperature increase of between 4 deg. C to 7 deg. C across the planet. The symposium was organized in 4 sessions: Session I - Regulatory framework and strategies for enabling CCS deployment: - CCS: international status of political, regulatory and financing issues (Tom Kerr, IEA); - EC regulatory framework (Scott Brockett, European Commission, DG ENV); - Canada's investments towards implementation of CCS in Canada (Larry Hegan, Office of Energy Research and Development - Government of Canada); - A power company perspective (Pietro Barbucci, ENEL); - EC CCS demonstration network (Kai Tullius, European Commission, DG TREN); - Strategies and policies for accelerating global CCS deployment (Jesse Scott, E3G); - The global CCS Institute, a major initiative to facilitate the rapid deployment of CCS (Nick Otter, GCCSI); Session II - From pilot to demonstration projects: - Otway project, Australia (David Hilditch, CO2 CRC); - US regional partnerships (Gerald Hill, Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership - SECARB); - CCS activities in Brazil (Rodolfo Dino, Petrobras); - Lessons learnt from Ketzin CO2Sink project in Germany (Ruediger Giese, GFZ); - CO 2 storage - from laboratory to reality (Niels-Peter Christensen, Vattenfall); - Valuation and storage of CO 2 : A global project for carbon management in South-East France (Gilles Munier, Geogreen); Session III

Alteration of R7T7-type nuclear glass in deep geological storage conditions

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Combarieu, G. de

2007-02-01

This PhD thesis is aimed to study the alteration of SON68 glass, French inactive glass of R7T7-type, in contact with near field materials of a deep geological storage (French concept from ANDRA) which are mainly metallic iron and Callovo-Oxfordian clay. Therefore, experiments involving a 'glass-iron-clay' system at lab-scale have been carried out. Interactions between glass, iron and clay have been characterised from submicron to millimeter scale by means of SEM, TEM, XRD and XAS and Raman spectroscopies in terms of chemistry and crystal-chemistry. In the mean time, a conceptual model of glass alteration has been developed to account for most of the experimental observations and known mechanisms of alteration. The model has been then transposed within the transport-chemistry code HYTEC, together with developed models of clay and iron corrosion, to simulate the experiments described above. This work is thus a contribution to the understanding of iron corrosion in Callovo-Oxfordian clay and subsequent glass alteration in the newly formed corrosion products, the whole process being considered as a lab-scale model of a deep geological storage of radioactive wastes. (author)

Characterizing the subsurface geology in and around the U.S. Army Camp Stanley Storage Activity, south-central Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Blome, Charles D.; Clark, Allan K.

2018-02-15

Several U.S. Geological Survey projects, supported by the National Cooperative Geologic Mapping Program, have used multi-disciplinary approaches over a 14-year period to reveal the surface and subsurface geologic frameworks of the Edwards and Trinity aquifers of central Texas and the Arbuckle-Simpson aquifer of south-central Oklahoma. Some of the project achievements include advancements in hydrostratigraphic mapping, three-dimensional subsurface framework modeling, and airborne geophysical surveys as well as new methodologies that link geologic and groundwater flow models. One area where some of these milestones were achieved was in and around the U.S. Army Camp Stanley Storage Activity, located in north­western Bexar County, Texas, about 19 miles north­west of downtown San Antonio.

ORNL Solid Waste Storage Area 6 trench photos and geologic descriptions, July 1984-September 1985

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Davis, E.C.; Marshall, D.S.; Stansfield, R.G.; Dreier, R.B.

1986-03-01

The Environmental Sciences Division of the Oak Ridge National Laboratory has initiated a photographic and descriptive geologic study of low-level waste trenches opened in Solid Waste Storage Area 6 (SWSA-6). From July 1984 through September 1985, trenches were excavated, geologically described, and photographed before being filled and closed. Only three trenches (Nos. 438, 448, and 465) were excavated and closed before photography could be scheduled. It is recommended that the systematic trench characterization procedure outlined in this report be continued under the direction of ORNL's Operations Division with support from both Environmental Sciences and the Engineering divisions. Publication of such a compilation of trench photos on a yearly basis will serve not only as a part of Department of Energy trench documentation requirements but also as a component of a SWSA-6 geologic data base being developed for current research and development activities. 2 refs., 38 figs

Characterization of Pliocene and Miocene Formations in the Wilmington Graben, Offshore Los Angeles, for Large-Scale Geologic Storage of CO₂

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bruno, Michael [Geomechanics Technologies, Incorporated, Monrovia, CA (United States)

2014-12-08

Geomechanics Technologies has completed a detailed characterization study of the Wilmington Graben offshore Southern California area for large-scale CO₂ storage. This effort has included: an evaluation of existing wells in both State and Federal waters, field acquisition of about 175 km (109 mi) of new seismic data, new well drilling, development of integrated 3D geologic, geomechanics, and fluid flow models for the area. The geologic analysis indicates that more than 796 MMt of storage capacity is available within the Pliocene and Miocene formations in the Graben for midrange geologic estimates (P50). Geomechanical analyses indicate that injection can be conducted without significant risk for surface deformation, induced stresses or fault activation. Numerical analysis of fluid migration indicates that injection into the Pliocene Formation at depths of 1525 m (5000 ft) would lead to undesirable vertical migration of the CO₂ plume. Recent well drilling however, indicates that deeper sand is present at depths exceeding 2135 m (7000 ft), which could be viable for large volume storage. For vertical containment, injection would need to be limited to about 250,000 metric tons per year per well, would need to be placed at depths greater than 7000ft, and would need to be placed in new wells located at least 1 mile from any existing offset wells. As a practical matter, this would likely limit storage operations in the Wilmington Graben to about 1 million tons per year or less. A quantitative risk analysis for the Wilmington Graben indicate that such large scale CO₂ storage in the area would represent higher risk than other similar size projects in the US and overseas.

SIMULATION FRAMEWORK FOR REGIONAL GEOLOGIC CO{sub 2} STORAGE ALONG ARCHES PROVINCE OF MIDWESTERN UNITED STATES

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Sminchak, Joel

2012-09-30

This report presents final technical results for the project Simulation Framework for Regional Geologic CO{sub 2} Storage Infrastructure along Arches Province of the Midwest United States. The Arches Simulation project was a three year effort designed to develop a simulation framework for regional geologic carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) storage infrastructure along the Arches Province through development of a geologic model and advanced reservoir simulations of large-scale CO{sub 2} storage. The project included five major technical tasks: (1) compilation of geologic, hydraulic and injection data on Mount Simon, (2) development of model framework and parameters, (3) preliminary variable density flow simulations, (4) multi-phase model runs of regional storage scenarios, and (5) implications for regional storage feasibility. The Arches Province is an informal region in northeastern Indiana, northern Kentucky, western Ohio, and southern Michigan where sedimentary rock formations form broad arch and platform structures. In the province, the Mount Simon sandstone is an appealing deep saline formation for CO{sub 2} storage because of the intersection of reservoir thickness and permeability. Many CO{sub 2} sources are located in proximity to the Arches Province, and the area is adjacent to coal fired power plants along the Ohio River Valley corridor. Geophysical well logs, rock samples, drilling logs, and geotechnical tests were evaluated for a 500,000 km{sup 2} study area centered on the Arches Province. Hydraulic parameters and historical operational information was also compiled from Mount Simon wastewater injection wells in the region. This information was integrated into a geocellular model that depicts the parameters and conditions in a numerical array. The geologic and hydraulic data were integrated into a three-dimensional grid of porosity and permeability, which are key parameters regarding fluid flow and pressure buildup due to CO{sub 2} injection. Permeability data

Heat transfer analysis of the geologic disposal of spent fuel and high-level waste storage canisters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Allen, G.K.

1980-08-01

Near-field temperatures resulting from the storage of high-level waste canisters and spent unreprocessed fuel assembly canisters in geologic formations were determined. Preliminary design of the repository was modeled for a heat transfer computer code, HEATING5, which used the Crank-Nicolson finite difference method to evaluate transient heat transfer. The heat transfer system was evaluated with several two- and three-dimensional models which transfer heat by a combination of conduction, natural convention, and radiation. Physical properties of the materials in the model were based upon experimental values for the various geologic formations. The effects of canister spacing, fuel age, and use of an overpack were studied for the analysis of the spent fuel canisters; salt, granite, and basalt were considered as the storage media for spent fuel canisters. The effects of canister diameter and use of an overpack were studied for the analysis of the high-level waste canisters; salt was considered as the only storage media for high-level waste canisters. Results of the studies on spent fuel assembly canisters showed that the canisters could be stored in salt formations with a maximum heat loading of 134 kw/acre without exceeding the temperature limits set for salt stability. The use of an overpack had little effect on the peak canister temperatures. When the total heat load per acre decreased, the peak temperatures reached in the geologic formations decreased; however, the time to reach the peak temperatures increased. Results of the studies on high-level waste canisters showed that an increased canister diameter will increase the canister interior temperatures considerably; at a constant areal heat loading, a 381 mm diameter canister reached almost a 50 0 C higher temperature than a 305 mm diameter canister. An overpacked canister caused almost a 30 0 C temperature rise in either case

Effects of CO2 gas as leaks from geological storage sites on agro-ecosystems

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Patil, Ravi; Colls, Jeremy J; Steven, Michael D

2010-01-01

Carbon capture and storage in geological formations has potential risks in the long-term safety because of the possibility of CO2 leakage. Effects of leaking gas, therefore, on vegetation, soil, and soil-inhabiting organisms are critical to understand. An artificial soil gassing and response...... detection field facility developed at the University of Nottingham was used to inject CO2 gas at a controlled flow rate (1 l min-1) into soil to simulate build-up of soil CO2 concentrations and surface fluxes from two land use types: pasture grassland, and fallow followed by winter bean. Mean soil CO2....... This study showed adverse effects of CO2 gas on agro-ecosystem in case of leakage from storage sites to surface....

Long-term evolution of radio-active waste storage in geological formations: analogy with the weathering of mineral deposits

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cantinolle, P.; Griffault, L.; Jebrak, M.

1986-01-01

The aim of this study was to select examples of mineral deposits and their weathering environment, showing the long-term behaviour, in geological time, measuring (area, volume) some constituent elements of radio-active waste storage subject to the hazards of hydrogeochemical weathering. Initially, a feasibility study was made to collate data available within the BRGM (mining group and public service) and from literature dealing with weathering of deposits. It was thus discovered that the analogy between radio-active waste storage and mineral deposits could be approached in two different yet complementary ways: - one approach is to observe the behaviour of a mineral deposit in relation to the country rocks. For this a bibliographic metallogenic study was made. The other approach is to observe the behaviour of chemical elements during deposition of a mineral deposit whose genesis is similar to the spatial and thermal environment of a deposit of radio-active waste in a geological formation. For this two sites were selected corresponding to hydrothermal systems showing strong analogies to those expected in the neighbourhood of the storage sites. These two sites, Langenberg in the Vosges and La Telhaie in Brittany, were the subject of complementary analytical work [fr

Caprock and overburden processes in geological CO2 storage: An experimental study on sealing efficiency and mineral alterations

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Wollenweber, J.; Alles, S.a.; Kronimus, A.; Busch, A.; Stanjek, H.; Krooss, B.M.

2009-01-01

A comprehensive set of experimental and analytical methods has been used to characterise the sealing and fluid -transport properties of fine-grained (pelitic) sedimentary rocks under the pressure and temperature conditions of geological CO2 storage. The flow experiments were carried out on

Modeling Diffusion and Buoyancy-Driven Convection with Application to Geological CO2 Storage

KAUST Repository

Allen, Rebecca

2015-04-01

ABSTRACT Modeling Diffusion and Buoyancy-Driven Convection with Application to Geological CO2 Storage Rebecca Allen Geological CO2 storage is an engineering feat that has been undertaken around the world for more than two decades, thus accurate modeling of flow and transport behavior is of practical importance. Diffusive and convective transport are relevant processes for buoyancy-driven convection of CO2 into underlying fluid, a scenario that has received the attention of numerous modeling studies. While most studies focus on Darcy-scale modeling of this scenario, relatively little work exists at the pore-scale. In this work, properties evaluated at the pore-scale are used to investigate the transport behavior modeled at the Darcy-scale. We compute permeability and two different forms of tortuosity, namely hydraulic and diffusive. By generating various pore ge- ometries, we find hydraulic and diffusive tortuosity can be quantitatively different in the same pore geometry by up to a factor of ten. As such, we emphasize that these tortuosities should not be used interchangeably. We find pore geometries that are characterized by anisotropic permeability can also exhibit anisotropic diffusive tortuosity. This finding has important implications for buoyancy-driven convection modeling; when representing the geological formation with an anisotropic permeabil- ity, it is more realistic to also account for an anisotropic diffusivity. By implementing a non-dimensional model that includes both a vertically and horizontally orientated 5 Rayleigh number, we interpret our findings according to the combined effect of the anisotropy from permeability and diffusive tortuosity. In particular, we observe the Rayleigh ratio may either dampen or enhance the diffusing front, and our simulation data is used to express the time of convective onset as a function of the Rayleigh ratio. Also, we implement a lattice Boltzmann model for thermal convective flows, which we treat as an analog for

Spent fuel test-climax: a test of geologic storage of high-level waste in granite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ramspott, L.D.; Ballou, L.B.; Patrick, W.C.

1981-01-01

A test of retrievable geologic storage of spent fuel assemblies from an operating commercial nuclear reactor is underway at the Nevada Test Site (NTS) of the US Department of Energy. This generic test is located 420 m below the surface in the Climax granitic stock. Eleven canisters of spent fuel approximately 2.5 years out of reactor core (about 1.6 kW/canister thermal output) were emplaced in a storage drift along with 6 electrical simulator canisters. Two adjacent drifts contain electrical heaters, which are operated to simulate within the test array the thermal field of a large repository. Fuel was loaded during April to May 1980 and initial results of the test will be presented

Spent fuel handling system for a geologic storage test at the Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Duncan, J.E.; House, P.A.; Wright, G.W.

1980-01-01

The Lawrence Livermore Laboratory is conducting a test of the geologic storage of encapsulated spent commercial reactor fuel assemblies in a granitic rock at the Nevada Test Site. The test, known as the Spent Fuel Test-Climax (SFT-C), is sponsored by the US Department of Energy, Nevada Operations Office. Eleven pressurized-water-reactor spent fuel assemblies are stored retrievably for three to five years in a linear array in the Climax stock at a depth of 420 m

Site characterization of the highest-priority geologic formations for CO₂ storage in Wyoming

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Surdam, Ronald C. [Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States); Bentley, Ramsey [Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States); Campbell-Stone, Erin [Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States); Dahl, Shanna [Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States); Deiss, Allory [Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States); Ganshin, Yuri [Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States); Jiao, Zunsheng [Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States); Kaszuba, John [Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States); Mallick, Subhashis [Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States); McLaughlin, Fred [Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States); Myers, James [Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States); Quillinan, Scott [Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States)

2013-12-07

This study, funded by U.S. Department of Energy National Energy Technology Laboratory award DE-FE0002142 along with the state of Wyoming, uses outcrop and core observations, a diverse electric log suite, a VSP survey, in-bore testing (DST, injection tests, and fluid sampling), a variety of rock/fluid analyses, and a wide range of seismic attributes derived from a 3-D seismic survey to thoroughly characterize the highest-potential storage reservoirs and confining layers at the premier CO₂ geological storage site in Wyoming. An accurate site characterization was essential to assessing the following critical aspects of the storage site: (1) more accurately estimate the CO₂ reservoir storage capacity (Madison Limestone and Weber Sandstone at the Rock Springs Uplift (RSU)), (2) evaluate the distribution, long-term integrity, and permanence of the confining layers, (3) manage CO₂ injection pressures by removing formation fluids (brine production/treatment), and (4) evaluate potential utilization of the stored CO₂

Safety Assessment Document for the Spent Reactor Fuel Geologic Storage Test in the Climax Granite Stock at the Nevada Test site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

The objective of the Spent Fuel Geologic Storage Test in the Climax Granite Stock is to evaluate the response of a granitic rock mass to the underground storage of encapsulated spent reactor fuel in a geometry that simulates a module of a large-scale geologic repository. This document reports an assessment of the safety of conducting this test. Descriptions are provided of the geography, meteorology, hydrology, geology, and seismology of the Climax Site; the effects of postulated natural phenomena and other activities at the nevada Test Site on the safety of the test; and the design and operation of the test facility and associated equipment. Evaluations are made of both the radiological and nonradiological impacts of normal operations, abnormal operations, and postulated accidents. It is concluded that conduct of the spent fuel test at the Climax Site will not result in any undue risk to the public, property, environment, or site employees

Geological exploration for a high-temperature aquifer thermal energy storage (HT-ATES) system: a case study from Oman

Science.gov (United States)

Winterleitner, Gerd; Schütz, Felina; Huenges, Ernst

2017-04-01

A collaborative research programme between the German Research Centre for Geoscience, Potsdam (GFZ) and The Research Council of Oman (TRC) is underway, which aims to develop and implement an innovative concept of a sustainable thermally driven cooling system in combination with a HT-ATES in northern Oman. The system will use an absorption chiller for cold supply, which nominally requires water of around 100°C as energy source. Solar collectors will provide this thermal energy and energy surpluses during daytimes will be stored to ensure a continuous operation of the cooling system. An integral part of this project is, therefore, the development of an efficient HT-ATES (100°C), which is based on temporary storage and recovery of thermal energy through hot water injection in subsurface aquifer horizons. Thus, an accurate thermal and fluid flow characterisation of potential reservoir horizons is essential to ensure optimal efficiency of the cooling system. The study area is located in the Al Khwad area, approximately 40 km to the west of Muscat. The area is characterised by a thick Cenozoic mixed carbonate-siliciclastic sedimentary succession, containing at least 3 aquifer horizons. We use a multidisciplinary approach for the initial ATES exploration and development phase, including traditional geological fieldwork dovetailed with virtual outcrop geology, thin-section analyses, geological modelling and reservoir fluid flow forecasting analyses. Our first results indicate two potential storage horizons: (1) a Miocene-aged clastic-dominated alluvial fan system and (2) an Eocene carbonate-dominated sequence. The alluvial fan system is characterised by a more than 300 m thick, coarse-clastic succession of coalesced individual fans. Thermal and hydraulic parameters are favourable for gravel and sandstone intervals but reservoir architecture is complex due to multiple generations of interconnecting fans with highly heterogeneous facies distributions. The Eocene carbonates

Indoor "2"2"2Rn concentration in the exhibition and storage rooms of Polish geological museums

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Długosz-Lisiecka, Magdalena; Krystek, Marcin; Raczyński, Paweł; Głuszek, Ewa; Kietlińska-Michalik, Barbara; Niechwedowicz, Mariusz

2017-01-01

The radon exhaled from radioactive mineral collections exhibited in five Polish geological museums may influence its total indoor concentration. Radon concentrations measured in the exhibition halls do not pose a risk for visitors or museum staff. However, air exceeding the action limit for workers (equal to 300 Bq/m"3) was noted in the storage rooms of two museums. Significant"2"2"2Rn activity concentrations equal to more than ~300 kBq/m"3were measured inside lead containers where radioactive minerals were stored. - Highlights: • In this "2"2"2Rn radionuclide measurements in 5 Polish geological museums have been done. • The review of "2"2"2Rn activity in the air in areas containing radioactive geological collections is not a routine protocol, and is not included in the national radon monitoring program. • Therefore the radiological exposure for museum staff resulting from inhalation of gaseous radon and its products has been including.

Geochemical Implications of CO2 Leakage Associated with Geologic Storage: A Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Harvey, Omar R.; Qafoku, Nikolla; Cantrell, Kirk J.; Brown, Christopher F.

2012-07-09

Leakage from deep storage reservoirs is a major risk factor associated with geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2). Different scientific theories exist concerning the potential implications of such leakage for near-surface environments. The authors of this report reviewed the current literature on how CO2 leakage (from storage reservoirs) would likely impact the geochemistry of near surface environments such as potable water aquifers and the vadose zone. Experimental and modeling studies highlighted the potential for both beneficial (e.g., CO2 re sequestration or contaminant immobilization) and deleterious (e.g., contaminant mobilization) consequences of CO2 intrusion in these systems. Current knowledge gaps, including the role of CO2-induced changes in redox conditions, the influence of CO2 influx rate, gas composition, organic matter content and microorganisms are discussed in terms of their potential influence on pertinent geochemical processes and the potential for beneficial or deleterious outcomes. Geochemical modeling was used to systematically highlight why closing these knowledge gaps are pivotal. A framework for studying and assessing consequences associated with each factor is also presented in Section 5.6.

Two-phase flow visualization under reservoir conditions for highly heterogeneous conglomerate rock: A core-scale study for geologic carbon storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, Kue-Young; Oh, Junho; Han, Weon Shik; Park, Kwon Gyu; Shinn, Young Jae; Park, Eungyu

2018-03-20

Geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is considered a viable strategy for significantly reducing anthropogenic CO 2 emissions into the atmosphere; however, understanding the flow mechanisms in various geological formations is essential for safe storage using this technique. This study presents, for the first time, a two-phase (CO 2 and brine) flow visualization under reservoir conditions (10 MPa, 50 °C) for a highly heterogeneous conglomerate core obtained from a real CO 2 storage site. Rock heterogeneity and the porosity variation characteristics were evaluated using X-ray computed tomography (CT). Multiphase flow tests with an in-situ imaging technology revealed three distinct CO 2 saturation distributions (from homogeneous to non-uniform) dependent on compositional complexity. Dense discontinuity networks within clasts provided well-connected pathways for CO 2 flow, potentially helping to reduce overpressure. Two flow tests, one under capillary-dominated conditions and the other in a transition regime between the capillary and viscous limits, indicated that greater injection rates (potential causes of reservoir overpressure) could be significantly reduced without substantially altering the total stored CO 2 mass. Finally, the capillary storage capacity of the reservoir was calculated. Capacity ranged between 0.5 and 4.5%, depending on the initial CO 2 saturation.

CO{sub 2} sequestration technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ketzer, Marcelo [Brazilian Carbon Storage Research Center (Brazil)

2008-07-15

In this presentation the importance of the capture and sequestration of CO{sub 2} is outlined for the reduction of gas discharges of greenhouse effect; then the principles of CO{sub 2} storage in geologic formations are reviewed; afterwards, the analogs for the CO{sub 2} storage are commented, such as the storage of the acid gas, the natural gas storage and the natural CO{sub 2} deposits. Also it is spoken on the CO{sub 2} storage in coal, in water-bearing saline deposits and in oil fields, and finally the subject of the safety and monitoring of the CO{sub 2} storage is reviewed. [Spanish] En esta presentacion se expone la importancia de la captura y secuestro de CO{sub 2} para la reduccion de emisiones de gases de efecto invernadero; luego se tratan los principios de almacenamiento de CO{sub 2} en formaciones geologicas; despues se comentan los analogos para el almacenamiento de CO{sub 2} como el almacenamiento del gas acido, el almacenamiento de gas natural y los yacimientos naturales de CO{sub 2}. Tambien se habla sobre el almacenamiento de CO{sub 2} en carbon, acuiferos salinos y yacimientos petroliferos y por ultimo se toca el tema de la seguridad y monitoreo del almacenamiento de CO{sub 2}.

A Framework to Estimate CO2 Leakage associated with Geological Storage in Mature Sedimentary Basins

Science.gov (United States)

Celia, M. A.; Bachu, S.; Gasda, S.

2002-12-01

Geological storage of carbon dioxide requires careful risk analysis to avoid unintended consequences associated with the subsurface injection. Most negative consequences of subsurface injection are associated with leakage of the injected CO2 out of the geological formation into which it is injected. Such leakage may occur through natural geological features, including fractures and faults, or it may occur through human-created pathways such as existing wells. Possible leakage of CO2 through existing wells appears to be especially important in mature sedimentary basins that have been explored intensively and exploited for hydrocarbon production. In the Alberta Basin of western Canada, more than 300,000 oil and gas wells have been drilled, while in the state of Texas in the United States, more than 1,500,000 wells have been drilled. Many of these wells have been abandoned, and the information available to describe their current state is highly variable and sometimes nonexistent. Because these wells represent possible direct conduits from the injection zone to the land surface, a comprehensive assessment of leakage potential associated with these wells needs to be pursued. Analysis of leakage potential associated with existing wells must combine a data mining component with a multi-level modeling effort to assess leakage potential in a probabilistic framework. Information available for existing wells must be categorized and analyzed, and general leakage characteristics associated with wells of varying properties must be quantified. One example of a realistic target formation is the Viking Formation in Alberta, which is overlain by a thick shale layer and contains hydrocarbon in some locations. The existence of hydrocarbon in the formation indicates that the overlying shale layer is an effective barrier to flow, and therefore this is a good candidate formation for CO2 storage. However, the formation and its cap rock are punctured by approximately 180,000 wells, with

Behavioral responses of Arctica islandica (Bivalvia: Arcticidae) to simulated leakages of carbon dioxide from sub-sea geological storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bamber, Shaw D.; Westerlund, Stig

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Valve pumping activity in A. islandica significantly increased at pH 6.2 seawater. • Changes in valve movements were not related to attempted burrowing activities. • Valve activity returned to control levels after 5 days of continuous exposure. • A. islandica tolerate pH reductions likely to follow leakage of sub-sea stored CO_2. - Abstract: Sub-sea geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO_2) provides a viable option for the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) approach for reducing atmospheric emissions of this greenhouse gas. Although generally considered to offer a low risk of major leakage, it remains relevant to establish the possible consequences for marine organisms that live in or on sediments overlying these storage areas if such an event may occur. The present study has used a series of laboratory exposures and behavioral bioassays to establish the sensitivity of Arctica islandica to simulated leakages of CO_2. This long-lived bivalve mollusc is widely distributed throughout the North Sea, an area where geological storage is currently taking place and where there are plans to expand this operation significantly. A recently published model has predicted a maximum drop of 1.9 pH units in seawater at the point source of a substantial escape of CO_2 from sub-sea geological storage in this region. Valve movements of A. islandica exposed to reduced pH seawater were recorded continuously using Hall effect proximity sensors. Valve movement regulation is important for optimising the flow of water over the gills, which supplies food and facilitates respiration. A stepwise reduction in seawater pH showed an initial increase in both the rate and extent of valve movements in the majority of individuals tested when pH fell to 6.2 units. Exposing A. islandica to pH 6.2 seawater continuously for seven days resulted in a clear increase in valve movements during the first 40 h of exposure, followed by a gradual reduction in activity intensity over the

Behavioral responses of Arctica islandica (Bivalvia: Arcticidae) to simulated leakages of carbon dioxide from sub-sea geological storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bamber, Shaw D., E-mail: shaw.bamber@iris.no; Westerlund, Stig, E-mail: sw@iris.no

2016-11-15

Highlights: • Valve pumping activity in A. islandica significantly increased at pH 6.2 seawater. • Changes in valve movements were not related to attempted burrowing activities. • Valve activity returned to control levels after 5 days of continuous exposure. • A. islandica tolerate pH reductions likely to follow leakage of sub-sea stored CO{sub 2}. - Abstract: Sub-sea geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) provides a viable option for the Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) approach for reducing atmospheric emissions of this greenhouse gas. Although generally considered to offer a low risk of major leakage, it remains relevant to establish the possible consequences for marine organisms that live in or on sediments overlying these storage areas if such an event may occur. The present study has used a series of laboratory exposures and behavioral bioassays to establish the sensitivity of Arctica islandica to simulated leakages of CO{sub 2}. This long-lived bivalve mollusc is widely distributed throughout the North Sea, an area where geological storage is currently taking place and where there are plans to expand this operation significantly. A recently published model has predicted a maximum drop of 1.9 pH units in seawater at the point source of a substantial escape of CO{sub 2} from sub-sea geological storage in this region. Valve movements of A. islandica exposed to reduced pH seawater were recorded continuously using Hall effect proximity sensors. Valve movement regulation is important for optimising the flow of water over the gills, which supplies food and facilitates respiration. A stepwise reduction in seawater pH showed an initial increase in both the rate and extent of valve movements in the majority of individuals tested when pH fell to 6.2 units. Exposing A. islandica to pH 6.2 seawater continuously for seven days resulted in a clear increase in valve movements during the first 40 h of exposure, followed by a gradual reduction in activity

Uncertainty studies and risk assessment for CO2 storage in geological formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Walter, Lena Sophie

2013-01-01

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) in deep geological formations is one possible option to mitigate the greenhouse gas effect by reducing CO 2 emissions into the atmosphere. The assessment of the risks related to CO 2 storage is an important task. Events such as CO 2 leakage and brine displacement could result in hazards for human health and the environment. In this thesis, a systematic and comprehensive risk assessment concept is presented to investigate various levels of uncertainties and to assess risks using numerical simulations. Depending on the risk and the processes, which should be assessed, very complex models, large model domains, large time scales, and many simulations runs for estimating probabilities are required. To reduce the resulting high computational costs, a model reduction technique (the arbitrary polynomial chaos expansion) and a method for model coupling in space are applied. The different levels of uncertainties are: statistical uncertainty in parameter distributions, scenario uncertainty, e.g. different geological features, and recognized ignorance due to assumptions in the conceptual model set-up. Recognized ignorance and scenario uncertainty are investigated by simulating well defined model set-ups and scenarios. According to damage values, which are defined as a model output, the set-ups and scenarios can be compared and ranked. For statistical uncertainty probabilities can be determined by running Monte Carlo simulations with the reduced model. The results are presented in various ways: e.g., mean damage, probability density function, cumulative distribution function, or an overall risk value by multiplying the damage with the probability. If the model output (damage) cannot be compared to provided criteria (e.g. water quality criteria), analytical approximations are presented to translate the damage into comparable values. The overall concept is applied for the risks related to brine displacement and infiltration into drinking water

Assessment of the potential for geological storage of CO2 in the vicinity of Moneypoint, Co. Clare, Ireland

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Farrelly, I.; Loske, B.; Neele, F.; Holdstock, M.

2011-01-01

The largest single point CO2 emitter in Ireland, the Moneypoint Power Station (3.95 Mt CO2 per annum), is located in Co. Clare and geologically lies within the Clare Basin. In terms of the economics of transportation of CO2 from Moneypoint, a possible local storage site would be favoured. The study

Influence of Chemical, Mechanical, and Transport Processes on Wellbore Leakage from Geologic CO2 Storage Reservoirs.

Science.gov (United States)

Carroll, Susan A; Iyer, Jaisree; Walsh, Stuart D C

2017-08-15

Wells are considered to be high-risk pathways for fluid leakage from geologic CO 2 storage reservoirs, because breaches in this engineered system have the potential to connect the reservoir to groundwater resources and the atmosphere. Given these concerns, a few studies have assessed leakage risk by evaluating regulatory records, often self-reported, documenting leakage in gas fields. Leakage is thought to be governed largely by initial well-construction quality and the method of well abandonment. The geologic carbon storage community has raised further concerns because acidic fluids in the CO 2 storage reservoir, alkaline cement meant to isolate the reservoir fluids from the overlying strata, and steel casings in wells are inherently reactive systems. This is of particular concern for storage of CO 2 in depleted oil and gas reservoirs with numerous legacy wells engineered to variable standards. Research suggests that leakage risks are not as great as initially perceived because chemical and mechanical alteration of cement has the capacity to seal damaged zones. Our work centers on defining the coupled chemical and mechanical processes governing flow in damaged zones in wells. We have developed process-based models, constrained by experiments, to better understand and forecast leakage risk. Leakage pathways can be sealed by precipitation of carbonate minerals in the fractures and deformation of the reacted cement. High reactivity of cement hydroxides releases excess calcium that can precipitate as carbonate solids in the fracture network under low brine flow rates. If the flow is fast, then the brine remains undersaturated with respect to the solubility of calcium carbonate minerals, and zones depleted in calcium hydroxides, enriched in calcium carbonate precipitates, and made of amorphous silicates leached of original cement minerals are formed. Under confining pressure, the reacted cement is compressed, which reduces permeability and lowers leakage risks. The

Operation environment construction of geological information database for high level radioactive waste geological disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang Peng; Gao Min; Huang Shutao; Wang Shuhong; Zhao Yongan

2014-01-01

To fulfill the requirements of data storage and management in HLW geological disposal, a targeted construction method for data operation environment was proposed in this paper. The geological information database operation environment constructed by this method has its unique features. And it also will be the important support for HLW geological disposal project and management. (authors)

How to Recharge a Confined Aquifer: An Exploration of Geologic Controls on Groundwater Storage.

Science.gov (United States)

Maples, S.; Fogg, G. E.; Maxwell, R. M.; Liu, Y.

2017-12-01

Decreased snowpack storage and groundwater overdraft in California has increased interest in managed aquifer recharge (MAR) of excess winter runoff to the Central Valley aquifer system, which has unused storage capacity that far exceeds the state's surface reservoirs. Recharge to the productive, confined aquifer system remains a challenge due to the presence of nearly-ubiquitous, multiple silt and clay confining units that limit recharge pathways. However, previous studies have identified interconnected networks of sand and gravel deposits that bypass the confining units and accommodate rapid, high-volume recharge to the confined aquifer system in select locations. We use the variably-saturated, fully-integrated groundwater/surface-water flow code, ParFlow, in combination with a high-resolution, transition probability Markov-chain geostatistical model of the subsurface geologic heterogeneity of the east side of the Sacramento Valley, CA, to characterize recharge potential across a landscape that includes these geologic features. Multiple 180-day MAR simulations show that recharge potential is highly dependent on subsurface geologic structure, with a several order-of-magnitude range of recharge rates and volumes across the landscape. Where there are recharge pathways to the productive confined-aquifer system, pressure propagation in the confined system is widespread and rapid, with multi-kilometer lateral pressure propagation. Although widespread pressure propagation occurs in the confined system, only a small fraction of recharge volume is accommodated there. Instead, the majority of recharge occurs by filling unsaturated pore spaces. Where they outcrop at land surface, high-K recharge pathways fill rapidly, accommodating the majority of recharge during early time. However, these features become saturated quickly, and somewhat counterintuitively, the low-K silt and clay facies accommodate the majority of recharge volume during most of the simulation. These findings

Mathematical programming (MP) model to determine optimal transportation infrastructure for geologic CO2 storage in the Illinois basin

Science.gov (United States)

Rehmer, Donald E.

Analysis of results from a mathematical programming model were examined to 1) determine the least cost options for infrastructure development of geologic storage of CO2 in the Illinois Basin, and 2) perform an analysis of a number of CO2 emission tax and oil price scenarios in order to implement development of the least-cost pipeline networks for distribution of CO2. The model, using mixed integer programming, tested the hypothesis of whether viable EOR sequestration sites can serve as nodal points or hubs to expand the CO2 delivery infrastructure to more distal locations from the emissions sources. This is in contrast to previous model results based on a point-to- point model having direct pipeline segments from each CO2 capture site to each storage sink. There is literature on the spoke and hub problem that relates to airline scheduling as well as maritime shipping. A large-scale ship assignment problem that utilized integer linear programming was run on Excel Solver and described by Mourao et al., (2001). Other literature indicates that aircraft assignment in spoke and hub routes can also be achieved using integer linear programming (Daskin and Panayotopoulos, 1989; Hane et al., 1995). The distribution concept is basically the reverse of the "tree and branch" type (Rothfarb et al., 1970) gathering systems for oil and natural gas that industry has been developing for decades. Model results indicate that the inclusion of hubs as variables in the model yields lower transportation costs for geologic carbon dioxide storage over previous models of point-to-point infrastructure geometries. Tabular results and GIS maps of the selected scenarios illustrate that EOR sites can serve as nodal points or hubs for distribution of CO2 to distal oil field locations as well as deeper saline reservoirs. Revenue amounts and capture percentages both show an improvement over solutions when the hubs are not allowed to come into the solution. Other results indicate that geologic

CO 2 breakthrough—Caprock sealing efficiency and integrity for carbon geological storage

KAUST Repository

Espinoza, D. Nicolas

2017-10-23

Small pores in high specific surface clay-rich caprocks give rise to high capillary entry pressures and high viscous drag that hinder the migration of buoyant carbon dioxide CO2. We measured the breakthrough pressure and ensuing CO2 permeability through sediment plugs prepared with sand, silt, kaolinite and smectite, and monitored their volumetric deformation using high-pressure oedometer cells. The data show water expulsion and volumetric contraction prior to CO2 breakthrough, followed by preferential CO2 flow thereafter. Our experimental results and data gathered from previous studies highlight the inverse relationship between breakthrough pressure and pore size, as anticipated by Laplace’s equation. In terms of macro-scale parameters, the breakthrough pressure increases as the sediment specific surface increases and the porosity decreases. The breakthrough pressure is usually lower than the values predicted with average pore size estimations; it can reach ∼6.2MPa in argillaceous formations, and 11.2MPa in evaporites. The CO2 permeability after breakthrough is significantly lower than the absolute permeability, but it may increase in time due to water displacement and desiccation. Leakage will be advection-controlled once percolation takes place at most storage sites currently being considered. Diffusive and advective CO2 leaks through non-fractured caprocks will be minor and will not compromise the storage capacity at CO2 injection sites. The “sealing number” and the “stability number” combine the initial fluid pressure, the buoyant pressure caused by the CO2 plume, the capillary breakthrough pressure of the caprock, and the stress conditions at the reservoir depth; these two numbers provide a rapid assessment of potential storage sites. Unexpected CO2 migration patterns emerge due to the inherent spatial variability and structural discontinuities in geological formations; sites with redundant seal layers should be sought for the safe and long

Geophysical assessments of renewable gas energy compressed in geologic pore storage reservoirs.

Science.gov (United States)

Al Hagrey, Said Attia; Köhn, Daniel; Rabbel, Wolfgang

2014-01-01

Renewable energy resources can indisputably minimize the threat of global warming and climate change. However, they are intermittent and need buffer storage to bridge the time-gap between production (off peak) and demand peaks. Based on geologic and geochemical reasons, the North German Basin has a very large capacity for compressed air/gas energy storage CAES in porous saltwater aquifers and salt cavities. Replacing pore reservoir brine with CAES causes changes in physical properties (elastic moduli, density and electrical properties) and justify applications of integrative geophysical methods for monitoring this energy storage. Here we apply techniques of the elastic full waveform inversion FWI, electric resistivity tomography ERT and gravity to map and quantify a gradually saturated gas plume injected in a thin deep saline aquifer within the North German Basin. For this subsurface model scenario we generated different synthetic data sets without and with adding random noise in order to robust the applied techniques for the real field applications. Datasets are inverted by posing different constraints on the initial model. Results reveal principally the capability of the applied integrative geophysical approach to resolve the CAES targets (plume, host reservoir, and cap rock). Constrained inversion models of elastic FWI and ERT are even able to recover well the gradual gas desaturation with depth. The spatial parameters accurately recovered from each technique are applied in the adequate petrophysical equations to yield precise quantifications of gas saturations. Resulting models of gas saturations independently determined from elastic FWI and ERT techniques are in accordance with each other and with the input (true) saturation model. Moreover, the gravity technique show high sensitivity to the mass deficit resulting from the gas storage and can resolve saturations and temporal saturation changes down to ±3% after reducing any shallow fluctuation such as that of

Preliminary Safety and Risk HSE Assessment. Application to the Potential Locations of a CO2 Geological Storage Pilot

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Recreo, F.; Eguilior, S.; Ruiz, C.; Lomba, L.; Hurtado, A.

2015-01-01

The location of a site safe and able to sequester CO2 for long periods of time is essential to gain public acceptance. This requires a long-term safety assessment developed in a robust and reliable framework. Site selection is the first step and requires specific research. This paper describes the application of the Selection and Classification Method of Geological Formations (SCF) developed to assess the potential of geological formations to CO2 storage. This assessment is based in the analysis of risks to Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) derived from potential CO2 leakage. Comparisons of the results obtained from a number of potential sites can help to select the best candidate for CO2 injection. The potential impact will be related to three key potential features of CO2 geological storage: the potential of the target geological formation for long term CO2 containment; the potential for secondary containment on containment failure of the target formation; and the site's potential to mitigate and/or disperse CO2 leakage if the primary and secondary containments fail. The methodology assesses each of these three characteristics through an analysis and assessment of properties of certain attributes of them. Uncertainty will remain as an input and output value of the methodology due to the usual lack of data in most site selection processes. The global uncertainty reports on the trust on the knowledge of the site characteristics. Therefore, the methodology enables comparing sites taking into account both the HSE risk expectation and the estimation of the quality of knowledge concerning such risk. The objective is to contribute to the selection of potential sites for a CO2 injection pilot plant in the Iberian Peninsula from the perspective of Safety and Risk Analysis.

The storage of nuclear wastes; General problematic of radioactive waste management; The currently operated ANDRA's storage centres in France; The Aube storage centre (CSA) and the industrial centre for gathering, warehousing and storage (Cires); The Cigeo project - Industrial centre of radioactive waste storage in deep geological layers; From R and D to innovation within the ANDRA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Abadie, Pierre-Marie; Tallec, Michele; Legee, Frederic; Krieguer, Jean-Marie; Plas, Frederic

2016-01-01

This publication proposes a set of four articles which address various aspects related to the storage of nuclear wastes. The authors respectively propose an overview of the general problematic of nuclear waste management, a detailed description of existing storage sites which are currently operated by the ANDRA with a focus on the Aube storage centre or CSA, and on the industrial centre for gathering, warehousing and storage or Cires (The currently operated ANDRA's storage centres in France - The Aube Storage Centre or CSA, and the Industrial Centre for Regrouping, Warehousing and Storage or CIRES), a comprehensive overview of the current status of the Cigeo project which could become one of the most important technological works in France (The Cigeo project - Industrial centre of radioactive waste storage in deep geological layers), and a presentation showing how the ANDRA is involved in R and D activities and innovation (From R and D to innovation within the ANDRA)

Uncertainty studies and risk assessment for CO{sub 2} storage in geological formations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Walter, Lena Sophie

2013-07-01

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) in deep geological formations is one possible option to mitigate the greenhouse gas effect by reducing CO{sub 2} emissions into the atmosphere. The assessment of the risks related to CO{sub 2} storage is an important task. Events such as CO{sub 2} leakage and brine displacement could result in hazards for human health and the environment. In this thesis, a systematic and comprehensive risk assessment concept is presented to investigate various levels of uncertainties and to assess risks using numerical simulations. Depending on the risk and the processes, which should be assessed, very complex models, large model domains, large time scales, and many simulations runs for estimating probabilities are required. To reduce the resulting high computational costs, a model reduction technique (the arbitrary polynomial chaos expansion) and a method for model coupling in space are applied. The different levels of uncertainties are: statistical uncertainty in parameter distributions, scenario uncertainty, e.g. different geological features, and recognized ignorance due to assumptions in the conceptual model set-up. Recognized ignorance and scenario uncertainty are investigated by simulating well defined model set-ups and scenarios. According to damage values, which are defined as a model output, the set-ups and scenarios can be compared and ranked. For statistical uncertainty probabilities can be determined by running Monte Carlo simulations with the reduced model. The results are presented in various ways: e.g., mean damage, probability density function, cumulative distribution function, or an overall risk value by multiplying the damage with the probability. If the model output (damage) cannot be compared to provided criteria (e.g. water quality criteria), analytical approximations are presented to translate the damage into comparable values. The overall concept is applied for the risks related to brine displacement and infiltration into

Status of knowledge on risks related to CO2 geological storage. Report nr 1: risks during the injection phase. Investigation report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gombert, Philippe; Thoraval, Alain

2010-01-01

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is considered as a possibility to struggle against greenhouse effect and therefore against climate change. This process is here presented as comprising three main periods: exploitation during 40 to 50 years which itself comprises three phases (design, injection and closure), memory during about 300 years, and a long term period (700 to 800 years during which the existence of the storage and its associated risks will be forgotten). This study concerns the injection phase of the first period and some of its associated risks: leakages, thermal-hydro-mechanical-chemical disturbances at the vicinity of the storage. The report gives an overview of CO 2 geological capture and storage (capture, transport, injection, storage, foreseen storage media, nature of the injected fluid, regulations, returns on experience), identifies the associated risks, discusses issues of assessment of risks related to well leakages and to disturbances at the vicinity of the well (mechanical, physical and chemical, bacteriological risks)

Could a geological storage of the CO2 emissions from Romanian power plants become a joint implementation project?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Matei, Magdalena; Ene, Simona; Necula, Catalina; Matei, Lucian; Marinescu, Mihai

2006-01-01

Full text: Emissions trading is a solution that is most compatible with deregulated electricity markets. The Directive 2003/87/CE referring to CO 2 emission trading within Europe entered into force and till 31 March 2004 all the countries had to present to the Commission their national plan to comply with Directive's rules. Recent predictions of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change indicate that global warming will accelerate within this century. CO 2 emitted by the burning of fossil fuels is thought to be a main driving factor of climate change. With the potential to produce power without releasing CO 2 into the atmosphere, CO 2 capturing may become an important part of the post- Kyoto strategies of many countries. Underground storage of CO 2 seems to be one of the most attractive alternative. Potential targets for CO 2 injection are: - depleted oil reservoirs, possibly in combination with enhanced oil recovery - former gas fields, possibly with additional gas production - deep aquifers containing saline, non-drinkable water - deep and unminable coal seams (exchange of absorbed methane by CO 2 with simultaneous gas production) - geothermal wells, after heat extraction from the aquifers - residual volumes of former deep coal and salt mines. An environmental political decision about the option of CO 2 underground storage has to consider forecasts about developments of global climate, societies, and economics. Due to the forthcoming emission trading there is a growing interest in underground storage options for CO 2 in Europe now. Flexible mechanisms agreed by Kyoto Protocol, namely the Project-based Joint Implementation (Art. 6) and the Emission Trading (Art. 17) could help Romania to attract investment with a long term impact on emissions reduction. The brief identification of major CO 2 emissions sources and of possible CO 2 geological storage capacities (coal mines, aquifers, geothermal wells, oil and gas fields) shows that it is very probable to

ULTimateCO2 - State of the art report. Dealing with uncertainty associated with long-term CO2 geological storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-01-01

ULTimateCO2, a four-year collaborative project financed by the 7. Framework Programme and coordinated by BRGM, aims to shed more light on the long-term processes associated with the geological storage of CO 2 . ULTimateCO2 unites 12 partners (research institutes, universities, industrialists) and a varied panel of experts (NGOs, national authority representatives, IEAGHG,...). Based on a multidisciplinary approach, and bringing together laboratory experiments, numerical modelling and natural analogue field studies, ULTimateCO2 will increase our understanding of the long-term effects of CO 2 Capture and Storage (CCS) in terms of hydrodynamics, geochemistry, mechanics of the storage formations and their vicinity. The report contains the partners' pooled knowledge and provides a view of the current state-of-the-art for the issues addressed by this project: - The long-term reservoir trapping efficiency (WP3); - The long-term sealing integrity of faulted and fractured cap-rock (WP4); - The near-well leakage characterisation and chemical processes (WP5); - The long-term behavior of stored CO 2 looking at the basin scale (WP2); - Uncertainty assessment (WP6). Each chapter is divided into two sections: (i) a summary which explains in 'simple words' the main issues and objectives of the WP, and (ii) a current state of the art section which provides a more sound review on the specific studied processes. The aim is to provide answers to pertinent questions from a variety of users, particularly project owners, site operators and national authorities, about their exposure to uncertainty downstream of closure of a CO 2 geological storage site

Cigeomag December 2012 - A better understanding of the project of industrial centre of geological storage: Science and knowledge, where are we? The geological medium is a guarantee of the storage safety; numerical simulation, essential support to experimentations; an international research field

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dupuis, Marie-Claude; Farin, Sebastien; Comte, Annabelle; Armand, Gilles; Crusset, Didier; Landais, Patrick; Lebon, Patrick; Plas, Frederic; Schumacher, Stephan; Bertrand, Domitille; Seghers, Elodie; Muzerelle, Sophie

2012-12-01

Within the frame of the public debate organized about the project of creation of a deep reversible disposal for radioactive wastes in Meuse/Haute-Marne, this publication proposes an overview of researches performed since 1991 when the ANDRA was commissioned to study the feasibility of such a disposal for the most radioactive French wastes. This publication deals with the different themes studied by the ANDRA and how, with which means and tools they have been and are addressed. More precisely, it also describes and comments how the geological medium is a guarantee for the storage safety, how waste behaviour is studied in detail, how the storage behaviour must be considered as a whole, how numerical simulation is an essential tool for experimentations, how an underground laboratory allows an as real as possible experimentation of deep storage, how the environment about Cigeo will be controlled and surveyed during at least 100 years, and how researches are performed through numerous international collaborations

Geological storage of nuclear wastes: Insights following the Fukushima crisis

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gallardo, Adrián H.; Matsuzaki, Tomose; Aoki, Hisashi

2014-01-01

The geological storage of high-level nuclear wastes (HLW) has been in the agenda of Japan for several years. Nevertheless, all the research can become meaningless without understanding the public feelings about the disposal. The events at Fukushima in 2011 altered the perception towards nuclear-waste storage in the country. This work investigates the attitude of young Japanese towards the construction of a repository following the Fukushima crisis, and examines how public perception changed after the event. A survey among 545 university students from different regions of Japan addressed three main variables: dread, trust and acceptance. The results suggest that the economy of the country is still the most concerning issue, but there was a dramatic increase of attention towards everything n uclear . Radiation leakage and food contamination are major concerns as well. The distrust towards the government deepened after Fukushima, although more than half of the respondents would accept the repository. In a clear phenomenon of NIMBY (not in my back yard), the acceptance drops to less than 20% if the repository is to be installed near the respondents' residency. Financial incentives would increase the acceptability of the siting, although only a substantial compensation might minimise the NIMBY in potential host communities. - Highlights: • Major factors influencing the attitude towards nuclear waste disposal were examined. • The opinion of the Japanese youth before and after the Fukushima events was compared. • Unemployment and earthquakes are now at the upper end of the thought of dread. • The government and scientists are highly distrusted by the Japanese youth. • People might still accept the repository though the NIMBY phenomenon remains high

Geological Carbon Sequestration Storage Resource Estimates for the Ordovician St. Peter Sandstone, Illinois and Michigan Basins, USA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barnes, David; Ellett, Kevin; Leetaru, Hannes

2014-09-30

The Cambro-Ordovician strata of the Midwest of the United States is a primary target for potential geological storage of CO2 in deep saline formations. The objective of this project is to develop a comprehensive evaluation of the Cambro-Ordovician strata in the Illinois and Michigan Basins above the basal Mount Simon Sandstone since the Mount Simon is the subject of other investigations including a demonstration-scale injection at the Illinois Basin Decatur Project. The primary reservoir targets investigated in this study are the middle Ordovician St Peter Sandstone and the late Cambrian to early Ordovician Knox Group carbonates. The topic of this report is a regional-scale evaluation of the geologic storage resource potential of the St Peter Sandstone in both the Illinois and Michigan Basins. Multiple deterministic-based approaches were used in conjunction with the probabilistic-based storage efficiency factors published in the DOE methodology to estimate the carbon storage resource of the formation. Extensive data sets of core analyses and wireline logs were compiled to develop the necessary inputs for volumetric calculations. Results demonstrate how the range in uncertainty of storage resource estimates varies as a function of data availability and quality, and the underlying assumptions used in the different approaches. In the simplest approach, storage resource estimates were calculated from mapping the gross thickness of the formation and applying a single estimate of the effective mean porosity of the formation. Results from this approach led to storage resource estimates ranging from 3.3 to 35.1 Gt in the Michigan Basin, and 1.0 to 11.0 Gt in the Illinois Basin at the P10 and P90 probability level, respectively. The second approach involved consideration of the diagenetic history of the formation throughout the two basins and used depth-dependent functions of porosity to derive a more realistic spatially variable model of porosity rather than applying a

Screening of prospective sites for geological storage of CO{sub 2} in the Southern Baltic Sea

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Vernon, R.; O' Neil, N.; Pasquali, R. [SLR Consulting, Dublin (Ireland); Nieminen, M.

2013-05-15

The BASTOR project focuses on identifying and characterising potential sites for CO{sub 2} storage in the southern Baltic Sea region. A compilation of available digital data from well logs, seismic line data interpretations, mapped structure outlines and published material from existing hydrocarbon fields and identified and mapped structures from Sweden, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Kaliningrad have been incorporated into a regional GIS for the Baltic Sea region. A detailed screening of regional sedimentary basins identified the Slupsk Border Zone as having suitable structures for storage of CO{sub 2} in depleted oil and gas fields or saline aquifers. Cambrian sandstone saline aquifers below 900 m have been identified as the principal regional potential storage target with the Dalders Monocline as the most promising area. Eight individual structures were identified as having greatest potential. Detailed 3D geological static models were developed for three of these structures located in offshore Latvia (E6 and E7) and one cross-border structure (Dalders Structure). A theoretical regional CO{sub 2} storage capacity calculation based on the GeoCapacity methodology was undertaken. A regional storage capacity for Cambrian sandstones below 900 m was estimated at a total of 16 Gt, with 2 Gt for the Dalders Monocline. Theoretical storage estimates for individual structures for the Baltic Sea regions includes 760 Mt for the Latvian structures and the Dalders Structure, 9.1 Mt for the structures located in Poland, 31 Mt in Lithuania and 170 Mt in Kaliningrad. These estimates are based on the best available data at the time of writing. However these estimates will be improved upon as new data becomes available from other sources. (orig.)

Capture and geological storage of CO{sub 2}. Innovation, industrial stakes and realizations; Captage et stockage geologique du CO{sub 2}. Innovation, enjeux industriels et realisations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lavergne, R.; Podkanski, J.; Rohner, H.; Otter, N.; Swift, J.; Dance, T.; Vesseron, Ph.; Reich, J.P.; Reynen, B.; Wright, L.; Marliave, L. de; Stromberg, L.; Aimard, N.; Wendel, H.; Erdol, E.; Dino, R.; Renzenbrink, W.; Birat, J.P.; Czernichowski-Lauriol, I.; Christensen, N.P.; Le Thiez, P.; Paelinck, Ph.; David, M.; Pappalardo, M.; Moisan, F.; Marston, Ph.; Law, M.; Zakkour, P.; Singer, St.; Philippe, Th.; Philippe, Th

2007-07-01

-making industries and their CO{sub 2} capture and storage needs: the ULCOS program; CO{sub 2} capture technologies: road-maps and potential cost abatement; membranes: oxygen production and hydrogen separation; CO2GeoNet: integration of European research for the establishment of confidence in CO{sub 2} geologic storage; CO2SINK, CO{sub 2} geologic storage test at the European pilot site of Ketzin (Germany); storage in aquifers for European industrial projects: AQUA CO2; the US approach: US standards for the qualification of a CO{sub 2} storage in agreement with federal and state regulations; legal and regulatory aspects; societal acceptation; CO{sub 2} capture, geologic storage and carbon market; economic aspects of CO{sub 2} capture and storage; an experience of implementation of 'clean development mechanisms' in an industrial strategy; closing talk. (J.S.)

Capture and geological storage of CO{sub 2}. Innovation, industrial stakes and realizations; Captage et stockage geologique du CO{sub 2}. Innovation, enjeux industriels et realisations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lavergne, R; Podkanski, J; Rohner, H; Otter, N; Swift, J; Dance, T; Vesseron, Ph; Reich, J P; Reynen, B; Wright, L; Marliave, L de; Stromberg, L; Aimard, N; Wendel, H; Erdol, E; Dino, R; Renzenbrink, W; Birat, J P; Czernichowski-Lauriol, I; Christensen, N P; Le Thiez, P; Paelinck, Ph; David, M; Pappalardo, M; Moisan, F; Marston, Ph; Law, M; Zakkour, P; Singer, St; Philippe, Th; Philippe, Th

2007-07-01

and their CO{sub 2} capture and storage needs: the ULCOS program; CO{sub 2} capture technologies: road-maps and potential cost abatement; membranes: oxygen production and hydrogen separation; CO2GeoNet: integration of European research for the establishment of confidence in CO{sub 2} geologic storage; CO2SINK, CO{sub 2} geologic storage test at the European pilot site of Ketzin (Germany); storage in aquifers for European industrial projects: AQUA CO2; the US approach: US standards for the qualification of a CO{sub 2} storage in agreement with federal and state regulations; legal and regulatory aspects; societal acceptation; CO{sub 2} capture, geologic storage and carbon market; economic aspects of CO{sub 2} capture and storage; an experience of implementation of 'clean development mechanisms' in an industrial strategy; closing talk. (J.S.)

Monitoring of injected CO2 at two commercial geologic storage sites with significant pressure depletion and/or re-pressurization histories: A case study

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dayanand Saini

2017-03-01

The monitoring technologies that have been used/deployed/tested at both the normally pressured West Hastings and the subnormally pressured Bell Creek storage sites appear to adequately address any of the potential “out of zone migration” of injected CO2 at these sites. It would be interesting to see if any of the collected monitoring data at the West Hastings and the Bell Creek storage sites could also be used in future to better understand the viability of initially subnormally pressured and subsequently depleted and re-pressurized oil fields as secure geologic CO2 storage sites with relatively large storage CO2 capacities compared to the depleted and re-pressurized oil fields that were initially discovered as normally pressured.

Leakage of CO2 from geologic storage: Role of secondaryaccumulation at shallow depth

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Pruess, K.

2007-05-31

Geologic storage of CO2 can be a viable technology forreducing atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases only if it can bedemonstrated that leakage from proposed storage reservoirs and associatedhazards are small or can be mitigated. Risk assessment must evaluatepotential leakage scenarios and develop a rational, mechanisticunderstanding of CO2 behavior during leakage. Flow of CO2 may be subjectto positive feedbacks that could amplify leakage risks and hazards,placing a premium on identifying and avoiding adverse conditions andmechanisms. A scenario that is unfavorable in terms of leakage behavioris formation of a secondary CO2 accumulation at shallow depth. This paperdevelops a detailed numerical simulation model to investigate CO2discharge from a secondary accumulation, and evaluates the role ofdifferent thermodynamic and hydrogeologic conditions. Our simulationsdemonstrate self-enhancing as well as self-limiting feedbacks.Condensation of gaseous CO2, 3-phase flow of aqueous phase -- liquid CO2-- gaseous CO2, and cooling from Joule-Thomson expansion and boiling ofliquid CO2 are found to play important roles in the behavior of a CO2leakage system. We find no evidence that a subsurface accumulation of CO2at ambient temperatures could give rise to a high-energy discharge, aso-called "pneumatic eruption."

Petrophysical Characterization of Arroyal Antiform Geological Formations (Aguilar de Campoo, Palencia) as a Storage and Seal Rocks in the Technology Development Plant for Geological CO{sub 2} Storage (Hontomin, Burgos); Caracterizacin Petrofisica de las Formaciones Geologicas de la Antiforma de Arroyal (Aguilar de Campoo, Palencia) como Posibles Rocas Almacen y Sello en la Planta de Desarrollo Tecnologico de Almacenamiento Geologico de CO{sub 2} (Hontomin, Burgos)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Campos, R.; Barrios, I.; Gonzalez, A. M.; Pelayo, M.; Saldana, R.

2011-05-13

The geological storage program of Energy City Foundation is focusing its research effort in the Technological Development and Research Plant in Hontomin (Burgos) start off. The present report shows the petrophysical characterization of of the Arroyal antiform geological formations since they are representatives, surface like, of the storage and seal formations that will be found in the CO{sub 2} injection plant in Hontomin. In this petrophysics characterization has taken place the study of matrix porosity, specific surface and density of the storage and seal formations. Mercury intrusion porosimetry, N{sub 2} adsorption and He pycnometry techniques have been used for the characterization. Furthermore, it has carried out a mineralogical analysis of the seal materials by RX diffraction. (Author) 26 refs.

National 2010 survey on the awareness and opinion of the French about geological carbon storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ha-Duong, Minh; Arnoux, Stephanie; Chaabane, Naceur; Mardon, Gilles; Nadai, Alain; Neri O'Neill, Rebeca

2011-01-01

This report presents the results of the 2010 CIRED / TNS Sofres public opinion survey about geological storage of CO 2 in France. The first survey, in April 2007, demonstrated a broad consensus for action against climate change. Three years later in March 2010, even a wide support for action remains, the public opinion was marked from the Copenhagen fiasco and the 'climate-gate'. More generally, in a context of global economic crisis, compared to 2007 the economy/environment balance moves back in 2010 towards the former term. Thus, 62% of the French answered that there is a need to act against climate change, that is 17 points less than three years ago. And 67% estimated that 'the priority must go to the protection of the environment' instead of the economy, that is 11 points less. The 2007 survey suggested that 6% of the respondents were able to define correctly geological storage of CO 2 . The approval rate was 59% at first, but fell to 38% after reading about the risks of the technology. Three years later, the context included emerging CCS projects in France, a (failed) carbon tax proposal and sustained debates on climate change. While CCS has never been a hot topic in the media, it moved from being inexistent to a few specific papers each semesters in important newspapers and some TV / radio air-time. Between 2007 and 2010 the notoriety of CCS increased in France, but the rates of approval mostly stagnated: 57% at first, falling to 37% after the reading on risks. The expression 'stockage geologique du CO 2 ' is now recognized by one third of the French, and about 17% can provide an exact definition. There remain an ambiguity with sequestration in forests, and the mental image of storing CO 2 in underground caves or vessels remains widespread. Our study shows a statistically significant positive correlation between more information and a favorable opinion towards geological sequestration. The opinion of respondents is more stable

Reduction of emissions and geological storage of CO{sub 2}. Innovation an industrial stakes; Reduction des emissions et stockage geologique du CO{sub 2}. Innovation et enjeux industriels

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mandil, C.; Podkanski, J.; Socolow, R.; Dron, D.; Reiner, D.; Horrocks, P.; Fernandez Ruiz, P.; Dechamps, P.; Stromberg, L.; Wright, I.; Gazeau, J.C.; Wiederkehr, P.; Morcheoine, A.; Vesseron, P.; Feron, P.; Feraud, A.; Torp, N.T.; Christensen, N.P.; Le Thiez, P.; Czernichowski, I.; Hartman, J.; Roulet, C.; Roberts, J.; Zakkour, P.; Von Goerne, G.; Armand, R.; Allinson, G.; Segalen, L.; Gires, J.M.; Metz, B.; Brillet, B

2005-07-01

An international symposium on the reduction of emissions and geological storage of CO{sub 2} was held in Paris from 15 to 16 September 2005. The event, jointly organized by IFP, ADEME and BRGM, brought together over 400 people from more than 25 countries. It was an opportunity to review the international stakes related to global warming and also to debate ways of reducing CO{sub 2} emissions, taking examples from the energy and transport sectors. The last day was dedicated to technological advances in the capture and geological storage of CO{sub 2} and their regulatory and economic implications. This document gathers the available transparencies and talks presented during the colloquium: Opening address by F. Loos, French Minister-delegate for Industry; Session I - Greenhouse gas emissions: the international stakes. Outlook for global CO{sub 2} emissions. The global and regional scenarios: Alternative scenarios for energy use and CO{sub 2} emissions until 2050 by C. Mandil and J. Podkanski (IEA), The stabilization of CO{sub 2} emissions in the coming 50 years by R. Socolow (Princeton University). Evolution of the international context: the stakes and 'factor 4' issues: Costs of climate impacts and ways towards 'factor 4' by D. Dron (ENS Mines de Paris), CO{sub 2} emissions reduction policy: the situation in the United States by D. Reiner (MIT/Cambridge University), Post-Kyoto scenarios by P. Horrocks (European Commission), Possibilities for R and D in CO{sub 2} capture and storage in the future FP7 program by P. Fernandez Ruiz and P. Dechamps (European Commission). Session II - CO{sub 2} emission reductions in the energy and transport sectors. Reducing CO{sub 2} emissions during the production and conversion of fossil energies (fixed installations): Combined cycles using hydrogen by G. Haupt (Siemens), CO{sub 2} emission reductions in the oil and gas industry by I. Wright (BP). Reducing CO{sub 2} emissions in the transport sector: Sustainable

The effect of CO2 on the mechanical properties of the Captain Sandstone: Geological storage of CO2 at the Goldeneye field (UK)

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Hangx, Suzanne|info:eu-repo/dai/nl/30483579X; van der Linden, A.; Marcelis, F.; Bauer, A.

2013-01-01

Geological storage of CO2 in clastic reservoirs is expected to have a variety of coupled chemical-mechanical effects, which may damage the overlying caprock and/or the near-wellbore area. We performed conventional triaxial creep experiments, combined with fluid flow-through experiments (brine and

Micrometeorological Technique for Monitoring of Geological Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage: Methodology, Workflow and Resources

Science.gov (United States)

Burba, G. G.; Madsen, R.; Feese, K.

2013-12-01

The eddy covariance (EC) method is a micrometeorological technique for direct high-speed measurements of the transport of gases and energy between land or water surfaces and the atmosphere [1]. This method allows for observations of gas transport scales from 20-40 times per second to multiple years, represents gas exchange integrated over a large area, from hundreds of square meters to tens of square kilometres, and corresponds to gas exchange from the entire surface, including canopy, and soil or water layers. Gas fluxes, emission and exchange rates are characterized from single-point in situ measurements using permanent or mobile towers, or moving platforms such as automobiles, helicopters, airplanes, etc. Presently, over 600 eddy covariance stations are in operation in over 120 countries [1]. EC is now recognized as an effective method in regulatory and industrial applications, including CCUS [2-10]. Emerging projects utilize EC to continuously monitor large areas before and after the injections, to locate and quantify leakages where CO2 may escape from the subsurface, to improve storage efficiency, and for other CCUS characterizations [5-10]. Although EC is one of the most direct and defensible micrometeorological techniques measuring gas emission and transport, and complete automated stations and processing are readily available, the method is mathematically complex, and requires careful setup and execution specific to the site and project. With this in mind, step-by-step instructions were created in [1] to introduce a novice to the EC method, and to assist in further understanding of the method through more advanced references. In this presentation we provide brief highlights of the eddy covariance method, its application to geological carbon capture, utilization and storage, key requirements, instrumentation and software, and review educational resources particularly useful for carbon sequestration research. References: [1] Burba G. Eddy Covariance Method

Rapid solubility and mineral storage of CO₂ in basalt

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Gislason, Sigurdur R.; Broecker, W.S.; Gunnlaugsson, E.

2014-01-01

The long-term security of geologic carbon storage is critical to its success and public acceptance. Much of the security risk associated with geological carbon storage stems from its buoyancy. Gaseous and supercritical CO2 are less dense than formation waters, providing a driving force for it to ......The long-term security of geologic carbon storage is critical to its success and public acceptance. Much of the security risk associated with geological carbon storage stems from its buoyancy. Gaseous and supercritical CO2 are less dense than formation waters, providing a driving force...... for it to escape back to the surface. This buoyancy can be eliminated by the dissolution of CO2 into water prior to, or during its injection into the subsurface. The dissolution makes it possible to inject into fractured rocks and further enhance mineral storage of CO2 especially if injected into silicate rocks...... rich in divalent metal cations such as basalts and ultra-mafic rocks. We have demonstrated the dissolution of CO2 into water during its injection into basalt leading to its geologic solubility storage in less than five minutes and potential geologic mineral storage within few years after injection [1...

Clayey cap-rocks reactivity in presence of CO2 in deep geological storage conditions: experimentation/modeling integrated approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Credoz, A.

2009-10-01

CO 2 capture, transport and geological storage is one of the main solutions considered in the short and medium term to reduce CO 2 and others greenhouse gases emissions towards the atmosphere, by storing CO 2 in deeper geological reservoirs during 100 to 10 000 years. This Ph-D study offers a multi-scale vision of complex clayey cap-rocks reactivity and evolution. These formations are identified for the CO 2 containment and sealing into the reservoir. From the experimental scale on purified clay minerals to integrative modeling at high space and time scales, the strategy developed allowed identifying the main geochemical processes, to check the good agreement between experiment and modeling, and to lay emphasis the operational impacts on long-term cap-rocks integrity. Carbonated cements alteration is likely to open cap-rock porosity and to create preferential reactive pathway for reactive fluid flow. Besides, this could alter the cap-rock structure and the global geo-mechanic properties. Clay minerals alteration, including the illitization process, reduces the clay fraction volume but considerably limits the porosity increase. The illitization process in acidic conditions determined experimentally and by modeling at low and high scale, is coupled with silica precipitation. The final porosity increase control results of these two reactive processes balance. By a fundamental side, this study reveals new kinetic parameters of clay minerals and highlights new structural transformations. By an operational side, this study contributes to the acquisition of qualitative data (long-term reactive pathways of clayey cap-rocks, coupled reactivity carbonates/clays) and quantitative data (CO 2 penetration distance into the cap-rock) to partly answer to the performance and safety assessment CO 2 capture and geological storage. (author)

Interactions between CO2, saline water and minerals during geological storage of CO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hellevang, Helge

2006-06-01

The topic of this thesis is to gain a better understanding of interactions between injected CO 2 , aqueous solutions and formation mineralogies. The main focus is concerned with the potential role mineral reactions play in safe long term storage of CO 2 . The work is divided into an experimental part concentrated on the potential of dawsonite (NaAl(OH) 2 CO 3 ) as a permanent storage host of CO 2 , and the development of a new geochemical code ACCRETE that is coupled with the ATHENA multiphase flow simulator. The thesis is composed of two parts: (I) the first part introducing CO 2 storage, geochemical interactions and related work; and (II) the second part that consists of the papers. Part I is composed as follows: Chapter 2 gives a short introduction to geochemical reactions considered important during CO 2 storage, including a thermodynamic framework. Chapter 3 presents objectives of numerical work related to CO 2 -water-rock interactions including a discussion of factors that influence the outcome of numerical simulations. Chapter 4 presents the main results from paper A to E. Chapter 5 give some details about further research that we propose based on the present work and related work in the project. Several new activities have emerged from research on CO 2 -water-rock interaction during the project. Several of the proposed activities are already initiated. Papers A to F are then listed in Part II of the thesis after the citation list. The thesis presents the first data on the reaction kinetics of dawsonite at different pH (Paper A), and comprehensive numerical simulations, both batch- and large scale 3D reactive transport, that illustrate the role different carbonates have for safe storage of CO 2 in geological formations (Papers C to F). The role of dawsonite in CO 2 storage settings is treated throughout the study (Papers A to E) After the main part of the thesis (Part I and II), two appendices are included: Appendix A lists reactions that are included in the

2010-2012. Research and development at the ANDRA for storage projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-10-01

After a general presentation of research activities within the ANDRA (main steps and highlights between 2010 and 2012, composition of the scientific council, actions of mobilisation of the French and international scientific community), this report proposes a detailed overview of these R and D activities in different specific fields: the determination of the behaviour of the various components of a storage (studies on wastes, on the behaviour of geological layers and of underground works, on the interaction and chemistry of materials in a deep storage), the preparation of the construction of the future deep storage in its geological context, the design of the evolution of a storage within its environment (effect of oxidation, of transfer phenomena within the storage, within the geological environment, and within soils), the assessment of storage performance, the reversibility of the deep geological storage and its implications in time, and the actions information on results and valorisation (congresses, publications, research thesis)

Geologic storage of carbon dioxide and enhanced oil recovery. I. Uncertainty quantification employing a streamline based proxy for reservoir flow simulation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kovscek, A.R.; Wang, Y.

2005-01-01

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is already injected into a limited class of reservoirs for oil recovery purposes; however, the engineering design question for simultaneous oil recovery and storage of anthropogenic CO 2 is significantly different from that of oil recovery alone. Currently, the volumes of CO 2 injected solely for oil recovery are minimized due to the purchase cost of CO 2 . If and when CO 2 emissions to the atmosphere are managed, it will be necessary to maximize simultaneously both economic oil recovery and the volumes of CO 2 emplaced in oil reservoirs. This process is coined 'cooptimization'. This paper proposes a work flow for cooptimization of oil recovery and geologic CO 2 storage. An important component of the work flow is the assessment of uncertainty in predictions of performance. Typical methods for quantifying uncertainty employ exhaustive flow simulation of multiple stochastic realizations of the geologic architecture of a reservoir. Such approaches are computationally intensive and thereby time consuming. An analytic streamline based proxy for full reservoir simulation is proposed and tested. Streamline trajectories represent the three-dimensional velocity field during multiphase flow in porous media and so are useful for quantifying the similarity and differences among various reservoir models. The proxy allows rational selection of a representative subset of equi-probable reservoir models that encompass uncertainty with respect to true reservoir geology. The streamline approach is demonstrated to be thorough and rapid

Regional geological assessment of the Devonian-Mississippian shale sequence of the Appalachian, Illinois, and Michigan basins relative to potential storage/disposal of radioactive wastes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lomenick, T.F.; Gonzales, S.; Johnson, K.S.; Byerly, D.

1983-01-01

The thick and regionally extensive sequence of shales and associated clastic sedimentary rocks of Late Devonian and Early Mississippian age has been considered among the nonsalt geologies for deep subsurface containment of high-level radioactive wastes. This report examines some of the regional and basin-specific characteristics of the black and associated nonblack shales of this sequence within the Appalachian, Illinois, and Michigan basins of the north-central and eastern United States. Principal areas where the thickness and depth of this shale sequence are sufficient to warrant further evaluation are identified, but no attempt is made to identify specific storage/disposal sites. Also identified are other areas with less promise for further study because of known potential conflicts such as geologic-hydrologic factors, competing subsurface priorities involving mineral resources and groundwater, or other parameters. Data have been compiled for each basin in an effort to indicate thickness, distribution, and depth relationships for the entire shale sequence as well as individual shale units in the sequence. Included as parts of this geologic assessment are isopach, depth information, structure contour, tectonic elements, and energy-resource maps covering the three basins. Summary evaluations are given for each basin as well as an overall general evaluation of the waste storage/disposal potential of the Devonian-Mississippian shale sequence,including recommendations for future studies to more fully characterize the shale sequence for that purpose. Based on data compiled in this cursory investigation, certain rock units have reasonable promise for radioactive waste storage/disposal and do warrant additional study.

Regional geological assessment of the Devonian-Mississippian shale sequence of the Appalachian, Illinois, and Michigan basins relative to potential storage/disposal of radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lomenick, T.F.; Gonzales, S.; Johnson, K.S.; Byerly, D.

1983-01-01

The thick and regionally extensive sequence of shales and associated clastic sedimentary rocks of Late Devonian and Early Mississippian age has been considered among the nonsalt geologies for deep subsurface containment of high-level radioactive wastes. This report examines some of the regional and basin-specific characteristics of the black and associated nonblack shales of this sequence within the Appalachian, Illinois, and Michigan basins of the north-central and eastern United States. Principal areas where the thickness and depth of this shale sequence are sufficient to warrant further evaluation are identified, but no attempt is made to identify specific storage/disposal sites. Also identified are other areas with less promise for further study because of known potential conflicts such as geologic-hydrologic factors, competing subsurface priorities involving mineral resources and groundwater, or other parameters. Data have been compiled for each basin in an effort to indicate thickness, distribution, and depth relationships for the entire shale sequence as well as individual shale units in the sequence. Included as parts of this geologic assessment are isopach, depth information, structure contour, tectonic elements, and energy-resource maps covering the three basins. Summary evaluations are given for each basin as well as an overall general evaluation of the waste storage/disposal potential of the Devonian-Mississippian shale sequence,including recommendations for future studies to more fully characterize the shale sequence for that purpose. Based on data compiled in this cursory investigation, certain rock units have reasonable promise for radioactive waste storage/disposal and do warrant additional study

NOVEL CONCEPTS RESEARCH IN GEOLOGIC STORAGE OF CO2 PHASE III

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neeraj Gupta

2006-01-23

As part of the Department of Energy's (DOE) initiative on developing new technologies for storage of carbon dioxide in geologic reservoirs, Battelle has been investigating the feasibility of CO{sub 2} sequestration in the deep saline reservoirs in the Ohio River Valley region. In addition to the DOE, the project is being sponsored by American Electric Power (AEP), BP, The Ohio Coal Development Office (OCDO) of the Ohio Air Quality Development Authority, Schlumberger, and Battelle. The main objective of the project is to demonstrate that CO{sub 2} sequestration in deep formations is feasible from engineering and economic perspectives, as well as being an inherently safe practice and one that will be acceptable to the public. In addition, the project is designed to evaluate the geology of deep formations in the Ohio River Valley region in general and in the vicinity of AEP's Mountaineer Power Plant in particular, in order to determine their potential use for conducting a long-term test of CO{sub 2} disposal in deep saline formations. The current technical progress report summarizes activities completed for the October through December 2005 period of the project. As discussed in the following report, the main field activity was reservoir testing in the Copper Ridge ''B-zone'' in the AEP No.1 well. In addition reservoir simulations were completed to assess feasibility of CO{sub 2} injection for the Mountaineer site. These reservoir testing and computer simulation results suggest that injection potential may be substantially more than anticipated for the Mountaineer site. Work also continued on development of injection well design options, engineering assessment of CO{sub 2} capture systems, permitting, and assessment of monitoring technologies as they apply to the project site. Overall, the current design feasibility phase project is proceeding according to plans.

Follow-up by the ANDRA to the Cigeo project after the public debate - Industrial centre of geological storage of radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2014-05-01

In a first part, this report comments and discusses the evolutions of the Cigeo (industrial centre of geological storage of radioactive wastes) project after the public debate in terms of: integration of a pilot industrial phase to the installation start up, implementation of a regularly reviewed master plan for the storage exploitation, a planning arrangement, and commitment of civil society in the project. The next part briefly presents the different steps defined by the ANDRA to answer the demand for reversibility. The third part states ANDRA's commitments: to guarantee safety above all, to preserve and to develop the hosting territory, and to manage the costs

Geological evaluation of spent fuel storage and low-intermediate level radwaste disposal in the site of NPP candidate

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sucipta; Yatim, S.; Martono, H.; Pudyo, A.

1997-01-01

Based on the consideration of techno-economy and environmental safety, the radioactive waste treatment installation (RWI), interim storage of spen fuel (ISSF) and low-intermediate level disposal shall be sited in the surrounding of NPP area. The land suitability of NPP's site candidate at Muria Peninsula as spent fuel storage and low-intermediate level radwaste disposal need to be studied. Site selection was conducted by overlay method and scoring method, and based on safety criteria which include geological and environmental aspects. Land evaluation by overlay method has given result a potential site which have highest suitable land at surrounding of borehole L-15 about 17.5 hectares. Land evaluation by scoring method has given result two land suitability classes, i.e. moderate suitability class (includes 14 borehole) and high suitability class, include borehole L-2, L-14 and L-15 (author)

Deep reversible storage. Safety options for the storage in deep geological formation - High-medium activity, long living wastes 2009 milestone

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-09-01

This large document aims at presenting safety options which have been adopted for the current design status (notably for the installation architecture), elements of description of envisaged technical solutions and exploitation principles which are required for the control of risks (either internal or external) and uncertainties on a long term which could lead to radiological consequences for the project of storage of nuclear wastes in a deep geological formation. After a presentation of the context and of input data, this report discusses the principle of a modular construction and then discusses the safety approach. One part deals with risk analysis for surface installations and aims at showing how internal risks (handling, fire) and external risks (earthquake, plane crash) are taken into account in terms of design choices, processes and control measures. Another part deals with risk analysis for underground installations during the reversible exploitation phase (the considered risks are about the same as in the previous part). The next part addresses risk analysis after closing, and tries to describe how the location, storage construction elements and its architecture ensure a passive safety. Uncertainty management is presented in relationship with envisaged technical solutions and scientific knowledge advances. Additional elements (detailed study, researches and experimentations) for the establishment of the future creation authorization request are identified all along the report

Report preceding the public debate on the Cigeo project of deep geological storage of radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2013-01-01

This report first presents and comments the inventory made by the ANDRA of materials and wastes which are to be stored in the Cigeo deep geological storage. It highlights the transparency of the decision process related to this project (public debate, investigations and expertise), and also outlines the opinions of some local representatives and associations committed in environment protection regarding the project preparation. Five recommendations are then made by the High Committee for transparency and information on nuclear safety (HCTISN). Additional information is provided in appendix about the material inventory, about the history of the decision process, and also about meetings and hearings held by the High Committee

Tightness and suitability evaluation of abandoned salt caverns served as hydrocarbon energies storage under adverse geological conditions (AGC)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wei, Liu; Jie, Chen; Deyi, Jiang; Xilin, Shi; Yinping, Li; Daemen, J.J.K.; Chunhe, Yang

2016-01-01

Highlights: • Tightness conditions are set to assess use of old caverns for hydrocarbons storage. • Gas seepage and tightness around caverns are numerically simulated under AGC. • κ of interlayers act as a key factor to affect the tightness and use of salt cavern. • The threshold upper permeability of interlayers is proposed for storing oil and gas. • Three types of real application are introduced by using the tightness conditions. - Abstract: In China, the storage of hydrocarbon energies is extremely insufficient partially due to the lack of storage space, but on the other side the existence of a large number of abandoned salt caverns poses a serious threat to safety and geological environments. Some of these caverns, defined as abandoned caverns under adverse geological conditions (AGC), are expected to store hydrocarbon energies (natural gas or crude oil) to reduce the risk of potential disasters and simultaneously support the national strategic energy reserve of China. Herein, a series of investigations primarily related to the tightness and suitability of the caverns under AGC is performed. Laboratory measurements to determine the physical and mechanical properties as well as porosity and permeability of bedded salt cores from a near target cavern are implemented to determine the petro-mechanical properties and basic parameters for further study. The results show that the mechanical properties of the bedded rock salts are satisfactory for the stability of caverns. The interface between the salt and interlayers exhibits mechanical properties that are between those of rock salt and interlayers and in particular is not a weak zone. The silty mudstone interlayers have relatively high porosity and permeability, likely due to their low content of clay minerals and the presence of halite-filled cracks. The conditions for evaluating the tightness and suitability of a cavern for storing hydrocarbons are proposed, including “No tensile stress,” �

Very-long-term storage of fission products

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sousselier, Y.; Pradel, J.; Cousin, O.

The large majority of the fission products, with 99.9 percent of the radioactivity content, do not pose actual problems in storage in a geological formation for which we can guarantee total confinement. Safety of storage in a geological formation for the radionuclides of long half-life is based in particular on the absorption capacity of the geological formations and the example of the Oklo fossil reactor and the retention of Pu which is produced is a striking example. But the problems are not the same, and the properties that we look for in the terrain are not the same. We could thus be led to storage in different geological formations for the fission products and the long-half-life emitters. Their separation is interesting from this point of view, but the date at which the separation is made will not be necessarily that of reprocessing. But there is a question of one or the other, and these storages will offer a very high level of insurance and will present only the potential hazards that are very comparable with those presented by natural conditions

Systematic assessment of wellbore integrity for geologic carbon storage projects using regulatory and industry information

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moody, Mark [Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH (United States); Sminchak, J.R. [Battelle Memorial Institute, Columbus, OH (United States)

2015-11-01

database of over 4 million items on well integrity parameters in the study areas, a systematic CBL evaluation tool for rating cement in boreholes, SCP field testing procedures and analysis methodology, a process for summarizing well integrity at CO₂ storage fields, a statistical analysis of well integrity indicators, and an assessment of practical methods and costs necessary to repair/remediate typical wells in the region based on assessment of six test study areas. Project results may benefit both CO₂ storage and improved oil recovery applications. This study of wellbore integrity is a useful precursor to support development of geologic storage in the Midwest United States because it sheds more light on the actual well conditions (rather than the perceived condition) of historic oil and gas wells in the region.

Geological and geotechnical limitations of radioactive waste retrievability in geologic disposals

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Stahlmann, Joachim; Leon-Vargas, Rocio; Mintzlaff, Volker; Treidler, Ann-Kathrin [TU Braunschweig (Germany). Inst. for Soil Mechanics and Foundation Engineering

2015-07-01

The capability of retrieving radioactive waste emplaced in deep geological formations is nowadays in discussion in many countries. Based on the storage of high-level radioactive waste (HAW) in deep geological repositories there is a number of possible scenarios for their retrieval. Measurements for an improved retrieving capability may impact on the geotechnical and geological barriers, e.g. keeping open the access drifts for a long period of time can result in a bigger evacuation damage zone (EDZ) in the host rock which implies potential flow paths for ground water. Nevertheless, to limit the possible scenarios associated to the retrieval implementation, it is necessary to take in consideration which criteria will be used for an efficient monitoring program, while clearly determining the performance reliability of the geotechnical barriers. In addition, the integrity of the host rock as geological barrier has to be verified. Therefore, it is important to evaluate different design solutions and the most appropriate measurement methods to improve the retrievability process of wastes from a geological repository. A short presentation of the host rocks is given is this paper.

The laboratories of geological studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1994-01-01

This educational document comprises 4 booklets in a folder devoted to the presentation of the ANDRA's activities in geological research laboratories. The first booklet gives a presentation of the missions of the ANDRA (the French agency for the management of radioactive wastes) in the management of long life radioactive wastes. The second booklet describes the approach of waste disposal facilities implantation. The third booklet gives a brief presentation of the scientific program concerning the underground geologic laboratories. The last booklet is a compilation of questions and answers about long-life radioactive wastes, the research and works carried out in geologic laboratories, the public information and the local socio-economic impact, and the storage of radioactive wastes in deep geological formations. (J.S.)

Effects of CO2 gas as leaks from geological storage sites on agro-ecosystems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Patil, Ravi H.; Colls, Jeremy J.; Steven, Michael D.

2010-01-01

Carbon capture and storage in geological formations has potential risks in the long-term safety because of the possibility of CO 2 leakage. Effects of leaking gas, therefore, on vegetation, soil, and soil-inhabiting organisms are critical to understand. An artificial soil gassing and response detection field facility developed at the University of Nottingham was used to inject CO 2 gas at a controlled flow rate (1 l min -1 ) into soil to simulate build-up of soil CO 2 concentrations and surface fluxes from two land use types: pasture grassland, and fallow followed by winter bean. Mean soil CO 2 concentrations was significantly higher in gassed pasture plots than in gassed fallow plots. Germination of winter bean sown in gassed fallow plots was severely hindered and the final crop stand was reduced to half. Pasture grass showed stress symptoms and above-ground biomass was significantly reduced compared to control plot. A negative correlation (r = -0.95) between soil CO 2 and O 2 concentrations indicated that injected CO 2 displaced O 2 from soil. Gassing CO 2 reduced soil pH both in grass and fallow plots (p = 0.012). The number of earthworm castings was twice as much in gassed plots than in control plots. This study showed adverse effects of CO 2 gas on agro-ecosystem in case of leakage from storage sites to surface.

Implications of monitored retrievable storage for geologic disposal of spent nuclear fuel and high level radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Halstead, R.J.; Kidwell, S.M.; Woodbury, D.

1986-01-01

The integral monitored retrievable storage (I-MRS) proposal has major implications for geologic disposal. This paper reviews the positive and negative implications from the standpoint of a potential repository host state. Recommendations for improving the I-MRS proposal include: eliminate provisions restricting I-MRS backup role; add provisions to prevent I-MRS from becoming a permanent disposal facility; optimize reactor-to-I-MRS transportation system; further shift preclosure operations from repository to I-MRS; defer decision on rod consolidation; repeat the I-MRS site selection process; eliminate any potential linkage between I-MRS and nuclear weapons programs; and incorporate I-MRS in the repository siting program

Reactive transport at the pore-scale: Geological Labs on Chip studies (GLoCs) for CO2 storage in saline aquifers

Science.gov (United States)

Azaroual, M. M.; Lassin, A., Sr.; André, L., Sr.; Devau, N., Sr.; Leroy, P., Sr.

2017-12-01

The near well bore of CO2 injection in saline aquifer is the main sensitive part of the targeted carbone storage reservoirs. The recent development of microfluidics tools mimicking porous media of geological reservoirs allowed studying physical, physico-chemical and thermodynamic mechanisms. We used the GLoCs "Geological Labs on Chip" to study dynamic and reactive transport processes at the pore scale induced by the CO2 geological storage. The present work is a first attempt to reproduce, by reactive transport modeling, an experiment of calcium carbonate precipitation during the co-injection of two aqueous solutions in a GLoC device. For that purpose, a new kinetics model, based on the transition-state-theory and on surface complexation modeling, was developed to describe the co-precipitation of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) and calcite. ACC precipitates and creates surface complexation sites from which calcite can nucleate and create new surface complexation sites. When the kinetics of calcite precipitation are fast enough, the consumption of matter leads to the dissolution of ACC. The modeling results were first compared to batch experiments (from the literature) and then applied with success to dynamic experiment observations carried out on a GLoC device (from the literature). On the other hand, we evaluated the solubility of CO2 in capillary waters that increases between 5 to 10 folds for reservoir conditions (200 bar and 100°C) compared to the bulk water. The GLoCs tools started to address an excellent and much finer degree of processes control (reactive transport processes, mixing effects, minerals precipitation and dissolution kinetics, etc.) thanks to in situ analysis and characterization techniques, allowing access in real time to relevant properties. Current investigations focus on key parameters influencing the flowing dynamics and trapping mechanisms (relative permeability, capillary conditions, kinetics of dissolution and precipitation of minerals).

Potential for a process-based monitoring method above geologic carbon storage sites using dissolved gases in freshwater aquifers

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romanak, Katherine [Gulf Coast Carbon Center, Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, TX 78713 (United States); Dobeck, Laura; Spangler, Lee [Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT 59717 (United States); Dixon, Tim [IEA Greenhouse Gas R and D Programme, Cheltenham GL52 7RZ (United Kingdom)

2013-07-01

The process-based method is a new technique for monitoring CO{sub 2} storage permanence in the vadose zone above geologic carbon storage (GCS) sites. This method uses ratios of coexisting gas species to understand geochemical processes rather than comparing CO{sub 2} concentrations with large baseline data sets, thereby making monitoring more efficient. In the vadose zone, ratios among coexisting gases (CO{sub 2}, O{sub 2}, N{sub 2} and CH{sub 4}) have been used to distinguish biologic respiration, water-rock-CO{sub 2} interaction, and methane oxidation from a leakage signal. We report the preliminary results of a feasibility test conducted in July 2012 at the Zero Emission Research and Technology Center (ZERT) controlled release site in Montana, USA to discern whether the method could be applied to dissolved gases in groundwater, thereby enhancing groundwater monitoring. Preliminary results are favorable, making the process-based approach potentially useful for monitoring shallow freshwater aquifers above GCS sites. (authors)

Potential for sequestration of carbon dioxide in South Africa carbon capture and storage in South Africa

CSIR Research Space (South Africa)

Hietkamp, S

2008-11-01

Full Text Available for biological, geological, chemical and marine storage was determined and it was found that the biological storage potential is limited, the chemical storage potential is largely unknown, the geological storage potential may be large, but further study...

Preliminary geologic site selection factors for the National Waste Terminal Storage Program

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1977-06-01

The geologic considerations and the associated factors that have to be addressed in the selection of repository sites in deep geologic formations are listed and described. In addition a description is given of the information necessary to assess the geologic factors. The methods of obtaining this information are described. An illustration is given of a general approach of how the geologic factors could be applied and integrated to assess the acceptability of candidate sites. No consideration is given to a detailed description of the application of integration of the geologic factors. The criteria associated with each factor that will be used are not defined

Topics under Debate - Transmutation of commercial waste should precede geological storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowman, C.D.; Thorson, I.M.; McDonald, J.C.

2004-01-01

Technology has provided solutions for many of our problems. The generation and distribution of electricity to our homes and businesses has made possible our comfortable modern lifestyle. Of course, nothing comes without a price, and one of the prices we pay for our electrically powered world is the difficulty of managing the wastes resulting from power production. The basic methods used to deal with many types of waste are generally rather primitive. Waste products may be diluted, dispersed or buried in approved places. Rather few waste products resulting from the production of electric power are biodegradable. However, when it comes to nuclear waste, transmutation may offer a solution to a problem that has existed in many countries for many years, if it proves to be technologically and economically feasible. Recently, there have been severe electric power problems in the US. These problems have stimulated renewed interest in developing additional sources of power, with nuclear power being one of those sources. The prospect of increasing the number of nuclear power reactors, while the US capabilities for long-term geological storage of spent fuel are still unclear, is daunting. Transmutation of long-lived isotopes in spent fuel to shorter-lived or more benign isotopes may be necessary, if the process can be performed economically. (author)

Transport of a solute pulse through the bentonite barrier of deep geological high-level waste storage facilities in granite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Cormenzana Lopez, J.L.; Alonso Diaz-Teran, J.; Gonzalez- Herranz, E.

1997-01-01

Spain like Sweden, Finland, Canada and other countries has opted for an open nuclear fuel cycle, and to store the unreprocessed spent fuel in a stable geological formation. Sweden, Finland and Canada have chosen granite rock for their high-level waste storage facilities. Their Performance Assessment of disposal systems have all obtained to the same result. The greatest annual doses are caused by I 129 in the gap between the fuel rods and the cladding. The reference concept for the Spanish high-level waste storage facility in granite provides for final storage in a granite mass at a depth of 500 m in carbon steel capsules in horizontal tunnels surrounded by a bentonite buffer. It the capsule fails due to generalised corrosion, an not giving credit for the cladding, the I 129 and other radionuclides in the gap would pass immediately into the surrounding water. This paper describes the modelling of the transport of the solute through the bentonite around the capsule to determine the fraction that crosses the bentonite each year. It also analyses the sensitivity of the results to the boundary condition adopted and changes in the values of the relevant parameters. (Author)

Biosurfactant as an Enhancer of Geologic Carbon Storage: Microbial Modification of Interfacial Tension and Contact Angle in Carbon dioxide/Water/Quartz Systems.

Science.gov (United States)

Park, Taehyung; Joo, Hyun-Woo; Kim, Gyeong-Yeong; Kim, Seunghee; Yoon, Sukhwan; Kwon, Tae-Hyuk

2017-01-01

Injecting and storing of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) in deep geologic formations is considered as one of the promising approaches for geologic carbon storage. Microbial wettability alteration of injected CO 2 is expected to occur naturally by microorganisms indigenous to the geologic formation or microorganisms intentionally introduced to increase CO 2 storage capacity in the target reservoirs. The question as to the extent of microbial CO 2 wettability alteration under reservoir conditions still warrants further investigation. This study investigated the effect of a lipopeptide biosurfactant-surfactin, on interfacial tension (IFT) reduction and contact angle alteration in CO 2 /water/quartz systems under a laboratory setup simulating in situ reservoir conditions. The temporal shifts in the IFT and the contact angle among CO 2 , brine, and quartz were monitored for different CO 2 phases (3 MPa, 30°C for gaseous CO 2 ; 10 MPa, 28°C for liquid CO 2 ; 10 MPa, 37°C for supercritical CO 2 ) upon cultivation of Bacillus subtilis strain ATCC6633 with induced surfactin secretion activity. Due to the secreted surfactin, the IFT between CO 2 and brine decreased: from 49.5 to 30 mN/m, by ∼39% for gaseous CO 2 ; from 28.5 to 13 mN/m, by 54% for liquid CO 2 ; and from 32.5 to 18.5 mN/m, by ∼43% for supercritical CO 2 , respectively. The contact angle of a CO 2 droplet on a quartz disk in brine increased: from 20.5° to 23.2°, by 1.16 times for gaseous CO 2 ; from 18.4° to 61.8°, by 3.36 times for liquid CO 2 ; and from 35.5° to 47.7°, by 1.34 times for supercritical CO 2 , respectively. With the microbially altered CO 2 wettability, improvement in sweep efficiency of injected and displaced CO 2 was evaluated using 2-D pore network model simulations; again the increment in sweep efficiency was the greatest in liquid CO 2 phase due to the largest reduction in capillary factor. This result provides novel insights as to the role of naturally occurring biosurfactants in CO 2

Biosurfactant as an Enhancer of Geologic Carbon Storage: Microbial Modification of Interfacial Tension and Contact Angle in Carbon dioxide/Water/Quartz Systems

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Taehyung Park

2017-07-01

Full Text Available Injecting and storing of carbon dioxide (CO2 in deep geologic formations is considered as one of the promising approaches for geologic carbon storage. Microbial wettability alteration of injected CO2 is expected to occur naturally by microorganisms indigenous to the geologic formation or microorganisms intentionally introduced to increase CO2 storage capacity in the target reservoirs. The question as to the extent of microbial CO2 wettability alteration under reservoir conditions still warrants further investigation. This study investigated the effect of a lipopeptide biosurfactant—surfactin, on interfacial tension (IFT reduction and contact angle alteration in CO2/water/quartz systems under a laboratory setup simulating in situ reservoir conditions. The temporal shifts in the IFT and the contact angle among CO2, brine, and quartz were monitored for different CO2 phases (3 MPa, 30°C for gaseous CO2; 10 MPa, 28°C for liquid CO2; 10 MPa, 37°C for supercritical CO2 upon cultivation of Bacillus subtilis strain ATCC6633 with induced surfactin secretion activity. Due to the secreted surfactin, the IFT between CO2 and brine decreased: from 49.5 to 30 mN/m, by ∼39% for gaseous CO2; from 28.5 to 13 mN/m, by 54% for liquid CO2; and from 32.5 to 18.5 mN/m, by ∼43% for supercritical CO2, respectively. The contact angle of a CO2 droplet on a quartz disk in brine increased: from 20.5° to 23.2°, by 1.16 times for gaseous CO2; from 18.4° to 61.8°, by 3.36 times for liquid CO2; and from 35.5° to 47.7°, by 1.34 times for supercritical CO2, respectively. With the microbially altered CO2 wettability, improvement in sweep efficiency of injected and displaced CO2 was evaluated using 2-D pore network model simulations; again the increment in sweep efficiency was the greatest in liquid CO2 phase due to the largest reduction in capillary factor. This result provides novel insights as to the role of naturally occurring biosurfactants in CO2 storage and

Storage of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Pittman, F.K.

1974-01-01

Four methods for managing radioactive waste in order to protect man from its potential hazards include: transmutation to convert radioisotopes in waste to stable isotopes; disposal in space; geological disposal; and surface storage in shielded, cooled, and monitored containers. A comparison of these methods shows geologic disposal in stable formations beneath landmasses appears to be the most feasible with today's technology. (U.S.)

Transitioning Groundwater from an Extractive Resource to a Managed Water Storage Resource: Geology and Recharge in Sedimentary Basins

Science.gov (United States)

Maples, S.; Fogg, G. E.; Maxwell, R. M.; Liu, Y.

2017-12-01

Civilizations have typically obtained water from natural and constructed surface-water resources throughout most of human history. Only during the last 50-70 years has a significant quantity of water for humans been obtained through pumping from wells. During this short time, alarming levels of groundwater depletion have been observed worldwide, especially in some semi-arid and arid regions that rely heavily on groundwater pumping from clastic sedimentary basins. In order to reverse the negative effects of over-exploitation of groundwater resources, we must transition from treating groundwater mainly as an extractive resource to one in which recharge and subsurface storage are pursued more aggressively. However, this remains a challenge because unlike surface-water reservoirs which are typically replenished over annual timescales, the complex geologic architecture of clastic sedimentary basins impedes natural groundwater recharge rates resulting in decadal or longer timescales for aquifer replenishment. In parts of California's Central Valley alluvial aquifer system, groundwater pumping has outpaced natural groundwater recharge for decades. Managed aquifer recharge (MAR) has been promoted to offset continued groundwater overdraft, but MAR to the confined aquifer system remains a challenge because multiple laterally-extensive silt and clay aquitards limit recharge rates in most locations. Here, we simulate the dynamics of MAR and identify potential recharge pathways in this system using a novel combination of (1) a high-resolution model of the subsurface geologic heterogeneity and (2) a physically-based model of variably-saturated, three-dimensional water flow. Unlike most groundwater models, which have coarse spatial resolution that obscures the detailed subsurface geologic architecture of these systems, our high-resolution model can pinpoint specific geologic features and locations that have the potential to `short-circuit' aquitards and provide orders

Geologic and petrophysic analysis of a travertine block as hydrocarbon reservoir analogue; Analise geologica e petrofisica de um bloco de travertino como analogo de reservatorio de hidrocarbonetos

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Basso, Mateus; Kuroda, Michelle Chaves; Vidal, Alexandre Campane, E-mail: mbstraik@gmail.com, E-mail: ckuroda@ige.unicamp.br, E-mail: vidal@ige.unicamp.br [Universidade Estadual de Campinas (CEPETRO/UNICAMP), SP (Brazil). Centro de Estudos do Petroleo

2017-04-15

Microbialitic limestones are gaining space in petroleum geology due to the existence of many reservoirs composed of these lithologies in the pre-salt producing fields. Travertine, calcareous tufa and stromatolites figure among the rocks proposed as analogous for the microbialitic rocks. This work conduces the study of geological, petrophysical and geophysical parameters of a travertine block measuring 1,60 x 1,60 x 2,70 m, weighing 21,2 tons and available in the Centro de Estudo do Petroleo (CEPETRO) at the Universidade Estadual de Campinas. The Italian block, named T-block, corresponds to the representative elementary volume of its original formation and allows the study in an intermediate scale between the hand sample and the outcrop scale. Permeability tests and gamma ray spectrometry measurements were conducted and the porosity was calculated by image analysis. Models were generated from the obtained data and then associated with descriptive geology of the block. A reduction in permeability, porosity and concentration of elements potassium (K), uranium (U) and thorium (Th) was recorded, following a gradient towards the top of the T-block accompanying the reduction in the degree of development of the rock fabric. (author)

Comparison of Dry Gas Seasonal Storage with CO2 Storage and Re-Use Potential

OpenAIRE

Killerud, Marie

2013-01-01

To make large-scale CO2 storage economic, many groups have proposed using CO2in EOR projects to create value for CO2 storage. However, CO2 EOR projectsgenerally require a large and variable supply of CO2 and consequently may requiretemporary storage of CO2 in geological formations. In order to store CO2 atoffshore sites as a source for CO2 EOR projects, the CO2 needs to be extractedfrom a storage site to a certain extent. Alternatively, CO2 EOR projects maybe developed alongside saline aquife...

Providing adequate economic incentives for bioenergies with CO2 capture and geological storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ricci, Olivia

2012-01-01

Knowing that carbon capture and storage (CCS) could play an important role in reducing emissions, it is important to have a good understanding of this role and the importance of environmental policies to support carbon capture and geological storage from bioenergies (BECCS). To date CCS technologies are not deployed on a commercial level, and policy instruments should be used to provide incentives to firms to use these technologies to reduce pollution. The aim of this paper is to compare the cost-efficiency of several incentive-based instruments (a fossil fuel tax, an emissions tax, a cap and trade system, and a subsidy on captured emissions) needed to spur the adoption of CCS and BECCS, using a dynamic general equilibrium model. This type of model has become the standard for assessing economy-wide impacts of environmental and technological policies. The study shows that BECCS will be deployed only if a specific subsidy per unit of biomass emissions captured with a CCS technology is available. We show also that the two most cost-efficient instruments for achieving a given emissions reduction target are a specific subsidy that rewards captured emissions and a carbon tax whose revenues are recycled to subsidize BECCS. - Highlights: ► We investigate the suitability of economic instruments to support CCS and BECCS. ► We model CCS and BECCS in a dynamic general equilibrium model. ► We compare the cost-efficiency of economic instruments to reduce emissions. ► A subsidy that rewards biomass captured emissions is appropriate to encourage BECCS. ► A carbon tax whose revenues are recycled to subsidize BECCS is cost-efficient.

What does CO2 geological storage really mean?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

It is now accepted that human activities are disturbing the carbon cycle of the planet. CO 2 , a greenhouse gas, has accumulated in the atmosphere where it contributes to climate change. Amongst the spectrum of short term measures that need to be urgently implemented to mitigate climate change, CO 2 capture and storage can play a decisive role as it could contribute 33% of the CO 2 reduction needed by 2050. This document aims to explain this solution by answering the following questions: where and how much CO 2 can we store underground, How can we transport and inject large quantities of CO 2 , What happens to the CO 2 once in the storage reservoir? Could CO 2 leak from the reservoir and if so, what might be the consequences? How can we monitor the storage site at depth and at the surface? What safety criteria need to be imposed and respected? (A.L.B.)

Experiment and simulation study on the effects of cement minerals on the water-rock-CO2 interaction during CO2 geological storage

Science.gov (United States)

Liu, N.; Cheng, J.

2016-12-01

The CO2 geological storage is one of the most promising technology to mitigate CO2 emission. The fate of CO2 underground is dramatically affected by the CO2-water-rock interaction, which are mainly dependent on the initial aquifer mineralogy and brine components. The cement minerals are common materials in sandstone reservoir but few attention has been paid for its effects on CO2-water-rock interaction. Five batch reactions, in which 5% cement minerals were assigned to be quartz, calcite, dolomite, chlorite and Ca-montmorillonite, respectively, were conducted to understanding the cement minerals behaviors and its corresponding effects on the matrix minerals alterations during CO2 geological storage. Pure mineral powders were selected to mix and assemble the 'sandstone rock' with different cement components meanwhile keeping the matrix minerals same for each group as 70% quartz, 20% K-feldspar and 5% albite. These `rock' reacted with 750ml deionized water and CO2 under 180° and 18MPa for 15 days, during which the water chemistry evolution and minerals surface micromorphology changes has been monitored. The minerals saturation indexes calculation and phase diagram as well as the kinetic models were made by PHREEQC to uncover the minerals reaction paths. The experiment results indicated that the quartz got less eroded, on the contrary, K-feldspar and albite continuously dissolved to favor the gibbsite and kaolinite precipitations. The carbonates cement minerals quickly dissolved to reach equilibrium with the pH buffered and in turn suppressed the alkali feldspar dissolutions. No carbonates minerals precipitations occurred until the end of reactions for all groups. The simulation results were basically consistent with the experiment record but failed to simulate the non-stoichiometric reactions and the minerals kinetic rates seemed underestimated at the early stage of reactions. The cement minerals significantly dominated the reaction paths during CO2 geological

Leveraging Regional Exploration to Develop Geologic Framework for CO2 Storage in Deep Formations in Midwestern United States

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neeraj Gupta

2009-09-30

Obtaining subsurface data for developing a regional framework for geologic storage of CO{sub 2} can require drilling and characterization in a large number of deep wells, especially in areas with limited pre-existing data. One approach for achieving this objective, without the prohibitive costs of drilling costly standalone test wells, is to collaborate with the oil and gas drilling efforts in a piggyback approach that can provide substantial cost savings and help fill data gaps in areas that may not otherwise get characterized. This leveraging with oil/gas drilling also mitigates some of the risk involved in standalone wells. This collaborative approach has been used for characterizing in a number of locations in the midwestern USA between 2005 and 2009 with funding from U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE award: DE-FC26-05NT42434) and in-kind contributions from a number of oil and gas operators. The results are presented in this final technical report. In addition to data collected under current award, selected data from related projects such as the Midwestern Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP), the Ohio River Valley CO{sub 2} storage project at and near the Mountaineer Plant, and the drilling of the Ohio Stratigraphic well in Eastern Ohio are discussed and used in the report. Data from this effort are also being incorporated into the MRCSP geologic mapping. The project activities were organized into tracking and evaluation of characterization opportunities; participation in the incremental drilling, basic and advanced logging in selected wells; and data analysis and reporting. Although a large number of opportunities were identified and evaluated, only a small subset was carried into the field stage. Typical selection factors included reaching an acceptable agreement with the operator, drilling and logging risks, and extent of pre-existing data near the candidate wells. The region of study is primarily along

A workflow for handling heterogeneous 3D models with the TOUGH2 family of codes: Applications to numerical modeling of CO 2 geological storage

Science.gov (United States)

Audigane, Pascal; Chiaberge, Christophe; Mathurin, Frédéric; Lions, Julie; Picot-Colbeaux, Géraldine

2011-04-01

This paper is addressed to the TOUGH2 user community. It presents a new tool for handling simulations run with the TOUGH2 code with specific application to CO 2 geological storage. This tool is composed of separate FORTRAN subroutines (or modules) that can be run independently, using input and output files in ASCII format for TOUGH2. These modules have been developed specifically for modeling of carbon dioxide geological storage and their use with TOUGH2 and the Equation of State module ECO2N, dedicated to CO 2-water-salt mixture systems, with TOUGHREACT, which is an adaptation of TOUGH2 with ECO2N and geochemical fluid-rock interactions, and with TOUGH2 and the EOS7C module dedicated to CO 2-CH 4 gas mixture is described. The objective is to save time for the pre-processing, execution and visualization of complex geometry for geological system representation. The workflow is rapid and user-friendly and future implementation to other TOUGH2 EOS modules for other contexts (e.g. nuclear waste disposal, geothermal production) is straightforward. Three examples are shown for validation: (i) leakage of CO 2 up through an abandoned well; (ii) 3D reactive transport modeling of CO 2 in a sandy aquifer formation in the Sleipner gas Field, (North Sea, Norway); and (iii) an estimation of enhanced gas recovery technology using CO 2 as the injected and stored gas to produce methane in the K12B Gas Field (North Sea, Denmark).

A review on the Cigeo project, the industrial centre of geological storage of the most radioactive wastes; Le point sur le projet Cigeo, centre industriel de stockage geologique pour les dechets les plus radioactifs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2012-02-15

This document briefly presents the Cigeo project which is designed for the underground geological storage of the most radioactive wastes. Requirements comprise safety after closure and without any human intervention, and a reversible operation during at least 100 years. The storage principle is briefly described. A brief history of this research project is reported

Risk assessment-led characterisation of the SiteChar UK north sea site for the geological storage of CO2

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Akhurst, Maxine; Hannis, Sarah D.; Quinn, Martyn F.; Long, David; Shi, Ji-Quan; Koenen, Marielle; Pluymaekers, Maarten; Delprat-Jannaud, Florence; Lecomte, Jean-Claude; Bossie-Codreanu, Daniel; Nagy, Stanislaw; Klimkowski, Lukas; Gei, Davide

2015-01-01

Risk assessment-led characterisation of a site for the geological storage of CO 2 in the UK northern North Sea was performed for the EU SiteChar research project as one of a portfolio of sites. Implementation and testing of the SiteChar project site characterisation work-flow has produced a 'dry-run' storage permit application that is compliant with regulatory requirements. A site suitable for commercial-scale storage was characterised, compatible with current and future industrial carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) sources in the northern UK. Pre-characterisation of the site, based on existing information acquired during hydrocarbon exploration and production, has been achieved from publicly available data. The project concept is to store captured CO 2 at a rate of 5 Mt per year for 20 years in the Blake Oil Field and surrounding Captain Sandstone saline aquifer. This commercial-scale storage of 100 Mt CO 2 can be achieved through a storage scenario combining injection of CO 2 into the oil field and concurrent water production down-dip of the field. There would be no encroachment of supercritical phase CO 2 for more than two kilometres beyond the field boundary and no adverse influence on operating hydrocarbon fields provided there is pressure management. Components of a storage permit application for the site are presented, developed as far as possible within a research project. Characterisation and technical investigations were guided by an initial assessment of perceived risks to the prospective site and a need to provide the information required for the storage permit application. The emphasis throughout was to reduce risks and uncertainty on the subsurface containment of stored CO 2 , particularly with respect to site technical performance, monitoring and regulatory issues, and effects on other resources. The results of selected risk assessment-led site characterisation investigations and the subsequent risk reassessments are described together with their

Preliminary Study of Favourable Formations for CO2 Subsurface Storage in Spain

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zapatero, M. A.; Reyes, J. L.; Martinez, R.; Suarez, I.; Arenillas, A.; Perucha, M. A.

2009-01-01

This report is a synthesis of the possibilities of CO 2 storage in the Spanish subsurface. Compilation and analysis of geological information has been carried out, looking at surface and subsurface, in order to make a pre-selection of potential favourable units for CO 2 storage, taking in account that each of this storages needs a confining formation to seal the storage. Before the storage selection, a general description of the great geological units of the Iberian Peninsula is done. Afterwards, borehole logging from petroleum exploration is analysed in these units, formations and areas of interest. The aim is to finally obtain a description of selected units and their possibilities of CO 2 storage. (Author) 17 refs

Scenario simulation based assessment of subsurface energy storage

Science.gov (United States)

Beyer, C.; Bauer, S.; Dahmke, A.

2014-12-01

Energy production from renewable sources such as solar or wind power is characterized by temporally varying power supply. The politically intended transition towards renewable energies in Germany („Energiewende") hence requires the installation of energy storage technologies to compensate for the fluctuating production. In this context, subsurface energy storage represents a viable option due to large potential storage capacities and the wide prevalence of suited geological formations. Technologies for subsurface energy storage comprise cavern or deep porous media storage of synthetic hydrogen or methane from electrolysis and methanization, or compressed air, as well as heat storage in shallow or moderately deep porous formations. Pressure build-up, fluid displacement or temperature changes induced by such operations may affect local and regional groundwater flow, geomechanical behavior, groundwater geochemistry and microbiology. Moreover, subsurface energy storage may interact and possibly be in conflict with other "uses" like drinking water abstraction or ecological goods and functions. An utilization of the subsurface for energy storage therefore requires an adequate system and process understanding for the evaluation and assessment of possible impacts of specific storage operations on other types of subsurface use, the affected environment and protected entities. This contribution presents the framework of the ANGUS+ project, in which tools and methods are developed for these types of assessments. Synthetic but still realistic scenarios of geological energy storage are derived and parameterized for representative North German storage sites by data acquisition and evaluation, and experimental work. Coupled numerical hydraulic, thermal, mechanical and reactive transport (THMC) simulation tools are developed and applied to simulate the energy storage and subsurface usage scenarios, which are analyzed for an assessment and generalization of the imposed THMC

Effects of CO{sub 2} gas as leaks from geological storage sites on agro-ecosystems

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Patil, Ravi H.; Colls, Jeremy J. [Division of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, School of Biosciences, University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, Nottingham (United Kingdom); Steven, Michael D. [School of Geography, University of Nottingham, NG7 2RD, Nottingham (United Kingdom)

2010-12-15

Carbon capture and storage in geological formations has potential risks in the long-term safety because of the possibility of CO{sub 2} leakage. Effects of leaking gas, therefore, on vegetation, soil, and soil-inhabiting organisms are critical to understand. An artificial soil gassing and response detection field facility developed at the University of Nottingham was used to inject CO{sub 2} gas at a controlled flow rate (1 l min{sup -1}) into soil to simulate build-up of soil CO{sub 2} concentrations and surface fluxes from two land use types: pasture grassland, and fallow followed by winter bean. Mean soil CO{sub 2} concentrations was significantly higher in gassed pasture plots than in gassed fallow plots. Germination of winter bean sown in gassed fallow plots was severely hindered and the final crop stand was reduced to half. Pasture grass showed stress symptoms and above-ground biomass was significantly reduced compared to control plot. A negative correlation (r = -0.95) between soil CO{sub 2} and O{sub 2} concentrations indicated that injected CO{sub 2} displaced O{sub 2} from soil. Gassing CO{sub 2} reduced soil pH both in grass and fallow plots (p = 0.012). The number of earthworm castings was twice as much in gassed plots than in control plots. This study showed adverse effects of CO{sub 2} gas on agro-ecosystem in case of leakage from storage sites to surface. (author)

Natural analogue study of CO2 storage monitoring using probability statistics of CO2-rich groundwater chemistry

Science.gov (United States)

Kim, K. K.; Hamm, S. Y.; Kim, S. O.; Yun, S. T.

2016-12-01

For confronting global climate change, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is one of several very useful strategies as using capture of greenhouse gases like CO2 spewed from stacks and then isolation of the gases in underground geologic storage. CO2-rich groundwater could be produced by CO2 dissolution into fresh groundwater around a CO2 storage site. As consequence, natural analogue studies related to geologic storage provide insights into future geologic CO2 storage sites as well as can provide crucial information on the safety and security of geologic sequestration, the long-term impact of CO2 storage on the environment, and field operation and monitoring that could be implemented for geologic sequestration. In this study, we developed CO2 leakage monitoring method using probability density function (PDF) by characterizing naturally occurring CO2-rich groundwater. For the study, we used existing data of CO2-rich groundwaters in different geological regions (Gangwondo, Gyeongsangdo, and Choongchungdo provinces) in South Korea. Using PDF method and QI (quantitative index), we executed qualitative and quantitative comparisons among local areas and chemical constituents. Geochemical properties of groundwater with/without CO2 as the PDF forms proved that pH, EC, TDS, HCO3-, Ca2+, Mg2+, and SiO2 were effective monitoring parameters for carbonated groundwater in the case of CO2leakage from an underground storage site. KEY WORDS: CO2-rich groundwater, CO2 storage site, monitoring parameter, natural analogue, probability density function (PDF), QI_quantitative index Acknowledgement This study was supported by the "Basic Science Research Program through the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF), which is funded by the Ministry of Education (NRF-2013R1A1A2058186)" and the "R&D Project on Environmental Management of Geologic CO2 Storage" from KEITI (Project number: 2014001810003).

Geologic framework and hydrogeologic characteristics of the Glen Rose limestone, Camp Stanley Storage Activity, Bexar County, Texas

Science.gov (United States)

Clark, Allan K.

2004-01-01

The Trinity aquifer is a regional water source in the Hill Country of south-central Texas that supplies water for agriculture, commercial, domestic, and stock purposes. Rocks of the Glen Rose Limestone, which compose the upper zone and upper part of the middle zone of the Trinity aquifer, crop out at the Camp Stanley Storage Activity (CSSA), a U.S. Army weapons and munitions supply, maintenance, and storage facility in northern Bexar County (San Antonio area) (fig. 1). On its northeastern, eastern, and southern boundaries, the CSSA abuts the Camp Bullis Training Site, a U.S. Army field training site for military and Federal government agencies. During 2003, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), in cooperation with the U.S. Army, studied the outcropping Glen Rose Limestone at the CSSA and immediately adjacent area (Camp Stanley study area, fig. 1) to identify and map the hydrogeologic subdivisions and faults of the Glen Rose Limestone at the facility. The results of the study are intended to help resource managers improve their understanding of the distribution of porosity and permeability of the outcropping rocks, and thus the conditions for recharge and the potential for contaminants to enter the Glen Rose Limestone. This study followed a similar study done by the USGS at Camp Bullis (Clark, 2003). The purpose of this report is to present the geologic framework and hydrogeologic characteristics of the Glen Rose Limestone in the study area. The hydrogeologic nomenclature follows that introduced by Clark (2003) for the outcropping Glen Rose Limestone at Camp Bullis in which the upper member of the Glen Rose Limestone (hereinafter, upper Glen Rose Limestone), which is coincident with the upper zone of the Trinity aquifer, is divided into five intervals on the basis of observed lithologic and hydrogeologic properties. An outcrop map, two generalized sections, related illustrations, and a table summarize the description of the framework and distribution of characteristics.

The largest Swiss diffusion storage system - Geology, petrophysics, hydro-geology and experience gained from the realisation of heat probes; Groesster saisonaler Diffusionsspeicher der Schweiz D4 in Root (LU): Geologie, Petrophysik, Hydrogeologie und Erfahrungen mit der Realisation des Sondenfeldes

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Keller, B.

2007-07-15

This article takes a look at a large heat-diffusion storage system that is to be implemented in stages at a business and innovation centre in Root, near Lucerne in Switzerland. The aim is to meet 50 percent of energy needs using renewable energy. Apart from conventional oil and gas-fired systems, a combined heat and power (CHP) unit, heat and cold storage, a solar roof and photovoltaics, a seasonal underground diffusion storage system is used. This storage system is 'filled' with heat in summer from the roof and waste heat. It then functions in winter as a heat source. The system features two fields of 49, 160 metre-long heat probes that use a volume of 376,000 cubic metres of rock. The dimensioning of the rock-storage system was simulated using the PILESIM program and the first field was implemented in 2001. A geological overview is presented and the physical properties of the rock structures used are discussed. The temperature profile measured is presented and the precautions taken as a result of the possibility of meeting pockets of natural gas are discussed. Know-how gained from the implementation of the first probe field is discussed.

Developments and innovation in carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) capture and storage technology. Volume 2: Carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) storage and utilisation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Mercedes Maroto-Valer, M. (ed.)

2010-07-01

This volume initially reviews geological sequestration of CO{sub 2}, from saline aquifer sequestration to oil and gas reservoir and coal bed storage, including coverage of reservoir sealing, and monitoring and modelling techniques used to verify geological sequestration of CO{sub 2}. Terrestrial and ocean sequestration are also reviewed, along with the environmental impact and performance assessments for these routes. The final section reviews advanced concepts for CO{sub 2} storage and utilization, such as industrial utilization, biofixation, mineral carbonation and photocatalytic reduction.

Public perceptions of geology

Science.gov (United States)

Gibson, Hazel; Stewart, Iain; Anderson, Mark; Pahl, Sabine; Stokes, Alison

2014-05-01

Geological issues are increasingly intruding on the everyday lives of ordinary people. Whether it be onshore exploration and extraction of oil and gas, deep injection of water for geothermal power or underground storage of carbon dioxide and radioactive waste, many communities across Europe are being faced with potentially contested geological activity under their backyard. As well as being able to communicate the technical aspects of such work, geoscience professionals also need to appreciate that for most people the subsurface is an unfamiliar realm. In order to engage communities and individuals in effective dialogue about geological activities, an appreciation of what 'the public' already know and what they want to know is needed, but this is a subject that is in its infancy. In an attempt to provide insight into these key issues, this study examines the concerns the public have, relating to geology, by constructing 'Mental Models' of people's perceptions of the subsurface. General recommendations for public engagement strategies will be presented based on the results of selected case studies; specifically expert and non-expert mental models for communities in the south-west of England.

Feasibility studies for alpha waste disposal on geological formations in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaouen, C.; Boulanger, A.

1986-01-01

Since 1977, SGN has been involved in many feasibility studies and consultant works in the fields of HLW storages. Starting as nuclear consultant company in the KBS review of the long term storage of HLW, SGN and GEOSTOCK were entrusted in 1978 by the EEC for the basic design and evaluation of the deep storage into granite rock of HLW, followed by a participation in the thermal sensitivity study of such a storage. The cooperation with GEOSTOCK was first extended in 1981 to a preliminary study of HLW storage conditions in granite for a Japanese company, and then in France for several feasibility studies of HLW and TRU waste geological disposal. Three kinds of scenarios have been forecasted and evaluated in the case of vitrified HLW storage, allowing the thermal power to be decreased and the whole management scheme to be optimized. More recently, SGN participation to French engineering studies has been extended by ANDRA to the TRU waste repository evaluation. All these works for French authorities have been performed in a close connection with several specialized departments in the CEA group, and with the help of geological specialists, under the leadership of ANDRA [fr

Feasibility studies for alpha waste disposal on geological formations in France

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Jaouen, C.; Boulanger, A.

1985-01-01

Since 1977, SGN has been involved in many feasibility studies and consultant works in the fields of HLW storages. Starting as nuclear consultant company in the KBS review of the long term storage of HLW, SGN and Geostock were entrusted in 1978 by the EEC for the basic design and evaluation of the deep storage into granite rock of HLW, followed by a participation in the thermal sensitivity study of such a storage. The cooperation with Geostock was first extended in 1981 to a preliminary study of HLW storage conditions in granite for a Japanese company, and then in France for several feasibility studies of HLW and TRU waste geological disposal. Three kinds of scenarios have been forecasted and evaluated in the case of vitrified HLW storage, allowing the thermal power to be decreased and the whole management scheme to be optimized. More recently, SGN participation to French engineering studies has been extended by ANDRA to the TRU waste repository evaluation. All these works for French authorities have been performed in a close connection with several specialized departments in the CEA group, and with the help of geological specialists, under the leadership of ANDRA [fr

The safe disposal of radioactive wastes in geologic salt formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Kuehn, K.; Proske, R.

Geologic salt formations appear to be particularly suitable for final storage. Their existance alone - the salt formations in Northern Germany are more than 200 million years old - is proof of their stability and of their isolation from biological cycles. In 1967 the storage of LAW and later, in 1972, of MAW was started in the experimental storage area Asse, south-east of Braunschweig, after the necessary technical preparations had been made. In more than ten years of operation approx. 114,000 drums of slightly active and 1,298 drums of medium-active wastes were deposited without incident. Methods have been developed for filling the available caverns with wastes and salt to ensure the security of long term disposal without supervision. Tests with electric heaters for simulation of heat-generating highly active wastes confirm the good suitability of salt formations for storing these wastes. Safety analyses for the operating time as well as for the long term phase after closure of the final storage area, which among others also comprise the improbable ''greatest expected accident'', namely break through of water, are carried out and confirm the safety of ultimate storage of radioactive wastes in geological salt formations. (orig./HP) [de

Geological status of NWTS repository siting activities in the paradox basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frazier, N.A.; Conwell, F.R.

1981-01-01

Emplacement of waste packages in mined geological repositories is one method being evaluated for isolating high-level nuclear wastes. Granite, dome salt, tuff, basalt and bedded salt are among the rock types being investigated. Described in this paper is the status of geological activities in the Paradox Basin of Utah and Colorado, one region being explored as a part of the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) program to site a geological repository in bedded salt

Measurement of residual CO2 saturation at a geological storage site using hydraulic tests

Science.gov (United States)

Rötting, T. S.; Martinez-Landa, L.; Carrera, J.; Russian, A.; Dentz, M.; Cubillo, B.

2012-12-01

Estimating long term capillary trapping of CO2 in aquifers remains a key challenge for CO2 storage. Zhang et al. (2011) proposed a combination of thermal, tracer, and hydraulic experiments to estimate the amount of CO2 trapped in the formation after a CO2 push and pull test. Of these three types of experiments, hydraulic tests are the simplest to perform and possibly the most informative. However, their potential has not yet been fully exploited. Here, a methodology is presented to interpret these tests and analyze which parameters can be estimated. Numerical and analytical solutions are used to simulate a continuous injection in a porous medium where residual CO2 has caused a reduction in hydraulic conductivity and an increase in storativity over a finite thickness (a few meters) skin around the injection well. The model results are interpreted using conventional pressure build-up and diagnostic plots (a plot of the drawdown s and the logarithmic derivative d s / d ln t of the drawdown as a function of time). The methodology is applied using the hydraulic parameters estimated for the Hontomin site (Northern Spain) where a Technology Demonstration Plant (TDP) for geological CO2 storage is planned to be set up. The reduction of hydraulic conductivity causes an increase in observed drawdowns, the increased storativity in the CO2 zone causes a delay in the drawdown curve with respect to the reference curve measured before CO2 injection. The duration (characteristic time) of these effects can be used to estimate the radius of the CO2 zone. The effects of reduced permeability and increased storativity are well separated from wellbore storage and natural formation responses, even if the CO2-brine interface is inclined (i.e. the CO2 forms a cone around the well). We find that both skin hydraulic conductivity and storativity (and thus residual CO2 saturation) can be obtained from the water injection test provided that water flow rate is carefully controlled and head build

Establishing MICHCARB, a geological carbon sequestration research and education center for Michigan, implemented through the Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education, part of the Department of Geosciences at Western Michigan University

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Barnes, David A. [Western Michigan Univ., Kalamazoo MI (United States); Harrison, William B. [Western Michigan Univ., Kalamazoo MI (United States)

2014-01-28

The Michigan Geological Repository for Research and Education (MGRRE), part of the Department of Geosciences at Western Michigan University (WMU) at Kalamazoo, Michigan, established MichCarb—a geological carbon sequestration resource center by: • Archiving and maintaining a current reference collection of carbon sequestration published literature • Developing statewide and site-specific digital research databases for Michigan’s deep geological formations relevant to CO2 storage, containment and potential for enhanced oil recovery • Producing maps and tables of physical properties as components of these databases • Compiling all information into a digital atlas • Conducting geologic and fluid flow modeling to address specific predictive uses of CO2 storage and enhanced oil recovery, including compiling data for geological and fluid flow models, formulating models, integrating data, and running the models; applying models to specific predictive uses of CO2 storage and enhanced oil recovery • Conducting technical research on CO2 sequestration and enhanced oil recovery through basic and applied research of characterizing Michigan oil and gas and saline reservoirs for CO2 storage potential volume, injectivity and containment. Based on our research, we have concluded that the Michigan Basin has excellent saline aquifer (residual entrapment) and CO2/Enhanced oil recovery related (CO2/EOR; buoyant entrapment) geological carbon sequestration potential with substantial, associated incremental oil production potential. These storage reservoirs possess at least satisfactory injectivity and reliable, permanent containment resulting from associated, thick, low permeability confining layers. Saline aquifer storage resource estimates in the two major residual entrapment, reservoir target zones (Lower Paleozoic Sandstone and Middle Paleozoic carbonate and sandstone reservoirs) are in excess of 70-80 Gmt (at an overall 10% storage efficiency factor; an approximately

An Assessment of Geological Carbon Sequestration Options in the Illinois Basin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Robert Finley

2005-09-30

The Midwest Geological Sequestration Consortium (MGSC) has investigated the options for geological carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) sequestration in the 155,400-km{sup 2} (60,000-mi{sup 2}) Illinois Basin. Within the Basin, underlying most of Illinois, western Indiana, and western Kentucky, are relatively deeper and/or thinner coal resources, numerous mature oil fields, and deep salt-water-bearing reservoirs that are potentially capable of storing CO{sub 2}. The objective of this Assessment was to determine the technical and economic feasibility of using these geological sinks for long-term storage to avoid atmospheric release of CO{sub 2} from fossil fuel combustion and thereby avoid the potential for adverse climate change. The MGSC is a consortium of the geological surveys of Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky joined by six private corporations, five professional business associations, one interstate compact, two university researchers, two Illinois state agencies, and two consultants. The purpose of the Consortium is to assess carbon capture, transportation, and storage processes and their costs and viability in the three-state Illinois Basin region. The Illinois State Geological Survey serves as Lead Technical Contractor for the Consortium. The Illinois Basin region has annual emissions from stationary anthropogenic sources exceeding 276 million metric tonnes (304 million tons) of CO{sub 2} (>70 million tonnes (77 million tons) carbon equivalent), primarily from coal-fired electric generation facilities, some of which burn almost 4.5 million tonnes (5 million tons) of coal per year. Assessing the options for capture, transportation, and storage of the CO{sub 2} emissions within the region has been a 12-task, 2-year process that has assessed 3,600 million tonnes (3,968 million tons) of storage capacity in coal seams, 140 to 440 million tonnes (154 to 485 million tons) of capacity in mature oil reservoirs, 7,800 million tonnes (8,598 million tons) of capacity in saline

A comparison of international criteria for the ultimate storage of radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mielke, H.

1985-01-01

In countries other than the Federal Republic of Germany and internationally there are no comprehensive codes referring to criteria and safety requirements except those of the IAEA and USA. In other countries there exist safety goals for the ultimate storage or for purely geological criteria. The degree of detailing regulations differs widely abroad and internationally. Safety goals abroad and internationally as well as measures for their realisation in the ultimate storage of radioactive wastes in deep geological formations are in line with the German safety goals. The IAEA refers to general aspects of geological, waste technology and ultimate storage technology criteria. In the USA, ultimate storage technology criteria have been quantified in part. The quantitative geological criteria existing in Great Britain and in the Netherlands are only relevant in as much as safety analyses must be performed for a specific site to provide evidence for the safety of this site. The comparison shows that most requirements pronounced abroad are also made for the Federal Republic of Germany. Some requirements are more specified in the Federal Republic of Germany, some are more detailed abroad. (orig./HP) [de

What does CO{sub 2} geological storage really mean?

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2008-07-01

It is now accepted that human activities are disturbing the carbon cycle of the planet. CO{sub 2}, a greenhouse gas, has accumulated in the atmosphere where it contributes to climate change. Amongst the spectrum of short term measures that need to be urgently implemented to mitigate climate change, CO{sub 2} capture and storage can play a decisive role as it could contribute 33% of the CO{sub 2} reduction needed by 2050. This document aims to explain this solution by answering the following questions: where and how much CO{sub 2} can we store underground, How can we transport and inject large quantities of CO{sub 2}, What happens to the CO{sub 2} once in the storage reservoir? Could CO{sub 2} leak from the reservoir and if so, what might be the consequences? How can we monitor the storage site at depth and at the surface? What safety criteria need to be imposed and respected? (A.L.B.)

Evaluation of the risk associated with the storage of radioactive wastes. The deterministic approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lewi, J.

1988-07-01

Radioactive waste storage facility safety depends on a certain number of barriers being placed between the waste and man. These barriers, certain of which are articial (the waste package and engineered barriers) and others are natural (geological formations), are of characteristics suited to the type of storage facility (surface storage or storage in deep geological formations). The combination of these different barriers provide protection for man, under all circumstances considered plausible. Justification, for the storage of given quantities of radionuclides, of the choice of the site, the artificial barriers and the overall storage architecture, is obtained by evaluation of the risk. It being this which provides a basis for determining the acceptability of the storage facility. One of the following two methods is normally used for evaluation of the risk: the deterministic method and the probabilistic method. This adress describes the deterministic method. This method is employed in France for the safety analysis of the projects and works of ANDRA, the national agency responsible for the management of radioactive waste. It should be remembered that in France, the La Manche surface storage centre for low and medium activity waste has been in existence since 1969, close to the reprocessing plant at La Hague and a second surface storage centre is to be commissioned around 1991 at Soulaines in centre of France (departement de l'Aube). Furthermore, geological surveying of four sites located in geological formations consisting of granite, schist, clay and salt were begun in 1987 for the selection in about three years time of a site for the creation of an underground laboratory. This could later be transformed, if safety is demonstrated, into a deep storage centre

Carbon dioxide capture and storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Durand, B.

2011-01-01

The author first highlights the reasons why storing carbon dioxide in geological formations could be a solution in the struggle against global warming and climate change. Thus, he comments various evolutions and prospective data about carbon emissions or fossil energy consumption as well as various studies performed by international bodies and agencies which show the interest of carbon dioxide storage. He comments the evolution of CO 2 contributions of different industrial sectors and activities, notably in France. He presents the different storage modes and methods which concern different geological formations (saline aquifers, abandoned oil or gas fields, not exploitable coal seams) and different processes (sorption, carbonation). He discusses the risks associated with these storages, the storable quantities, evokes some existing installations in different countries. He comments different ways to capture carbon dioxide (in post-combustion, through oxy-combustion, by pre-combustion) and briefly evokes some existing installations. He evokes the issue of transport, and discusses efficiency and cost aspects, and finally has few words on legal aspects and social acceptability

Geologic Carbon Sequestration: Mitigating Climate Change by Injecting CO2 Underground (LBNL Summer Lecture Series)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oldenburg, Curtis M. [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Earth Sciences Division

2009-07-21

Summer Lecture Series 2009: Climate change provides strong motivation to reduce CO2 emissions from the burning of fossil fuels. Carbon dioxide capture and storage involves the capture, compression, and transport of CO2 to geologically favorable areas, where its injected into porous rock more than one kilometer underground for permanent storage. Oldenburg, who heads Berkeley Labs Geologic Carbon Sequestration Program, will focus on the challenges, opportunities, and research needs of this innovative technology.

Negative emissions in ecologic transition - Case of carbon geological storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laude-Depezay, Audrey; Royer-Adnot, Jonathan

2015-01-01

The authors first report a bibliographical review on carbon assessment of BECCS (bio-energy and carbon capture and storage), and then propose a technological innovation which would result in an improvement of their carbon print: the CO 2 -Dissolved technology. Thus, they outline the challenges of the carbon print of fossil carbon capture and storage, discusses the specificities of BECCS (transformation of biomass into energy, carbon print of BECCS processes for the production of ethanol, of electricity, or of paper pulp). They discuss the contribution of the CO 2 -dissolved technology to the production of bio-ethanol: description of a French plant and case of supercritical carbon capture and storage, characteristics of the concept (operation, carbon print assessment)

Geological aspects of the nuclear waste disposal problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Laverov, N.P.; Omelianenko, B.L.; Velichkin, V.I.

1994-06-01

For the successful solution of the high-level waste (HLW) problem in Russia one must take into account such factors as the existence of the great volume of accumulated HLW, the large size and variety of geological conditions in the country, and the difficult economic conditions. The most efficient method of HLW disposal consists in the maximum use of protective capacities of the geological environment and in using inexpensive natural minerals for engineered barrier construction. In this paper, the principal trends of geological investigation directed toward the solution of HLW disposal are considered. One urgent practical aim is the selection of sites in deep wells in regions where the HLW is now held in temporary storage. The aim of long-term investigations into HLW disposal is to evaluate geological prerequisites for regional HLW repositories

Quality assurance for geologic investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delvin, W.L.; Gustafson, L.D.

1983-01-01

A quality assurance handbook was written to provide guidance in the application of quality assurance to geologic work activities associated with the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program. It is intended to help geoscientists and NWTS program managers in applying quality assurance to their work activities and projects by showing how technical and quality assurance practices are integrated to provide control within those activities and projects. The use of the guidance found in this handbook should help provide consistency in the interpretation of quality assurance requirements across the various geologic activities wihtin the NWTS Program. This handbook also can assist quality assurance personnel in understanding the relationships between technical and quality assurance practices. This paper describes the handbook

Quality assurance for geologic investigations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Delvin, W.L.; Gustafson, L.D.

1983-01-01

A quality assurance handbook was written to provide guidance in the application of quality assurance to geologic work activities associated with the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program. It is intended to help geoscientists and NWTS program managers in applying quality assurance to their work activitie and projects by showing how technical and quality assurance practices are integrated to provide control within those activities and projects. The use of the guidance found in this handbook should help provide consistency in the interpretation of quality assurance requirements across the various geologic activities within the NWTS Program. This handbook also can assist quality assurance personnel in understanding the relationships between technical and quality assurance practices. This paper describes the handbook

Estimation of geological storage capacity of CO{sub 2}: Methodology and implementation to the Duero basin (Central East Area); Estimacion de la Capacidad de Almacenamiento Geologico de CO{sub 2}: Metodologia y Aplicacion a la Cuenca del Duero (Zona Centro-Oriental)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hurtado, A.; Eguilior, S.

2008-08-06

This paper presents the methodology for assessment of the storage capacity into a saline aquifer depth and the results of the studies carried out in the central east area of the Duero Basin. The extension of the study area represents about 40% of the basin. This methodology has been conducted under the need of estimate of uncertainty in everything related to behavior of long-term stored CO{sub 2} in geological formations because one of the major challenges associated with this activity is ensuring the retention of stored CO{sub 2} along the period of the required time. The method is based on the implementation of a Geographic Information System as a tool for capture, storage, management and presentation of data in maps, as well as a tool for analysis and modelling through its link to both geostatistical methods and description of CO{sub 2} thermodynamic behaviour in deep geological storage conditions, by using real gases Equations of States, specially the Sterner-Pitzer Cubic Equation of State. All these analyses are accompanied by the error propagation due to the calculations required for the determination of the volume of rock, the vertical accuracy of the topographic layers, as well as other uncertainties associated with the variables required for the characterization of the CO{sub 2} in the storage conditions. The conclusion is that the deep geologic CO{sub 2} storage capacity in the study area is between 1,667 and 11,976 Mt, i.e. between 11 and 81 years of storage capacity with a current spanish CO{sub 2} production of 148 Mt/year. (Author) 40 refs.

Evolution of the Petrophysical and Mineralogical Properties of Two Reservoir Rocks Under Thermodynamic Conditions Relevant for CO2 Geological Storage at 3 km Depth

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rimmel, G.; Barlet-Gouedard, V.; Renard, F.

2010-01-01

Injection of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) underground, for long-term geological storage purposes, is considered as an economically viable option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere. The chemical interactions between supercritical CO 2 and the potential reservoir rock need to be thoroughly investigated under thermodynamic conditions relevant for geological storage. In the present study, 40 samples of Lavoux limestone and Adamswiller sandstone, both collected from reservoir rocks in the Paris basin, were experimentally exposed to CO 2 in laboratory autoclaves specially built to simulate CO 2 -storage-reservoir conditions. The two types of rock were exposed to wet supercritical CO 2 and CO 2 -saturated water for one month, at 28 MPa and 90 C, corresponding to conditions for a burial depth approximating 3 km. The changes in mineralogy and micro-texture of the samples were measured using X-ray diffraction analyses, Raman spectroscopy, scanning-electron microscopy, and energy-dispersion spectroscopy microanalysis. The petrophysical properties were monitored by measuring the weight, density, mechanical properties, permeability, global porosity, and local porosity gradients through the samples. Both rocks maintained their mechanical and mineralogical properties after CO 2 exposure despite an increase of porosity and permeability. Microscopic zones of calcite dissolution observed in the limestone are more likely to be responsible for such increase. In the sandstone, an alteration of the petro-fabric is assumed to have occurred due to clay minerals reacting with CO 2 . All samples of Lavoux limestone and Adamswiller sandstone showed a measurable alteration when immersed either in wet supercritical CO 2 or in CO 2 -saturated water. These batch experiments were performed using distilled water and thus simulate more severe conditions than using formation water (brine). (authors)

Carbon Storage in Soils: Climate vs. Geology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Doetterl, Sebastian; Boeckx, Pascal; Stevens, Antoine; Van Oost, Kristof; Six, Johan; Merckx, Roel; Casanova Pinto, Manuel; Casanova-Katny, Angélica; Muñoz, Cristina; Zagal Venegas, Erick; Boudin, Mathieu

2016-01-01

In a recently published Nature Geoscience article, scientists took a closer look at the much-discussed topic of carbon storage in soils under Climate Change. In a large-scale study across Chile and the Antarctic Peninsula, they showed that the role of precipitation and temperature in controlling carbon dynamics in soils is less than currently considered in Global Ecosystem Models. Soils are important for carbon (C) storage and thus for atmospheric CO 2 concentrations. Whether soils act as a sink or source for atmospheric C generally depend on climatic factors, as they control plant growth (driving the incorporation of C into the soil), the activity of soil microorganism (driving the release of C from the soil to the atmosphere), as well as several other chemical processes in soils. However, we still do not fully understand the response of soil C to Climate Change. An international team of researchers led by Pascal Boeckx and Sebastian Doetterl from Ghent University, Belgium and Erick Zagal from University of Concepcion in Chile, have been investigating the interaction between climate, different types of soil minerals, and soil as sink or source for C. They studied this interaction by sampling soils from numerous locations representing different vegetation types in Chile and the Antarctic Peninsula

Methods to Assess Geological CO2 Storage Capacity: Status and Best Practice

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2013-08-01

To understand the emission reduction potential of carbon capture and storage (CCS), decision makers need to understand the amount of CO2 that can be safely stored in the subsurface and the geographical distribution of storage resources. Estimates of storage resources need to be made using reliable and consistent methods. Previous estimates of CO2 storage potential for a range of countries and regions have been based on a variety of methodologies resulting in a correspondingly wide range of estimates. Consequently, there has been uncertainty about which of the methodologies were most appropriate in given settings, and whether the estimates produced by these methods were useful to policy makers trying to determine the appropriate role of CCS. In 2011, the IEA convened two workshops which brought together experts for six national surveys organisations to review CO2 storage assessment methodologies and make recommendations on how to harmonise CO2 storage estimates worldwide. This report presents the findings of these workshops and an internationally shared guideline for quantifying CO2 storage resources.

Flexible OSSC or the on-site storage alternative and how it grew

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dufrane, K.H.

1986-01-01

The On-Site Storage Container (OSSC) is an accepted and proven concept currently in widespread use for both operations and the storage of low level radioactive waste. In addition, it represents a very attractive enhancement to a geological low-level waste disposal site. Use of the proven OSSC concept at a site can provide additional safety to the environment by combining the benefits of an engineered storage facility with the proven safety of a sound geological repository. The concept of flexibility which was built into the OSSC concept for the temporary above ground storage of low-level waste is directly applicable to a permanent storage facility. Manufacturing costs, size flexibility, handling systems, and real-world operational advantages are well known and proven. This background provides a high confidence level for adapting this technology to a disposal site while keeping in mind the significance of both operational economics, safety to the environment, and ALARA principles. The development, design and cost effectiveness features of the OSSC as a temporary storage facility are discussed in detail. The flexible OSSC provides significant economic advantages over a permanent storage building. The application of the OSSC to a permanent geological disposal site provides the environmental advantages of an engineered facility while maintaining the inherent operational and economic benefits of the flexible OSSC concept

Feasibility of a subsurface storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1998-11-01

This report analyses the notion of subsurface storage under the scientifical, technical and legal aspects. This reflection belongs to the studies about long duration storage carried out in the framework of the axis 3 of the December 30, 1991 law. The report comprises 3 parts. The first part is a synthesis of the complete subsurface storage study: definitions, aim of the report, very long duration storage paradigm, description files of concepts, thematic synthesis (legal aspects, safety, monitoring, sites, seismicity, heat transfers, corrosion, concretes, R and works, handling, tailings and dismantlement, economy..), multi-criteria/multi-concept cross-analysis. The second part deals with the technical aspects of the subsurface storage: safety approach (long duration impact, radiation protection, mastery of effluents), monitoring strategy, macroscopic inventory of B-type waste packages, inventory of spent fuels, glasses, hulls and nozzles, geological contexts in the French territory (sites selection and characterization), on-site activities, hydrogeological and geochemical aspects, geo-technical works and infrastructures organization, subsurface seismic effects, cooling modes (ventilation, heat transfer with the geologic environment), heat transfer research programs (convection, poly-phase cooling in porous media), handling constraints, concretes (use, behaviour, durability), corrosion of metallic materials, technical-economical analysis, international context (experience feedback from Sweden (CLAB) and the USA (Yucca Mountain), other European and French facilities). The last part of the report is a graphical appendix with 3-D views and schemes of the different concepts. (J.S.)

Probabilistic modelling of the damage of geological barriers of the nuclear waste deep storage - ENDOSTON project, final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

As the corrosion of metallic casings of radioactive waste storage packages releases hydrogen under pressure, and as the overpressure disturbs the stress fields, the authors report the development of methodologies and numerical simulation tools aimed at a better understanding of the mechanisms of development and propagation of crack networks in the geological barrier due to this overpressure. They present a probabilistic model of the formation of crack networks in rocks, with the probabilistic post-processing of a finite element calculation. They describe the modelling of crack propagation and damage in quasi-brittle materials. They present the ENDO-HETEROGENE model for the formation and propagation of cracks in heterogeneous media, describe the integration of the model into the Aster code, and report the model validation (calculation of the stress intensity factor, grid dependence). They finally report a test case of the ENDO-HETEROGENE model

Terminal storage of radioactive waste in geologic formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lomenick, T.F.

1976-01-01

The principal aim of the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) program is to develop pilot plants and, ultimately, repositories in several different rock formations in various parts of the country. Rocks such as salt, shale, limestone, granite, schists, and serpentinite may all qualify as host media for the disposition of radioactive wastes in the proper environments. In general, the only requirement for any rock formation or storage site is that it contain any emplaced wastes for so long as it takes for the radioactive materials to decay to innocuous levels. This requirement, though, is a formidable one as some of the wastes will remain active for periods of hundreds of thousands of years and the physical and chemical properties of rocks that govern circulating groundwater and hence containment, are difficult to determine and define. Nevertheless, there are many rock types and a host of areas throughout the country where conditions are promising for the development of waste repositories. Some of these are discussed below

Rock solid: the geology of nuclear waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Reid, Elspeth.

1990-01-01

With a number of nuclear submarines and power stations due to be decommissioned in the next decade, stores of radioactive waste, and arguments about storage increase. Whatever the direction taken by the nuclear industry in Britain, the legacy of waste remains for the foreseeable future. Geology is at the heart of the safety argument for nuclear wastes. It is claimed that rocks should act as the main safety barrier, protecting present and future generations from radiation. Rock Solid presents a clear, accessible and up to date account of the geological problems involved in building a nuclear waste repository. The author describes the geology of some of the possible UK repository sites (Sellafield, Dounreay, Altnabreac, Billingham), explains how sites are investigated (including computer models), and finally considers the crucial question: 'would geological containment of radioactive waste actually work?'. (author)

Object-Oriented Programming When Developing Software in Geology and Geophysics

Science.gov (United States)

Ahmadulin, R. K.; Bakanovskaya, L. N.

2017-01-01

The paper reviews the role of object-oriented programming when developing software in geology and geophysics. Main stages have been identified at which it is worthwhile to apply principles of object-oriented programming when developing software in geology and geophysics. The research was based on a number of problems solved in Geology and Petroleum Production Institute. Distinctive features of these problems are given and areas of application of the object-oriented approach are identified. Developing applications in the sphere of geology and geophysics has shown that the process of creating such products is simplified due to the use of object-oriented programming, firstly when designing structures for data storage and graphical user interfaces.

Baseline descriptions for LWR spent fuel storage, handling, and transportation

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Moyer, J.W.; Sonnier, C.S.

1978-04-01

Baseline descriptions for the storage, handling, and transportation of reactor spent fuel are provided. The storage modes described include light water reactor (LWR) pools, away-from-reactor basins, dry surface storage, reprocessing-facility interim storage pools, and deep geologic storage. Land and water transportation are also discussed. This work was sponsored by the Department of Energy/Office of Safeguards and Security as part of the Sandia Laboratories Fixed Facility Physical Protection Program. 45 figs, 4 tables.

Baseline descriptions for LWR spent fuel storage, handling, and transportation

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Moyer, J.W.; Sonnier, C.S.

1978-04-01

Baseline descriptions for the storage, handling, and transportation of reactor spent fuel are provided. The storage modes described include light water reactor (LWR) pools, away-from-reactor basins, dry surface storage, reprocessing-facility interim storage pools, and deep geologic storage. Land and water transportation are also discussed. This work was sponsored by the Department of Energy/Office of Safeguards and Security as part of the Sandia Laboratories Fixed Facility Physical Protection Program. 45 figs, 4 tables

Subtask 2.17 - CO₂ Storage Efficiency in Deep Saline Formations

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gorecki, Charles D. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States); Liu, Guoxiang [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States); Braunberger, Jason R. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States); Klenner, Robert C. L. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States); Ayash, Scott C. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States); Dotzenrod, Neil W. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States); Steadman, Edward N. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States); Harju, John A. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND (United States)

2014-02-01

As the field of carbon capture and storage (CCS) continues to advance, and large-scale implementation of geologic carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage progresses, it will be important to understand the potential of geologic formations to store meaningful amounts of CO₂. Geologic CO₂ storage in deep saline formations (DSFs) has been suggested as one of the best potential methods for reducing anthropogenic CO₂ emission to the atmosphere, and as such, updated storage resource estimation methods will continue to be an important component for the widespread deployment of CCS around the world. While there have been several methodologies suggested in the literature, most of these methods are based on a volumetric calculation of the pore volume of the DSF multiplied by a storage efficiency term and do not consider the effect of site-specific dynamic factors such as injection rate, injection pattern, timing of injection, pressure interference between injection locations, and overall formation pressure buildup. These volumetric methods may be excellent for comparing the potential between particular formations or basins, but they have not been validated through real-world experience or full-formation injection simulations. Several studies have also suggested that the dynamic components of geologic storage may play the most important role in storing CO₂ in DSFs but until now have not directly compared CO₂ storage resource estimates made with volumetric methodologies to estimates made using dynamic CO₂ storage methodologies. In this study, two DSFs, in geographically separate areas with geologically diverse properties, were evaluated with both volumetric and dynamic CO₂ storage resource estimation methodologies to compare the results and determine the applicability of both approaches. In the end, it was determined that the dynamic CO₂ storage resource potential is timedependent and it

Draft Geologic Disposal Requirements Basis for STAD Specification

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ilgen, Anastasia G. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Bryan, Charles R. [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States); Hardin, Ernest [Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

2015-03-25

This document provides the basis for requirements in the current version of Performance Specification for Standardized Transportation, Aging, and Disposal Canister Systems, (FCRD-NFST-2014-0000579) that are driven by storage and geologic disposal considerations. Performance requirements for the Standardized Transportation, Aging, and Disposal (STAD) canister are given in Section 3.1 of that report. Here, the requirements are reviewed and the rationale for each provided. Note that, while FCRD-NFST-2014-0000579 provides performance specifications for other components of the STAD storage system (e.g. storage overpack, transfer and transportation casks, and others), these have no impact on the canister performance during disposal, and are not discussed here.

Waste isolation in geologic formations in the USA

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zerby, C.D.; McClain, W.C.

1976-01-01

The ERDA program for the establishment of terminal storage facilities for commercial radioactive wastes in deep geologic formations was recently reorganized as the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) program. General plans for implementing this expanded program call for geologic investigations and feasibility confirmation studies at multiple geographic locations, leading to pilot plant construction and operation with possible future conversion into a Federal Repository. The pilot plant operations will be experimental facilities having limited capacity to store actual waste in a readily retrievable configuration. The first two pilot plants are planned to start operations simultaneously in the mid-1980's. Geologic investigations are now in progress or planned in study areas of the interior basins of the Gulf Coast Salt Dome Province, in the Salina Salt basin and in the Paradox Basin in an effort to identify acceptable locations for these initial facilities. Subsequent pilot plants will be located in other formations. Preliminary geologic evaluations have been initiated in the Paleozoic shales and limestones, Triassic shale basins along the east coast, Mesozoic shales of the Gulf Coast and northern high plains and certain crystalline igneous rocks. Most of the required engineering testing of disposal in salt formations has been completed in previous programs. However, the establishment of pilot plants in the other rock types will require a sequence of in situ testing designed to develop the information necessary to both demonstrate the feasibility of waste disposal in that particular formation and provide the data for facility designs

Carbon dioxide storage. EU legal framework for carbon capture and storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heller, W.

2008-01-01

In the correct opinion of the EU Commission, fossil fuels are going to remain the most important energy source worldwide also in the decades to come. The intention of the EU to reduce by 50% the 1990 level of greenhouse gas emission by 2050 can become reality, in the light of worldwide developments, only if the energy potential of coal can be tapped without multiplying emissions. The EU therefore initiated measures to make carbon capture and storage a standard technology in new fossil fired power plants. The CCS technology is to be demonstrated so as to make it available commercially for plant renewal after 2020 (CCS = Carbon Capture and Storage). To outline the future legal framework in the European Union, the EU Commission on January 23, 2008 presented the proposal of a Directive on Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide (CO 2 ). That proposal mainly focuses on the storage of CO 2 and the removal of obstacles in the way of CO 2 storage. The capture and pipeline transport of CO 2 are taken into account in the appropriate amendments to existing directives. (orig.)

Geology along topographic profile for near-surface test facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fecht, K.R.

1978-01-01

The U.S. Department of Energy, through the Basalt Waste Isolation Program within Rockwell Hanford Operations, is investigating the feasibility of terminal storage of radioactive waste in deep caverns constructed in the Columbia River Basalt. A portion of the geological work conducted in support of the Engineering Design Unit to evaluate the west end of Gable Mountain as a site for in situ testing of the thermomechanical behavior of basalt is reported. The surficial geology of the west end of Gable Mountain was mapped in a reconnaissance fashion at a scale of 1:62,500 to identify geologic features which could affect siting of the proposed facilities. A detailed study of the geological conditions was conducted along a traverse across the most probable site for the proposed project

Fast neutron incineration in the energy amplifier as alternative to geologic storage the case of Spain

CERN Document Server

Rubbia, Carlo; Kadi, Y; Rubio, Juan Antonio

1997-01-01

In previous reports [1][2] we have presented the conceptual design of a fast neutron driven sub-critical device (Energy Amplifier) designed both for energy amplification (production) and for the incineration of unwanted ³waste² from Nuclear Light Water Reactors (LWR). The latter scheme is here applied to the specific case of Spain, where 9 large LWR¹s are presently in operation. It is shown that a cluster of 5 EA¹s is a very effective and realistic solution to the elimination (in 37 years) of the present and foreseen (till 2029) LWR-Waste stockpiles of Spain, but with major improvements over Geologic Storage, since: (1) only a Low Level Waste (LLW) surface repository of reasonable size is ultimately required; (2) the large amount of energy stored in the trans-Uranics is recovered, amounting for each of the 37 years of incineration to a saving of about 8% of the present primary energy demand of Spain (100 MTep/y); (3) the slightly enriched (1.1%) Uranium, unburned by LWR¹s, can be recovered for further us...

Noble gas geochemistry to monitor CO{sub 2} geological storages; Apports de la geochimie des gaz rares a la surveillance des sites de sequestration geologique de CO{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lafortune, St

2007-11-15

According to the last IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report, a probability of 90 % can be now established for the responsibility of the anthropogenic CO{sub 2} emissions for the global climate change observed since the beginning of the 20. century. To reduce these emissions and keep producing energy from coal, oil or gas combustions, CO{sub 2} could be stored in geological reservoirs like aquifers, coal beds, and depleted oil or gas fields. Storing CO{sub 2} in geological formations implies to control the efficiency and to survey the integrity of the storages, in order to be able to detect the possible leaks as fast as possible. Here, we study the feasibility of a geochemical monitoring through noble gas geochemistry. We present (1) the development of a new analytical line, Garodiox, developed to extract quantitatively noble gas from water samples, (2) the testing of Garodiox on samples from a natural CO{sub 2} storage analogue (Pavin lake, France) and (3) the results of a first field work on a natural CO{sub 2} accumulation (Montmiral, France). The results we obtain and the conclusions we draw, highlight the interest of the geochemical monitoring we suggest. (author)

What safety indicators for a storage in deep geologic deposit?

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crouail, P.; Schneider, T.; Mure, J.M.; Voinis, S.

1999-01-01

Indicators must allow to discriminate and compare different options of facility conception and help the decision-makers in their choices. In the case of a deep storage, these indicators can also allow a comparison in terms of impact with other existing industrial systems (thermal or nuclear power plants, uranium ores) or even the natural radioactivity. Through Swedish and Canadian examples, the presentation makes an inventory of indicators that could be kept in a safety analysis of a deep storage. (N.C.)

Strategic use of the underground for an energy mix plan, synergies among CO2 and CH4 Geological Storage and Geothermal Energy: Italian Energy review and Latium case study

Science.gov (United States)

Procesi, M.; Cantucci, B.; Buttinelli, M.; Armezzani, G.; Quattrocchi, F.

2012-04-01

Since the world-wide energy demand has been growing so much in the last years, it is necessary to develop a strategic mix-energy plan to supply low GHG (GreenHouseGas) emissions energy and solve the problem of CO2 emission increasing. A recent study published by European Commission shows that, if existing trends continue, by 2050 CO2 emissions will be unsustainably high: 900-1000 parts per million by volume. The European Commission in 2007 underline the necessity to elaborate, at European level, a Strategic Energy Technology Plan focused on non-carbon or reduced-carbon sources of energy, as renewable energies, CO2 capture and storage technologies, smart energy networks and energy efficiency and savings. Future scenarios for 2030 elaborated by the International Energy Agency (IEA) shows as a mix energy plan could reduce the global CO2 emissions from 27Gt to 23 Gt (about 15%). A strategic use of the underground in terms of: - development of CCS (Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage) associated to fossil fuel combustion; - increase of CH4 geological storage sites; - use of renewable energies as geothermic for power generation; could open a new energy scenario, according to the climate models published by IPCC. Nowadays CCS market is mainly developed in USA and Canada, but still not much accounted in Europe. In Italy there aren't active CCS projects, even if potential areas have been already identified. Many CH4 storage sites are located in Northern America, while other are present in Europe and Italy, but the number of sites is limited despite the huge underground potentiality. In Italy the power generation from geothermal energy comes exclusively from Tuscany (Larderello-Travale and Mt. Amiata geothermal fields) despite the huge potentiality of other regions as Latium, Campania and Sicily (Central and South Italy). The energy deficit and the relevant CO2 emissions represent a common status for many Italian regions, especially for the Latium Region. This suggests that a

Researches on the radioactive wastes management: the packaging and the storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-12-01

The CEA is working since many years on nuclear wastes. After the implementing of the law of the 30 december 1991, the Government asked the Cea to manage researches on axis 1 and 3 (respectively, separation and transmutation, conditioning and storage) and the ANDRA to manage researches on the axis 2 (geological disposal). This paper presents the Cea activities and the technology assessments in these domains: separation and transmutation, the contributions on the geological disposal for the ANDRA, the conditioning of radioactive materials, studies on the long-dated behavior of packages and the long-lived storage. A special part is devoted to the new expertise center on the conditioning and the storage of radioactive materials, developed in 2002 in Marcoule to enhance the Cea competence in the domain of the conditioning and the storage. (A.L.B.)

Inverse Problem for 3D coupled Flow-Geomechanics Models and Induced Seismicity: Application to Subsurface Characterization and Seismicity Forecasting in Geologic CO2 Storage

Science.gov (United States)

Castineira, D.; Jha, B.; Juanes, R.

2016-12-01

Carbon Capture and Sequestration (CCS) is regarded as a promising technology to mitigate rising CO2 concentrations in the atmosphere from industrial emissions. However, as a result of the inherent uncertainty that is present in geological structures, assessing the stability of geological faults and quantifying the potential for induced seismicity is a fundamental challenge for practical implementation of CCS. Here we present a formal framework for the solution of the inverse problem associated with coupled flow and geomechanics models of CO2 injection and subsurface storage. Our approach builds from the application of Gaussian Processes, MCMC and posterior predictive analysis to evaluate relevant earthquake attributes (earthquake time, location and magnitude) in 3D synthetic models of CO2 storage under geologic, observational and operational uncertainty. In our approach, we first conduct hundreds of simulations of a high-fidelity 3D computational model for CO2 injection into a deep saline aquifer, dominated by an anticline structure and a fault. This ensemble of realizations accounts for uncertainty in the model parameters (including fault geomechanical and rock properties) and observations (earthquake time, location and magnitude). We apply Gaussian processes (GP) to generate a valid surrogate that closely approximates the behavior of the high fidelity (and computationally intensive) model, and apply hyperparameter optimization and cross-validation techniques in the solution of this multidimensional data-fit problem. The net result of this process is the generation of a fast model that can be effectively used for Bayesian analysis. We then implement Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) to determine the posterior distribution of the model uncertain parameters (given some prior distributions for those parameters and given the likelihood defined in this case by the GP model). Our results show that the resulting posterior distributions correctly converge towards the "true

The laboratories of geological studies; Les laboratoires d`etudes geologiques

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1994-01-01

This educational document comprises 4 booklets in a folder devoted to the presentation of the ANDRA`s activities in geological research laboratories. The first booklet gives a presentation of the missions of the ANDRA (the French agency for the management of radioactive wastes) in the management of long life radioactive wastes. The second booklet describes the approach of waste disposal facilities implantation. The third booklet gives a brief presentation of the scientific program concerning the underground geologic laboratories. The last booklet is a compilation of questions and answers about long-life radioactive wastes, the research and works carried out in geologic laboratories, the public information and the local socio-economic impact, and the storage of radioactive wastes in deep geological formations. (J.S.)

PICOREF: carbon sequestration in geological reservoirs in France.Map of the unknown ''ground motion''. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Rohmer, J.; Lembezat, C.

2006-01-01

in the framework of the PICOREF project, ''CO 2 sequestration in geological reservoirs in France'', two main objectives are decided: the characterization of french adapted sites and the redaction of a document to ask for the storage authorization, including a methodology to survey and study the storage site. This report aims to define the unknown ground motion which the impact should present a risk for the surface installations. The project is presented, as the geological context and the proposed methodology. (A.L.B.)

Well blowout rates and consequences in California Oil and Gas District 4 from 1991 to 2005: Implications for geological storage of carbon dioxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jordan, Preston; Jordan, Preston D.; Benson, Sally M.

2008-05-15

Well blowout rates in oil fields undergoing thermally enhanced recovery (via steam injection) in California Oil and Gas District 4 from 1991 to 2005 were on the order of 1 per 1,000 well construction operations, 1 per 10,000 active wells per year, and 1 per 100,000 shut-in/idle and plugged/abandoned wells per year. This allows some initial inferences about leakage of CO2 via wells, which is considered perhaps the greatest leakage risk for geological storage of CO2. During the study period, 9% of the oil produced in the United States was from District 4, and 59% of this production was via thermally enhanced recovery. There was only one possible blowout from an unknown or poorly located well, despite over a century of well drilling and production activities in the district. The blowout rate declined dramatically during the study period, most likely as a result of increasing experience, improved technology, and/or changes in safety culture. If so, this decline indicates the blowout rate in CO2-storage fields can be significantly minimized both initially and with increasing experience over time. Comparable studies should be conducted in other areas. These studies would be particularly valuable in regions with CO2-enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and natural gas storage.

Favourable Formations for CO{sub 2} Storage in the Almazan Basin; Formaciones Favorables para el Almacenamiento de CO{sub 2} en la Cuenca de Almazan

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Ruiz Rivas, C.; Lomba Falcon, L.

2008-04-10

Geological storage of carbon dioxide is one of the technological options that have been considered nowadays for global climate change mitigation. Underground CO{sub 2} storage requires the selection and identification of deep geological formations which must meet criteria for health and environmental safety in the middle-term of one thousand years. Deep permeable formations, depleted oil and gas fields, unminable coal seams and saline rocks are possible geological formations for CO{sub 2} storage. Some areas in our country have been selected to search potential CO{sub 2} reservoirs. Among these areas, sedimentary basins are highlighted because of their thick stratigraphic sequences and the availability of extensive geological data which are coming from fossil fuel exploration. In this report, the identification and selection of favourable geological formations in the Almazan basin is presented. A 3D simplified subsurface basin geological model that was based on a Geographic Information System is included as well. The report also includes suitable CO{sub 2} injection areas in the surface for the selected geological formations. Finally, a preliminary CO{sub 2} storage capacity estimation of a potential structural trap has been calculated, considering only physical CO{sub 2} trapping. This work has been undertaken in the framework of the Geological CO{sub 2} Storage Project which is within the Singular Strategic Project of the Ministry of Education and Science Generation, Capture and Storage advanced technologies of CO{sub 2}. (Author) 84 refs.

Storage of long lived solid waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ozarde, P.D.; Agarwal, K.; Gupta, R.K.; Gandhi, K.G.

2009-01-01

Long lived solid waste, generated during the fuel cycle mainly includes high level vitrified waste product, high level cladding hulls and low and intermediate level alpha wastes. These wastes require storage in specially designed engineered facilities before final disposal into deep geological repository. Since high-level vitrified waste contain heat generating radionuclides, the facility for their storage is designed for continuous cooling. High level cladding hulls undergo volume reduction by compaction and will be subsequently stored. (author)

Regional Geology Web Map Application Development: Javascript v2.0

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russell, Glenn

2017-01-01

This is a milestone report for the FY2017 continuation of the Spent Fuel, Storage, and Waste, Technology (SFSWT) program (formerly Used Fuel Disposal (UFD) program) development of the Regional Geology Web Mapping Application by the Idaho National Laboratory Geospatial Science and Engineering group. This application was developed for general public use and is an interactive web-based application built in Javascript to visualize, reference, and analyze US pertinent geological features of the SFSWT program. This tool is a version upgrade from Adobe FLEX technology. It is designed to facilitate informed decision making of the geology of continental US relevant to the SFSWT program.

Regional Geology Web Map Application Development: Javascript v2.0

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Russell, Glenn [Idaho National Lab. (INL), Idaho Falls, ID (United States)

2017-06-19

This is a milestone report for the FY2017 continuation of the Spent Fuel, Storage, and Waste, Technology (SFSWT) program (formerly Used Fuel Disposal (UFD) program) development of the Regional Geology Web Mapping Application by the Idaho National Laboratory Geospatial Science and Engineering group. This application was developed for general public use and is an interactive web-based application built in Javascript to visualize, reference, and analyze US pertinent geological features of the SFSWT program. This tool is a version upgrade from Adobe FLEX technology. It is designed to facilitate informed decision making of the geology of continental US relevant to the SFSWT program.

Cost Implications of Uncertainty in CO{sub 2} Storage Resource Estimates: A Review

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Anderson, Steven T., E-mail: sanderson@usgs.gov [National Center, U.S. Geological Survey (United States)

2017-04-15

Carbon capture from stationary sources and geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) is an important option to include in strategies to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. However, the potential costs of commercial-scale CO{sub 2} storage are not well constrained, stemming from the inherent uncertainty in storage resource estimates coupled with a lack of detailed estimates of the infrastructure needed to access those resources. Storage resource estimates are highly dependent on storage efficiency values or storage coefficients, which are calculated based on ranges of uncertain geological and physical reservoir parameters. If dynamic factors (such as variability in storage efficiencies, pressure interference, and acceptable injection rates over time), reservoir pressure limitations, boundaries on migration of CO{sub 2}, consideration of closed or semi-closed saline reservoir systems, and other possible constraints on the technically accessible CO{sub 2} storage resource (TASR) are accounted for, it is likely that only a fraction of the TASR could be available without incurring significant additional costs. Although storage resource estimates typically assume that any issues with pressure buildup due to CO{sub 2} injection will be mitigated by reservoir pressure management, estimates of the costs of CO{sub 2} storage generally do not include the costs of active pressure management. Production of saline waters (brines) could be essential to increasing the dynamic storage capacity of most reservoirs, but including the costs of this critical method of reservoir pressure management could increase current estimates of the costs of CO{sub 2} storage by two times, or more. Even without considering the implications for reservoir pressure management, geologic uncertainty can significantly impact CO{sub 2} storage capacities and costs, and contribute to uncertainty in carbon capture and storage (CCS) systems. Given the current state of available information and the

Geology of the 241-TY Tank Farm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, W.H.; Fecht, K.R.

1976-04-01

A series of maps have been compiled to document the structure and stratigraphy of the sediments underlying the high-level radioactive waste storage tank farms located within the ERDA Hanford Reservation. The primary purpose of these maps is to provide basic geologic information to be utilized to evaluate the impact of suspected and confirmed tank leaks

Geological controls on isotopic signatures of streamflow: results from a nested catchment experiment in Luxembourg (Europe)

Science.gov (United States)

Pfister, Laurent; McDonnell, Jeffrey J.; Hissler, Christophe; Martinez-Carreras, Nuria; Gourdol, Laurent; Klaus, Julian; François Iffly, Jean; Barnich, François; Stewart, Mike K.

2014-05-01

Controls of geology and topography on hydrological metrics, like summer low flow (Grant and Tague, 2004) or dynamic storage (Sayama et al., 2011), have been identified in nested catchment experiments. However, most tracer-based studies on streamflow generation have been carried out in small (10 km2) homogenous catchments (Klaus and McDonnell, 2013). The controlling effects of catchment physiography on how catchments store and release water, and how this eventually controls stream isotope behaviour over a large range of scale are poorly understood. Here, we present results from a nested catchment analysis in the Alzette River basin (Luxembourg, Europe). Our hydro-climatological network consists of 16 recording streamgauges and 21 pluviographs. Catchment areas range from 0.47 to 285 km2, with clean and mixed combinations of distinct geologies ranging from schists to marls, sandstone, dolomite and limestone. Our objective was to identify geological controls on (i) winter runoff ratios, (ii) maximum storage and (iii) isotopic signatures in streamflow. For each catchment we determined average runoff ratios from winter season precipitation-discharge double-mass curves. Maximum catchment storage was based on the dynamic storage change approach of Sayama et al. (2011). Changes in isotopic signatures of streamflow were documented along individual catchment flow duration curves. We found strong correlations between average winter runoff ratios, maximum storage and the prevailing geological settings. Catchments with impermeable bedrock (e.g. marls or schists) were characterised by small storage potential and high average filling ratios. As a consequence, these catchments also exhibited the highest average runoff ratios. In catchments underlain by permeable bedrock (e.g. sandstone), storage potential was significantly higher and runoff ratios were considerably smaller. The isotopic signatures of streamflow showed large differences between catchments. In catchments dominated by

Problems of the final storage of radioactive waste in salt formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hofrichter, E.

1977-01-01

The geological conditions for the final storage of radioactive waste, the occurrence of salt formations, and the tectonics of salt domes are discussed. The safety of salt rocks, the impermeability of the rocks, and the thermal problems in the storage of high-activity waste are dealt with. Possibilities and preconditions of final storage in West Germany are discussed. (HPH) [de

Computational Modeling of the Geologic Sequestration of Carbon Dioxide

Science.gov (United States)

Geologic sequestration of CO2 is a component of C capture and storage (CCS), an emerging technology for reducing CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, and involves injection of captured CO2 into deep subsurface formations. Similar to the injection of hazardous wastes, before injection...

CO{sub 2}-GeoNet. A European network of excellence on geological storage of CO{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Schulz, H.M. [GeoForschungsZentrum GFZ, Potzdam (Germany); May, F.; Gerling, P.; Kosinowski, M.; Krueger, M.; Faber, E.; Poggenburg, J.; Teschner, M. [Bundesanstalt fuer Geowissenschaften und Rohstoffe, Hannover (Germany)

2007-09-13

The Network of Excellence ''CO{sub 2}GeoNet'' contains a critical mass of European research institutions in the field of underground carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) storage. World projections of energy use show that fossil fuel dependency will continue to 2030 and beyond; but sustainability will need CO{sub 2} emissions to be reduced by 60% by 2050. This will be difficult and will require various strategies. The associated rise in global CO{sub 2} emissions, without abatement, will be at an average rate of 1.8% per annum (from the current value of 25 Gt p.a., to 38 Gt by 2030); a rise of over 50%. Urgent action is needed to cope with policy's objectives. Europe's CO{sub 2} emissions will rise by an average of 0.6% p.a. up to 2020, from a 2000 level of 3.1 Gt to 3.5 Gt by 2020. The rocks under the North Sea have a theoretical capacity for storing over 800 Gt of CO{sub 2}. Capturing CO{sub 2} from industrial point sources and storing it underground seems to be a very attractive route to making cuts in CO{sub 2} emissions. CO{sub 2} capture and storage allows diverse fuel inputs and outputs, enhances security of supply and is well aligned with hydrogen production from fossil fuels. Through a number of projects supported by the European Commission (e.g. Joule 2, Research Framework Programmes 4 and 5) Europe has led the World on R and D in this area, with rapid growth during the last decade. National programmes are also emerging. This success has a downside, by creating fragmentation through diversification. North America despite its rejection of the Kyoto protocol (except Canada), has recently embraced CO{sub 2} capture and geological storage and is allocating huge resources (over $4bn) over the next 10 years. Europe, as a result, risks losing its head start. We therefore must work more effectively and restructure our efforts. The main aim of CO{sub 2}GeoNet will be to integrate, strengthen, and build upon the momentum of previous and existing

Use of naturally occurring helium to estimate ground-water velocities for studies of geologic storage of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marine, I.W.

1977-01-01

In a study of the potential for storing radioactive waste in metamorphic rock at the Savannah River Plant near Aiken, South Carolina, the rate of water movement was determined to be about 0.06 m/y by analyzing gas dissolved in the water. The gas contained up to 6 percent helium, which originated from the radioactive decay of natural uranium and thorium in the crystalline rock. The residence time of the water in the rock was calculated to be 840,000 years from the quantity of uranium and thorium in the rock, their rates of radioactive decay, and the quantity of helium dissolved in the water. The estimation of ground-water velocities by the helium method is more applicable to the assessment of a geologic site for storage of radioactive waste than are velocities estimated from packer tests, pumping tests, or artificial tracer tests, all of which require extensive time and space extrapolations

Aggregation of carbon dioxide sequestration storage assessment units

Science.gov (United States)

Blondes, Madalyn S.; Schuenemeyer, John H.; Olea, Ricardo A.; Drew, Lawrence J.

2013-01-01

The U.S. Geological Survey is currently conducting a national assessment of carbon dioxide (CO2) storage resources, mandated by the Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. Pre-emission capture and storage of CO2 in subsurface saline formations is one potential method to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the negative impact of global climate change. Like many large-scale resource assessments, the area under investigation is split into smaller, more manageable storage assessment units (SAUs), which must be aggregated with correctly propagated uncertainty to the basin, regional, and national scales. The aggregation methodology requires two types of data: marginal probability distributions of storage resource for each SAU, and a correlation matrix obtained by expert elicitation describing interdependencies between pairs of SAUs. Dependencies arise because geologic analogs, assessment methods, and assessors often overlap. The correlation matrix is used to induce rank correlation, using a Cholesky decomposition, among the empirical marginal distributions representing individually assessed SAUs. This manuscript presents a probabilistic aggregation method tailored to the correlations and dependencies inherent to a CO2 storage assessment. Aggregation results must be presented at the basin, regional, and national scales. A single stage approach, in which one large correlation matrix is defined and subsets are used for different scales, is compared to a multiple stage approach, in which new correlation matrices are created to aggregate intermediate results. Although the single-stage approach requires determination of significantly more correlation coefficients, it captures geologic dependencies among similar units in different basins and it is less sensitive to fluctuations in low correlation coefficients than the multiple stage approach. Thus, subsets of one single-stage correlation matrix are used to aggregate to basin, regional, and national scales.

Assessment of feasible strategies for seasonal underground hydrogen storage in a saline aquifer

Science.gov (United States)

Sáinz-García, Alvaro; Abarca, Elena; Rubí, Violeta; Grandia, Fidel

2017-04-01

Renewable energies are unsteady, which results in temporary mismatches between demand and supply. The conversion of surplus energy to hydrogen and its storage in geological formations is one option to balance this energy gap. This study evaluates the feasibility of seasonal storage of hydrogen produced from wind power in Castilla-León region (northern Spain). A 3D multiphase numerical model is used to test different extraction well configurations during three annual injection-production cycles in a saline aquifer. Results demonstrate that underground hydrogen storage in saline aquifers can be operated with reasonable recovery ratios. A maximum hydrogen recovery ratio of 78%, which represents a global energy efficiency of 30%, has been estimated. Hydrogen upconing emerges as the major risk on saline aquifer storage. However, shallow extraction wells can minimize its effects. Steeply dipping geological structures are key for an efficient hydrogen storage.

How Canada has controlled the spent fuel storage problem

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mosey, D.

1985-01-01

A report on the irradiated fuel storage workshop held in Toronto in October 1984. In particular Canada's attitude to spent fuel is examined. The basic fuel cycle has been envisaged as running from mining and refining, through interim storage to final geologic disposal, with reprocessing as an option to be considered when it looks economically attractive. (U.K.)

System Specification for Immobilized High-Level Waste Interim Storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

CALMUS, R.B.

2000-01-01

This specification establishes the system-level functional, performance, design, interface, and test requirements for Phase 1 of the IHLW Interim Storage System, located at the Hanford Site in Washington State. The IHLW canisters will be produced at the Hanford Site by a Selected DOE contractor. Subsequent to storage the canisters will be shipped to a federal geologic repository

Field demonstration of an active reservoir pressure management through fluid injection and displaced fluid extractions at the Rock Springs Uplift, a priority geologic CO₂ storage site for Wyoming

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Jiao, Zunsheng [Univ. of Wyoming, Laramie, WY (United States)

2017-04-05

This report provides the results from the project entitled Field Demonstration of Reservoir Pressure Management through Fluid Injection and Displaced Fluid Extraction at the Rock Springs Uplift, a Priority Geologic CO2 Storage Site for Wyoming (DE-FE0026159 for both original performance period (September 1, 2015 to August 31, 2016) and no-cost extension (September 1, 2016 to January 6, 2017)).

Underground CO{sub 2} Storage: Approach for Favourable Formations in Ebro Basin; AGP de CO{sub 2}: Seleccion de Formaciones Favorables en la Cuenca del Ebro

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Campos, R.; Perucha, A.; Recreo, F.

2008-04-10

The study of the possibilities of conducting Deep Geological CO{sub 2} Storage inside Spanish territory is being performed through the Strategic Singular Project PS-120000-2005-2 of the National Program of Energy from the Education and Science Ministry, and called CO{sub 2} generation, sequestration and storage advanced technologies, sub project N3 CO{sub 2} Geological Storage This report studies the possibilities the Ebro basin offers for definitive CO{sub 2} storage as one of the Spanish selected areas from previous studies. The study and reinterpretation of the information obtained from the hydrocarbon exploration accomplished in the area has lead to the selection of a series of geological formations. These formations have been chosen attending certain characteristics such as their disposition, extension, depth and porosity. The study has also been conducted considering the characteristics of the geological formations above the CO{sub 2} storage formations so as to guarantee the sealing of the storage. The study includes the approximate estimation of the storage capacity for each of the formations in Megatons of CO{sub 2}, which can be useful in future decision making. Deep geological storage is one of the more relevant international initiatives in order to eliminate or reduce the anthropogenic CO{sub 2} emissions to the atmosphere. (Author) 68 refs.

Capture and geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO2)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2004-11-01

This dossier about carbon sequestration presents: 1 - the world fossil fuels demand and its environmental impact; 2 - the solutions to answer the climatic change threat: limitation of fossil fuels consumption, development of nuclear and renewable energies, capture and storage of CO 2 (environmental and industrial advantage, cost); 3 - the CO 2 capture: post-combustion smokes treatment, oxi-combustion techniques, pre-combustion techniques; 4 - CO 2 storage: in hydrocarbon deposits (Weyburn site in Canada), in deep saline aquifers (Sleipner and K12B (North Sea)), in non-exploitable coal seams (Recopol European project); 5 - international and national mobilization: IEA R and D program, USA (FutureGen zero-emission coal-fired power plant, Carbon Sequestration Leadership forum), European Union (AZEP, GRACE, GESTCO, CO2STORE, NASCENT, RECOPOL, Castor, ENCAP, CO2sink etc programs), French actions (CO 2 club, network of oil and gas technologies (RTPG)), environmental stake, competitiveness, research stake. (J.S.)

Managing geological uncertainty in CO2-EOR reservoir assessments

Science.gov (United States)

Welkenhuysen, Kris; Piessens, Kris

2014-05-01

Recently the European Parliament has agreed that an atlas for the storage potential of CO2 is of high importance to have a successful commercial introduction of CCS (CO2 capture and geological storage) technology in Europe. CO2-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) is often proposed as a promising business case for CCS, and likely has a high potential in the North Sea region. Traditional economic assessments for CO2-EOR largely neglect the geological reality of reservoir uncertainties because these are difficult to introduce realistically in such calculations. There is indeed a gap between the outcome of a reservoir simulation and the input values for e.g. cost-benefit evaluations, especially where it concerns uncertainty. The approach outlined here is to turn the procedure around, and to start from which geological data is typically (or minimally) requested for an economic assessment. Thereafter it is evaluated how this data can realistically be provided by geologists and reservoir engineers. For the storage of CO2 these parameters are total and yearly CO2 injection capacity, and containment or potential on leakage. Specifically for the EOR operation, two additional parameters can be defined: the EOR ratio, or the ratio of recovered oil over injected CO2, and the CO2 recycling ratio of CO2 that is reproduced after breakthrough at the production well. A critical but typically estimated parameter for CO2-EOR projects is the EOR ratio, taken in this brief outline as an example. The EOR ratio depends mainly on local geology (e.g. injection per well), field design (e.g. number of wells), and time. Costs related to engineering can be estimated fairly good, given some uncertainty range. The problem is usually to reliably estimate the geological parameters that define the EOR ratio. Reliable data is only available from (onshore) CO2-EOR projects in the US. Published studies for the North Sea generally refer to these data in a simplified form, without uncertainty ranges, and are

Preliminary site requirements and considerations for a monitored retrievable storage facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1991-08-01

This report presents preliminary requirements and considerations for siting monitored retrievable storage (MRS) facility. It purpose is to provide guidance for assessing the technical suitability of potential sites for the facility. It has been reviewed by the NRC staff, which stated that this document is suitable for ''guidance in making preliminary determinations concerning MRS site suitability.'' The MRS facility will be licensed by the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission. It will receive spent fuel from commercial nuclear power plants and provide a limited amount of storage for this spent fuel. When a geologic repository starts operations, the MRS facility will also stage spent-fuel shipments to the repository. By law, storage at the MRS facility is to be temporary, with permanent disposal provided in a geologic repository to be developed by the DOE

A laboratory study of supercritical CO2 adsorption on cap rocks in the geological storage conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Jedli, Hedi; Jbara, Abdessalem; Hedfi, Hachem; Bouzgarrou, Souhail; Slimi, Khalifa

2017-04-01

In the present study, various cap rocks have been experimentally reacted in water with supercritical CO2 in geological storage conditions ( P = 8 × 106 Pa and T = 80 °C) for 25 days. To characterize the potential CO2-water-rock interactions, an experimental setup has been built to provide additional information concerning the effects of structure, thermal and surface characteristics changes due to CO2 injection with cap rocks. In addition, CO2 adsorption capacities of different materials (i.e., clay evaporate and sandstone) are measured. These samples were characterized by XRD technique. The BET specific surface area was determined by nitrogen isotherms. In addition, thermal characteristics of untreated adsorbents were analyzed via TGA method and topography surfaces are identified by Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). Taking into account pressure and temperature, the physical as well as chemical mechanisms of CO2 retention were determined. Isotherm change profiles of samples for relative pressure range indicate clearly that CO2 was adsorbed in different quantities. In accordance with the X-ray diffraction, a crystalline phase was formed due to the carbonic acid attack and precipitation of some carbonate.

Geology of the 241-C Tank Farm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, W.H.; Fecht, K.R.

1976-04-01

A series of maps have been compiled to document the structure and stratigraphy of the sediments underlying the high-level radioactive waste storage tank farms located within the Energy Research and Development Administration Hanford Reservation. The primary purpose of these maps is to provide basic geologic information to be utilized to evaluate the impact of suspected and confirmed tank leaks

Geology of the 241-SX Tank Farm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, W.H.; Fecht, K.R.

1976-04-01

A series of maps have been compiled to document the structure and stratigraphy of the sediments underlying the high-level radioactive waste storage tank farms located within the Energy Research and Development Administration Hanford Reservation. The primary purpose of these maps is to provide basic geologic information to be utilized to evaluate the impact of suspected and confirmed tank leaks

Geology of the 241-S Tank Farm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, W.H.; Fecht, K.R.

1976-04-01

A series of maps have been compiled to document the structure and stratigraphy of the sediments underlying the high-level radioactive waste storage tank farms located within the Energy Research and Development Administration Hanford Reservation. The primary purpose of these maps is to provide basic geologic information to be utilized to evaluate the impact of suspected and confirmed tank leaks

Geology of the 241-T Tank Farm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, W.H.; Fecht, K.R.

1976-04-01

A series of maps have been compiled to document the structure and stratigraphy of the sediments underlying the high-level radioactive waste storage tank farms located within the Energy Research and Development Administration Hanford Reservation. The primary purpose of these maps is to provide basic geologic information to be utilized to evaluate the impact of suspected and confirmed tank leaks

Geology of the 241-TX Tank Farm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, W.H.; Fecht, K.R.

1976-04-01

A series of maps have been compiled to document the structure and stratigraphy of the sediments underlying the high-level radioactive waste storage tank farms located within the Energy Research and Development Administration Hanford Reservation. The primary purpose of these maps is to provide basic geologic information to be utilized to evaluate the impact of suspected and confirmed tank leaks

Geology of the 241-U Tank Farm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, W.H.; Fecht, K.R.

1976-04-01

A series of maps has been compiled to document the structure and stratigraphy of the sediments underlying the high-level radioactive waste storage tank farms located within the Energy Research and Development Administration Hanford Reservation. The primary purpose of these maps is to provide basic geologic information to be utilized to evaluate the impact of suspected and confirmed tank leaks

Determination of turnover and cushion gas volume of a prospected gas storage reservoir under uncertainty

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Gubik, A. [RAG-AG Wien (Austria); Baffoe, J.; Schulze-Riegert, R. [SPT Group GmbH, Hamburg (Germany)

2013-08-01

Gas storages define a key contribution for building a reliable gas supply chain from production to consumers. In a competitive gas market with short reaction times to seasonal and other gas injection and extraction requirements, gas storages also receive a strong focus on availability and precise prediction estimates for future operation scenarios. Reservoir management workflows are increasingly built on reservoir simulation support for optimizing production schemes and estimating the impact of subsurface uncertainties on field development scenarios. Simulation models for gas storages are calibrated to geological data and accurate reproduction of historical production data are defined as a prerequisite for reliable production and performance forecasts. The underlying model validation process is called history matching, which potentially generates alternative simulation models due to prevailing geological uncertainties. In the past, a single basecase reference model was used to predict production capacities of a gas storage. The working gas volume was precisely defined over a contracted plateau delivery and the required cushion gas volume maintains the reservoir pressure during the operation. Cushion and working gas Volume are strongly dependent on reservoir parameters. In this work an existing depleted gas reservoir and the operation target as a gas storage is described. Key input data to the reservoir model description and simulation is reviewed including production history and geological uncertainties based on large well spacing, limited core and well data and a limited seismic resolution. Target delivery scenarios of the prospected gas storage are evaluated under uncertainty. As one key objective, optimal working gas and cushion gas volumes are described in a probabilistic context reflecting geological uncertainties. Several work steps are defined and included in an integrated workflow design. Equiprobable geological models are generated and evaluated based on

Alteration of R7T7-type nuclear glass in deep geological storage conditions; Alteration du verre de confinement de dechets type R7T7 en condition de stockage geologique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Combarieu, G de

2007-02-15

This PhD thesis is aimed to study the alteration of SON68 glass, French inactive glass of R7T7-type, in contact with near field materials of a deep geological storage (French concept from ANDRA) which are mainly metallic iron and Callovo-Oxfordian clay. Therefore, experiments involving a 'glass-iron-clay' system at lab-scale have been carried out. Interactions between glass, iron and clay have been characterised from submicron to millimeter scale by means of SEM, TEM, XRD and XAS and Raman spectroscopies in terms of chemistry and crystal-chemistry. In the mean time, a conceptual model of glass alteration has been developed to account for most of the experimental observations and known mechanisms of alteration. The model has been then transposed within the transport-chemistry code HYTEC, together with developed models of clay and iron corrosion, to simulate the experiments described above. This work is thus a contribution to the understanding of iron corrosion in Callovo-Oxfordian clay and subsequent glass alteration in the newly formed corrosion products, the whole process being considered as a lab-scale model of a deep geological storage of radioactive wastes. (author)

Alteration of R7T7-type nuclear glass in deep geological storage conditions; Alteration du verre de confinement de dechets type R7T7 en condition de stockage geologique

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Combarieu, G. de

2007-02-15

This PhD thesis is aimed to study the alteration of SON68 glass, French inactive glass of R7T7-type, in contact with near field materials of a deep geological storage (French concept from ANDRA) which are mainly metallic iron and Callovo-Oxfordian clay. Therefore, experiments involving a 'glass-iron-clay' system at lab-scale have been carried out. Interactions between glass, iron and clay have been characterised from submicron to millimeter scale by means of SEM, TEM, XRD and XAS and Raman spectroscopies in terms of chemistry and crystal-chemistry. In the mean time, a conceptual model of glass alteration has been developed to account for most of the experimental observations and known mechanisms of alteration. The model has been then transposed within the transport-chemistry code HYTEC, together with developed models of clay and iron corrosion, to simulate the experiments described above. This work is thus a contribution to the understanding of iron corrosion in Callovo-Oxfordian clay and subsequent glass alteration in the newly formed corrosion products, the whole process being considered as a lab-scale model of a deep geological storage of radioactive wastes. (author)

The united kingdom's changing requirements for spent fuel storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Hodgson, Z.; Hambley, D.I.; Gregg, R.; Ross, D.N.

2013-01-01

The UK is adopting an open fuel cycle, and is necessarily moving to a regime of long term storage of spent fuel, followed by geological disposal once a geological disposal facility (GDF) is available. The earliest GDF receipt date for legacy spent fuel is assumed to be 2075. The UK is set to embark on a programme of new nuclear build to maintain a nuclear energy contribution of 16 GW. Additionally, the UK are considering a significant expansion of nuclear energy in order to meet carbon reduction targets and it is plausible to foresee a scenario where up to 75 GW from nuclear power production could be deployed in the UK by the mid 21. century. Such an expansion, could lead to spent fuel storage and its disposal being a dominant issue for the UK Government, the utilities and the public. If the UK were to transition a closed fuel cycle, then spent fuel storage should become less onerous depending on the timescales. The UK has demonstrated a preference for wet storage of spent fuel on an interim basis. The UK has adopted an approach of centralised storage, but a 16 GW new build programme and any significant expansion of this may push the UK towards distributed spent fuel storage at a number of reactors station sites across the UK

Lessons from Iowa : development of a 270 megawatt compressed air energy storage project in midwest Independent System Operator : a study for the DOE Energy Storage Systems Program.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Holst, Kent (Iowa Stored Energy Plant Agency, Traer, IA); Huff, Georgianne; Schulte, Robert H. (Schulte Associates LLC, Northfield, MN); Critelli, Nicholas (Critelli Law Office PC, Des Moines, IA)

2012-01-01

The Iowa Stored Energy Park was an innovative, 270 Megawatt, $400 million compressed air energy storage (CAES) project proposed for in-service near Des Moines, Iowa, in 2015. After eight years in development the project was terminated because of site geological limitations. However, much was learned in the development process regarding what it takes to do a utility-scale, bulk energy storage facility and coordinate it with regional renewable wind energy resources in an Independent System Operator (ISO) marketplace. Lessons include the costs and long-term economics of a CAES facility compared to conventional natural gas-fired generation alternatives; market, legislative, and contract issues related to enabling energy storage in an ISO market; the importance of due diligence in project management; and community relations and marketing for siting of large energy projects. Although many of the lessons relate to CAES applications in particular, most of the lessons learned are independent of site location or geology, or even the particular energy storage technology involved.

Map showing geology, oil and gas fields, and geologic provinces of the Gulf of Mexico region

Science.gov (United States)

French, Christopher D.; Schenk, Christopher J.

2006-01-01

This map was created as part of a worldwide series of geologic maps for the U.S. Geological Survey's World Energy Project. These products are available on CD-ROM and the Internet. The goal of the project is to assess the undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas resources of the world. Two previously published digital geologic data sets (U.S. and Caribbean) were clipped to the map extent, while the dataset for Mexico was digitized for this project. Original attributes for all data layers were maintained, and in some cases, graphically merged with common symbology for presentation purposes. The world has been divided into geologic provinces that are used for allocation and prioritization of oil and gas assessments. For the World Energy Project, a subset of those provinces is shown on this map. Each province has a set of geologic characteristics that distinguish it from surrounding provinces. These characteristics may include dominant lithologies, the age of the strata, and/or structural type. The World Geographic Coordinate System of 1984 is used for data storage, and the data are presented in a Lambert Conformal Conic Projection on the OFR 97-470-L map product. Other details about the map compilation and data sources are provided in metadata documents in the data section on this CD-ROM. Several software packages were used to create this map including: Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI) ArcGIS 8.3, ArcInfo software, Adobe Photoshop CS, Illustrator CS, and Acrobat 6.0.

Generalized geology of the 241-AW Tank Farm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Last, G.V.; Marratt, M.C.

1978-08-01

A series of maps has been compiled to document the structure and stratigraphy of the sediments underlying the high-level radioactive waste storage tank farms located within the Hanford Reservation. Purpose is to provide basic geologic information to be utilized in support of the Long Term Management of Low Level Waste Program Data Base

Carbon dioxide storage in unconventional reservoirs workshop: summary of recommendations

Science.gov (United States)

Jones, Kevin B.; Blondes, Madalyn S.

2015-01-01

“Unconventional reservoirs” for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage—that is, geologic reservoirs in which changes to the rock trap CO2 and therefore contribute to CO2 storage—including coal, shale, basalt, and ultramafic rocks, were the focus of a U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) workshop held March 28 and 29, 2012, at the National Conservation Training Center in Shepherdstown, West Virginia. The goals of the workshop were to determine whether a detailed assessment of CO2 storage capacity in unconventional reservoirs is warranted, and if so, to build a set of recommendations that could be used to develop a methodology to assess this storage capacity. Such an assessment would address only the technically available resource, independent of economic or policy factors. At the end of the workshop, participants agreed that sufficient knowledge exists to allow an assessment of the potential CO2 storage resource in coals, organic-rich shales, and basalts. More work remains to be done before the storage resource in ultramafic rocks can be meaningfully assessed.

Definition of Storage Complex for the Technological Development Plant and the Evaluation Scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Recreo, F.; Hurtado, A.; Eguilior, S.

2015-01-01

This report intends a geological description of the site for the Technological Development Plant that CIUDEN is conducting in Hontomín (Burgos) for the improvement, both technological and economic, of the key aspects of geological storage of CO2 in deep permeable formations. Safety studies of this site began in 2008 with a preliminary appraisal of several pre-selected areas in the western part of the so-called "Cantabrian Basin". However, the modelling of the processes acting in the permanent sequestration of CO2 requires a much more detailed knowledge of the geological formations that form the complex storage and of its lithologic, petrophysical, hydrogeological, geochemical and geomechanical characteristics. This report presents a summary of the geological and hydrogeological information available from the documentation provided by the Geological Survey of Spain (IGME) and the published studies conducted in the area for oil research campaigns between 1965-68 and 1991–96. This information has allowed to deriving a preliminary conceptualization of what would be the system model of the geological system where the Technological Development Plant will be installed as well as identifying the remaining uncertainties.

Disposal and long-term storage in geological formations of solidified radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shischits, I.

1996-01-01

The special depository near Krasnoyarsk contains temporarily about 1,100 tons of spent nuclear fuel (SNF) from WWR- should be solidified and for the most part buried in geological formations. Solid wastes and SNF from RBMK reactors are assumed to be buried as well. For this purpose special technologies and underground constructions are required. They are to be created in the geological plots within the territory of Russian Federation and adjacent areas of CIS, meeting the developed list of requirements. The burial structures will vary greatly depending on the geological formation, the amount of wastes and their isotope composition. The well-known constructions such as deep wells, shafts, mines and cavities can be mentioned. There is a need to design constructions, which have no analog in the world practice. In the course of the Project fulfillment the following work will be conducted: -theoretical work followed by code creation for mathematical simulation of processes; - modelling on the base of prototypes made from equivalent materials with the help of simulators; - bench study; - experiments in real conditions; - examination of massif properties in particular plots using achievements of geophysics, including gamma-gamma density detectors and geo locators. Finally, ecological-economical model will be given for designing burial sites

Preliminary geologic map of the Lathrop Wells volcanic center

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Crowe, B.; Harrington, C.; McFadden, L.; Perry, F.; Wells, S.; Turrin, B.; Champion, D.

1988-12-01

A preliminary geologic map has been compiled for the bedrock geology of the Lathrop Wells volcanic center. The map was completed through use of a combination of stereo photographic interpretation and field mapping on color aerial photographs. These photographs (scale 1:4000) were obtained from American Aerial Surveys, Inc. They were flown on August 18, 1987, at the request of the Yucca Mountain Project (then Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations). The photographs are the Lathrop Wells VC-Area 25 series, numbers 1--32. The original negatives for these photographs are on file with American Aerial Surveys, Inc. Copies of the negatives have been archived at the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Group N-5. The preliminary geologic map is a bedrock geologic map. It does not show alluvial deposits, eolian sands, or scoria fall deposits from the youngest eruptive events. The units will be compiled on separate maps when the geomorphic and soils studies are more advanced

Uncertainty in geological and hydrogeological data

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

B. Nilsson

2007-09-01

Full Text Available Uncertainty in conceptual model structure and in environmental data is of essential interest when dealing with uncertainty in water resources management. To make quantification of uncertainty possible is it necessary to identify and characterise the uncertainty in geological and hydrogeological data. This paper discusses a range of available techniques to describe the uncertainty related to geological model structure and scale of support. Literature examples on uncertainty in hydrogeological variables such as saturated hydraulic conductivity, specific yield, specific storage, effective porosity and dispersivity are given. Field data usually have a spatial and temporal scale of support that is different from the one on which numerical models for water resources management operate. Uncertainty in hydrogeological data variables is characterised and assessed within the methodological framework of the HarmoniRiB classification.

Continuous atmospheric monitoring of the injected CO2 behavior over geological storage sites using flux stations: latest technologies and resources

Science.gov (United States)

Burba, George; Madsen, Rodney; Feese, Kristin

2014-05-01

quantify leakages from the subsurface, to improve storage efficiency, and for other storage characterizations [5-8]. In this presentation, the latest regulatory and methodological updates are provided regarding atmospheric monitoring of the injected CO2 behavior using flux stations. These include 2013 improvements in methodology, as well as the latest literature, including regulatory documents for using the method and step-by-step instructions on implementing it in the field. Updates also include 2013 development of a fully automated remote unattended flux station capable of processing data on-the-go to continuously output final CO2 emission rates in a similar manner as a standard weather station outputs weather parameters. References: [1] Burba G. Eddy Covariance Method for Scientific, Industrial, Agricultural and Regulatory Applications. LI-COR Biosciences; 2013. [2] International Energy Agency. Quantification techniques for CO2 leakage. IEA-GHG; 2012. [3] US Department of Energy. Best Practices for Monitoring, Verification, and Accounting of CO2 Stored in Deep Geologic Formations. US DOE; 2012. [4] Liu G. (Ed.). Greenhouse Gases: Capturing, Utilization and Reduction. Intech; 2012. [5] Finley R. et al. An Assessment of Geological Carbon Sequestration Options in the Illinois Basin - Phase III. DOE-MGSC; DE-FC26-05NT42588; 2012. [6] LI-COR Biosciences. Surface Monitoring for Geologic Carbon Sequestration. LI-COR, 980-11916, 2011. [7] Eggleston H., et al. (Eds). IPCC Guidelines for National Greenhouse Gas Inventories, IPCC NGGI P, WMO/UNEP; 2006-2011. [8] Burba G., Madsen R., Feese K. Eddy Covariance Method for CO2 Emission Measurements in CCUS Applications: Principles, Instrumentation and Software. Energy Procedia, 40C: 329-336; 2013.

Influence of methane in CO2 transport and storage for CCS technology.

Science.gov (United States)

Blanco, Sofía T; Rivas, Clara; Fernández, Javier; Artal, Manuela; Velasco, Inmaculada

2012-12-04

CO(2) Capture and Storage (CCS) is a good strategy to mitigate levels of atmospheric greenhouse gases. The type and quantity of impurities influence the properties and behavior of the anthropogenic CO(2), and so must be considered in the design and operation of CCS technology facilities. Their study is necessary for CO(2) transport and storage, and to develop theoretical models for specific engineering applications to CCS technology. In this work we determined the influence of CH(4), an important impurity of anthropogenic CO(2), within different steps of CCS technology: transport, injection, and geological storage. For this, we obtained new pressure-density-temperature (PρT) and vapor-liquid equilibrium (VLE) experimental data for six CO(2) + CH(4) mixtures at compositions which represent emissions from the main sources in the European Union and United States. The P and T ranges studied are within those estimated for CO(2) pipelines and geological storage sites. From these data we evaluated the minimal pressures for transport, regarding the density and pipeline's capacity requirements, and values for the solubility parameter of the mixtures, a factor which governs the solubility of substances present in the reservoir before injection. We concluded that the presence of CH(4) reduces the storage capacity and increases the buoyancy of the CO(2) plume, which diminishes the efficiency of solubility and residual trapping of CO(2), and reduces the injectivity into geological formations.

Use of comparative assessment framework for comparison of geological nuclear waste and CO2 disposal technologies

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Streimikiene, Dalia

2010-09-15

Comparative assessment of few future energy and climate change mitigation options for Lithuania in 2020 performed indicated that nuclear and combined cycle gas turbine technologies are very similar energy options in terms of costs taking into account GHG emission reduction costs. Comparative assessment of these energy options requires evaluation of the potentials and costs for geological CO2 and nuclear waste storage as the main uncertainties in comparative assessment of electricity generation technologies are related with these back-end technologies. The paper analyses the main characteristics of possible geological storage of CO2 and NW options in Lithuania.

Risk Assessment and Management for Long-Term Storage of CO2 in Geologic Formations — United States Department of Energy R&D

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dawn Deel

2007-02-01

Full Text Available Concern about increasing atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2 and other greenhouse gases (GHG and their impact on the earth's climate has grown significantly over the last decade. Many countries, including the United States, wrestle with balancing economic development and meeting critical near-term environmental goals while minimizing long-term environmental risks. One promising solution to the buildup of GHGs in the atmosphere, being pursued by the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL and its industrial and academic partners, is carbon sequestration—a process of permanent storage of CO2 emissions in underground geologic formations, thus avoiding CO2 release to the atmosphere. This option looks particularly attractive for point source emissions of GHGs, such as fossil fuel fired power plants. CO2 would be captured, transported to a sequestration site, and injected into an appropriate geologic formation. However, sequestration in geologic formations cannot achieve a significant role in reducing GHG emissions unless it is acceptable to stakeholders, regulators, and the general public, i.e., unless the risks involved are judged to be acceptable. One tool that can be used to achieve acceptance of geologic sequestration of CO2 is risk assessment, which is a proven method to objectively manage hazards in facilities such as oil and natural gas fields, pipelines, refineries, and chemical plants. Although probabilistic risk assessment (PRA has been applied in many areas, its application to geologic CO2 sequestration is still in its infancy. The most significant risk from geologic carbon sequestration is leakage of CO2. Two types of CO2 releases are possible—atmospheric and subsurface. High concentrations of CO2 caused by a release to the atmosphere would pose health risks to humans and animals, and any leakage of CO2 back into the atmosphere negates the effort expended to sequester the CO2

MUFITS Code for Modeling Geological Storage of Carbon Dioxide at Sub- and Supercritical Conditions

Science.gov (United States)

Afanasyev, A.

2012-12-01

liquid and gaseous CO2. We consider CO2 injection into highly heterogeneous the 10th SPE reservoir. We provide analysis of physical phenomena that have control temperature distribution in the reservoir. The distribution is non-monotonic with regions of high and low temperature. The main phenomena responsible for considerable temperature decline around CO2 injection point is the liquid CO2 evaporation process. We also apply the code to real-scale 3D simulations of CO2 geological storage at supercritical conditions in Sleipner field and Johansen formation (Fig). The work is supported financially by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research (12-01-31117) and grant for leading scientific schools (NSh 1303.2012.1). CO2 phase saturation in Johansen formation after 50 years of injection and 1000 years of rest period

Process for final storage of high level radioactive fission product solution

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ellis, J.R.B.; Fries, B.A.

1984-01-01

In this process for the storage of an aqueous solution of radioactive nuclides, the solution is diluted with system water, which is obtained from a reservoir below the bottom of the sea in a porous geological stratum. After dilution, the diluted solution is injected into the same geological stratum under the bottom of the sea. (orig.) [de

Gulf Coast Salt Domes geologic Area Characterization Report, East Texas Study Area. Volume II. Technical report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-07-01

The East Texas Area Characterization Report (ACR) is a compilation of data gathered during the Area Characterization phase of the Department of Energy's National Waste Terminal Storage program in salt. The characterization of Gulf Coast Salt Domes as a potential site for storage of nuclear waste is an ongoing process. This report summarizes investigations covering an area of approximately 2590 km 2 (1000 mi 2 ). Data on Oakwood, Keechi, and Palestine Domes are given. Subsequent phases of the program will focus on smaller land areas and fewer specific salt domes, with progressively more detailed investigations, possibly culminating with a license application to the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The data in this report are a result of drilling and sampling, geophysical and geologic field work, and intensive literature review. The ACR contains text discussing data usage, interpretations, results and conclusions based on available geologic and hydrologic data, and figures including diagrams showing data point locations, geologic and hydrologic maps, geologic cross sections, and other geologic and hydrologic information. An appendix contains raw data gathered during this phase of the project and used in the preparation of these reports

Development and operation of Northern Natural's aquifer gas storage reservoirs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Martinson, E V

1969-01-01

There are no depleted (or nondepleted) oil and gas fields in Northern Natural Gas Co.'s market area. Consequently, when the search was started for a possible underground field, the company had to resort to the possibility of locating a water-filled, porous-rock formation (aquifer) in a geological structure which would form a suitable trap for gas storage. Geological research and exploratory drilling was carried on in S. Minnesota, E. Nebraska, and W.-central Iowa. An area located about 40 miles northwest of Des Moines, Iowa, near Redfield, appeared to have the most desirable characteristics for development of a gas-storage field. Drilling of deep developmental wells was started in late 1953 on a double- plunging anticline. The geological structure is similar to that of many oil and gas fields, but the porous formations contained only fresh water. To date, 2 major reservoirs and a minor reservoir have been developed in this structure. As much as 120 billion cu ft has been stored in the 3 reservoirs which supplied 43 billion cu ft gas withdrawals this past season from a total of 85 wells. A second aquifer gas-storage field is under development in N.-central Iowa about 15 miles northeast of Ft. Dodge.

Risk analysis and prospective geology in matters of underground storage of the nuclear industrial wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Marsily, G. de; Ledoux, E.; Masure, P.

1983-01-01

The principal choice concerning the radioactive waste management is to bury it in geological formations. To substantiate the validity of this choice and to persuade the public opinion of it, we must assess the risks the future populations may run. It is, therefore, necessary to foresee the behaviour and the interactions of three types of surroundings: 1. the wastes, their packaging and wrappings; 2. the geological system of confinements; 3. the external environment. A review is given of the hypothesis and methods of forecasting used or considered in this field, with a special emphasis on the prospective geology and the probabilistic approaches. (AF)

A Dynamic Programming Model for Optimizing Frequency of Time-Lapse Seismic Monitoring in Geological CO2 Storage

Science.gov (United States)

Bhattacharjya, D.; Mukerji, T.; Mascarenhas, O.; Weyant, J.

2005-12-01

Designing a cost-effective and reliable monitoring program is crucial to the success of any geological CO2 storage project. Effective design entails determining both, the optimal measurement modality, as well as the frequency of monitoring the site. Time-lapse seismic provides the best spatial coverage and resolution for reservoir monitoring. Initial results from Sleipner (Norway) have demonstrated effective monitoring of CO2 plume movement. However, time-lapse seismic is an expensive monitoring technique especially over the long term life of a storage project and should be used judiciously. We present a mathematical model based on dynamic programming that can be used to estimate site-specific optimal frequency of time-lapse surveys. The dynamics of the CO2 sequestration process are simplified and modeled as a four state Markov process with transition probabilities. The states are M: injected CO2 safely migrating within the target zone; L: leakage from the target zone to the adjacent geosphere; R: safe migration after recovery from leakage state; and S: seepage from geosphere to the biosphere. The states are observed only when a monitoring survey is performed. We assume that the system may go to state S only from state L. We also assume that once observed to be in state L, remedial measures are always taken to bring it back to state R. Remediation benefits are captured by calculating the expected penalty if CO2 seeped into the biosphere. There is a trade-off between the conflicting objectives of minimum discounted costs of performing the next time-lapse survey and minimum risk of seepage and its associated costly consequences. A survey performed earlier would spot the leakage earlier. Remediation methods would have been utilized earlier, resulting in savings in costs attributed to excessive seepage. On the other hand, there are also costs for the survey and remedial measures. The problem is solved numerically using Bellman's optimality principal of dynamic

Archaeological analogous and industrials for deep storage: study of the archaeological metallic piece; Analogos arqueologicos e industriales para almacenamientos profundos: estudio de piezas arqueologicas metalicas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Criado Portal, A J; Martinez Garcia, J A; Calabres Molina, R; Garcia abajo, A; Penco Valenzuela, F; Lecanda Esteban, J A; Garcia Bartual, M; Jimenez Gonzalez, J M; Bravo Munoz, E; Rodriguez Lobo, L M; Fernandez Cascos, T; Fernandes Cordero, O; Montero Ruiz, I

2000-07-01

The aim of present research is to obtain information about archaeological analogous of iron and steel, useful for the model of deep geological repository (AGP). The analogous examined have remained buried between 1400 and 2400 years, in very assorted geochemical environments. The extraction of the archaeological pieces has been accomplished according to normalised protocols, trying to carry to the laboratory so the piece as its burial environment, avoiding all possible pollution. Trying to the archaeological analogous could provide valuable information to the AGP model, the study has been directed to related the physical-chemical characteristics of the terrain respect to the deterioration of the archaeological metallic piece. The geology of the surrounding terrain to the archaeological deposit, the geomorphological study of the terrain and data from the analysis of ground: pH, wetness, porosity, organic matter contents, bacteria presence, sulphates, carbonates, chlorides, etc., have allowed to explain the physical-chemical phenomena suffered by the archaeological iron and steel pieces. Also, an exhaustive study of the archaeological piece has been accomplished, concerning the microstructure of the corrosion layer and of the not deteriorated metallic rest. Obtained information concerns different items, such as corrosion velocity and formations of oxide layers, diffusion of chemical elements from the corrosion layer to the metal and viceversa, and structural changes in oxide layers and in the metallic remains by structural ageing. Obtained data have allowed to develop a mathematical model for calculation of corrosion velocity in buried iron and steels, based on physical-chemical variables of grounds, chemical composition and thermomechanical treatment given to the metal during its manufacture. (Author)

Experience in ultimate storage of radwaste, illustrated by the information on geomechanics gained in the Asse storage facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Schmidt, M.W.

1981-01-01

Among the numerous variants of storing radioactive waste in the deep geological underground the storage in appropriate mineral salt formations has a couple of particular advantages. In order to effect research- and development works with regard to a safe secular storage of radioactive wastes, the former mineral salt deposit ASSE was assigned to the GSF in the year 1965. At this test plant storage technologies are developed, tested and the operational efficiency of according technical facilities is demonstrated. As a part of these duties several technical and natural scientific fields like nuclear engineering, mining, geomechanics, geochemistry or hydrogeology are worked in interdisciplinarily. Departing from the existing mine building of the shaft ASSE storage bunkers for low- and intermediate-level radioactive wastes (LAW/MAW) are presented. Accompanying geotechnical investigations are explained. An outlook alludes to an eventually possible development potential of the storage bunker arrangement from the geomechanic view. (orig./HP) [de

The integrated CO{sub 2} pilot in the SW of France (oxycombustion and geological storage) : a potential answer to CO{sub 2} mitigation in bitumen production

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Aimard, N.; Prebende, C. [Total, Pau (France); Cieutat, D.; Sanchez-Molinero, I.; Tsiava, R. [Air Liquide, Jouy-en-Josas (France)

2008-10-15

Carbon capture and storage technologies are promising options in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions in extra heavy oil production fields. The research centre at Total launched an integrated carbon capture and storage project at Lacq in the southwest of France. It involves the conversion of a steam boiler into an oxy-fuel combustion unit. The pilot plant is expected to emit up to 120,000 tons of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) over a 2-year period. The CO{sub 2} rich flue gas will be cleaned up and compressed and the resulting CO{sub 2} will be conveyed via pipeline to a depleted gas field, where it will be injected into a deep carbonate reservoir. This paper demonstrated that oxycombustion could have some advantages compared to post-combustion for CO{sub 2} capture in terms of energy efficiency for steam generation. It discussed a pilot plant whose objectives were to demonstrate the technical feasibility and reliability of an integrated scheme for steam production including CO{sub 2} capture, transportation, injection and storage, at a reduced scale, typically one tenth of future larger scale facilities. This paper also described how to develop and apply geological storage qualification methodologies, monitoring and verification techniques in a real operational situation to prepare future larger scale long term storage projects. It also presented the characteristics of one of the world's first industrial oxy-combustion units, the 30MWth oxy-gas boiler. It was concluded that the Lacq CO{sub 2} pilot project is a unique challenging project as it integrates both industrial CO{sub 2} capture facilities within an existing gas treatment complex with CO{sub 2} compression, transportation, injection and storage into an onshore gas depleted reservoir. 5 refs., 3 tabs., 9 figs.

Generalized geology of the 241-SY Tank Farm

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Price, W.H.; Fecht, K.R.

1976-04-01

A series of maps has been compiled to document the structure and stratigraphy of the sediments underlying the high-level radioactive waste storage tank farms located within the Energy Research and Development Administration Hanford Reservation. The primary purpose of these maps is to provide the basic geologic information to be utilized to evaluate the impact of suspected and confirmed tank leaks

Advantages of dry hardened cask storage over wet storage for spent nuclear fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romanato, Luiz Sergio, E-mail: romanato@ctmsp.mar.mil.b [Centro Tecnologico da Marinha em Sao Paulo (CTMSP), Sao Paulo, SP (Brazil). Dept. da Qualidade

2011-07-01

Pools are generally used to store and maintain spent nuclear fuel assemblies for cooling, after removed from reactors. After three to five years stored in the pools, spent fuel can be reprocessed or sent to a final disposition in a geological repository and handled as radioactive waste or sent to another site waiting for future solution. Spent fuel can be stored in dry or wet installations, depending on the method adopted by the nuclear plant. If this storage were exclusively wet, at the installation decommissioning in the future, another solution for storage will need to be found. Today, after a preliminary cooling, the spent fuel assemblies can be removed from the pool and sent to dry hardened storage installations. This kind of storage does not need complex radiation monitoring and it is safer than wet storage. Brazil has two nuclear reactors in operation, a third reactor is under construction and they use wet spent fuel storage . Dry hardened casks use metal or both metal and concrete for radiation shielding and they are safe, especially during an earthquake. An earthquake struck Japan on March 11, 2011 damaging Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The occurrence of earthquakes in Brazil is very small but dry casks can resist to other events, including terrorist acts, better than pools. This paper shows the advantages of dry hardened cask storage in comparison with the wet storage (water pools) for spent nuclear fuel. (author)

Advantages of dry hardened cask storage over wet storage for spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romanato, Luiz Sergio

2011-01-01

Pools are generally used to store and maintain spent nuclear fuel assemblies for cooling, after removed from reactors. After three to five years stored in the pools, spent fuel can be reprocessed or sent to a final disposition in a geological repository and handled as radioactive waste or sent to another site waiting for future solution. Spent fuel can be stored in dry or wet installations, depending on the method adopted by the nuclear plant. If this storage were exclusively wet, at the installation decommissioning in the future, another solution for storage will need to be found. Today, after a preliminary cooling, the spent fuel assemblies can be removed from the pool and sent to dry hardened storage installations. This kind of storage does not need complex radiation monitoring and it is safer than wet storage. Brazil has two nuclear reactors in operation, a third reactor is under construction and they use wet spent fuel storage . Dry hardened casks use metal or both metal and concrete for radiation shielding and they are safe, especially during an earthquake. An earthquake struck Japan on March 11, 2011 damaging Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. The occurrence of earthquakes in Brazil is very small but dry casks can resist to other events, including terrorist acts, better than pools. This paper shows the advantages of dry hardened cask storage in comparison with the wet storage (water pools) for spent nuclear fuel. (author)

Toward physical aspects affecting a possible leakage of geologically stored CO₂ into the shallow subsurface

DEFF Research Database (Denmark)

Singh, Ashok; Delfs, Jens Olaf; Görke, Uwe Jens

2014-01-01

In geological formations, migration of CO2 plume is very complex and irregular. To make CO2 capture and storage technology feasible, it is important to quantify CO2 amount associated with possible leakage through natural occurring faults and fractures in geologic medium. Present work examines the...

Long-time data storage: relevant time scales

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Elwenspoek, Michael Curt

2011-01-01

Dynamic processes relevant for long-time storage of information about human kind are discussed, ranging from biological and geological processes to the lifecycle of stars and the expansion of the universe. Major results are that life will end ultimately and the remaining time that the earth is

Atmospheric and geological CO2 damage costs in energy scenarios

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Smekens, K.E.L.; Van der Zwaan, B.C.C.

2006-05-01

Geological carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) is currently seriously considered for addressing, in the near term, the problem of climate change. CCS technology is available today and is expected to become an increasingly affordable CO2 abatement alternative. Whereas the rapidly growing scientific literature on CCS as well as experimental and commercial practice demonstrate the technological and economic feasibility of implementing this clean fossil fuel option on a large scale, relatively little attention has been paid so far to the risks and environmental externalities of geological storage of CO2. This paper assesses the effects of including CCS damage costs in a long-term energy scenario analysis for Europe. An external cost sensitivity analysis is performed with a bottom-up energy technology model that accounts not only for CCS technologies but also for their external costs. Our main conclusion is that in a business-as-usual scenario (i.e. without climate change intervention or externality internalisation), CCS technologies are likely to be deployed at least to some extent, mainly in the power generation sector, given the economic benefits of opportunities such as enhanced coal bed methane, oil and gas recovery. Under a strict climate (CO2 emissions) constraint, CCS technologies are deployed massively. With the simultaneous introduction of both CO2 and CCS taxation in the power sector, designed to internalise the external atmospheric and geological effects of CO2 emissions and storage, respectively, we find that CCS will only be developed if the climate change damage costs are at least of the order of 100 euro/t CO2 or the CO2 storage damage costs not more than a few euro/t CO2. When the internalised climate change damage costs are as high as 67 euro/t CO2, the expensive application of CCS to biomass-fuelled power plants (with negative net CO2 emissions) proves the most effective CCS alternative to reduce CO2 emissions, rather than CCS applied to fossil

Storage potential in the deeper subsurface of Baden-Wuerttemberg; Speicherpotenziale im tieferen Untergrund Baden-Wuerttembergs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Fehn, Charlotte; Wirsing, Gunther [Regierungspraesidium Freiburg (Germany). Referat Landeshydrogeologie und -geothermie

2011-07-01

In the framework of the project ''Information system on geological storage formations in Germany - basis for a climate friendly geotechnical and energetic use of the deeper subsurface (Storage Catalogue of Germany)'' coordinated by the Federal Institute of Geosciences and Natural Resources (BGR), the geological surveys of the federal states of Germany have developed potential maps on reservoir rock units and barrier rock units, using nationwide uniform criteria. In Baden-Wuerttemberg, work concentrated on the Molasse Basin and the Upper Rhine Graben. Based on the depth (more than 800 m) and thickness (more than 10 m), in the Molasse Basin potential storage reservoirs become apparent in the so called Bausteinschichten (Untere Meeresmolasse, Tertiary), Eisensandstein-Formation (Middle Jurassic) and Stubensandstein-Formation (Upper Keuper). In the Upper Rhine Graben storage potential occurs mainly in the Tertiary (Niederroedern-Formation, Grau Mergel-Formation und Pechelbronn- and Lymnaeenmergel-Formation), in the Muschelkalk, the Buntsandstein and the Rotliegend/Upper Carboniferous. Mapping methodology and the available data base only allow a general view of distribution of storage potential and cap rock. The assessment is complicated by an inhomogeneous lithologic structure of stratigraphic units, the forecast of their regional continuity and the complexity of the investigated areas in terms of geology and tectonics. The latter applies especially to the Upper Rhine Graben restricting its suitability as storage site. More differentiated conclusions concerning the lithology, the extension and net thickness of storage reservoirs and cap rocks, their sealing capacity as well as the identification of trapping structures can only be achieved by further studies. (orig.)

Environmental non-government organizations' perceptions of geologic sequestration

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wong-Parodi, Gabrielle; Ray, Isha; Farrell, Alexander E

2008-01-01

Environmental non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been influential in shaping public perceptions of environmental problems, their causes and potential solutions. Over the last decade, carbon capture and storage (CCS) has emerged as a potentially important technological response to climate change. In this paper we investigate how leading US NGOs perceive geologic sequestration, a potentially controversial part of CCS. We examine how and why their perceptions and strategies might differ, and if and how they plan to shape public perceptions of geologic sequestration. We approach these questions through semi-structured interviews with representatives from a range of NGOs, supplemented by content analysis of their documents. We find that while all the NGOs are committed to combating climate change, their views on CCS as a mitigation strategy vary considerably. We find that these views are correlated with NGOs' histories of activism and advocacy, as well as with their sources of funding. Overall, most of these NGOs accept the necessity of geologic sequestration, while only a small fraction do not

Department of Energy report on fee for spent nuclear fuel storage and disposal services

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-10-01

Since the July 1978 publication of an estimated fee for storage and disposal, several changes have occurred in the parameters which impact the spent fuel fee. DOE has mounted a diversified program of geologic investigations that will include locating and characterizing a number of potential repository sites in a variety of different geologic environments with diverse rock types. As a result, the earliest operation date of a geologic repository is now forecast for 1997. Finally, expanded spent fuel storage capabilities at reactors have reduced the projected quantities of fuel to be stored and disposed of. The current estimates for storage and disposal are presented. This fee has been developed from DOE program information on spent fuel storage requirements, facility availability, facility cost estimates, and research and development programs. The discounted cash flow technique has used the most recent estimates of cost of borrowing by the Federal Government. This estimate has also been used in calculating the Federal charge for uranium enrichment services. A prepayment of a percentage of the storage portion of the fee is assumed to be required 5 years before spent fuel delivery. These funds and the anticipated $300 million in US Treasury borrowing authority should be sufficient to finance the acquisition of storage facilities. Similarly, a prepayment of a percentage of the disposal portion would be collected at the same time and would be used to offset disposal research and development expenditures. The balance of the storage and disposal fees will be collected upon spent fuel delivery. If disposal costs are different from what was estimated, there will be a final adjustment of the disposal portion of the fee when the spent fuel is shipped from the AFR for permanent disposal. Based on current spent fuel storage requirements, at least a 30 percent prepayment of the fee will be required

Potential hazards of compressed air energy storage in depleted natural gas reservoirs.

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Cooper, Paul W.; Grubelich, Mark Charles; Bauer, Stephen J.

2011-09-01

This report is a preliminary assessment of the ignition and explosion potential in a depleted hydrocarbon reservoir from air cycling associated with compressed air energy storage (CAES) in geologic media. The study identifies issues associated with this phenomenon as well as possible mitigating measures that should be considered. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) in geologic media has been proposed to help supplement renewable energy sources (e.g., wind and solar) by providing a means to store energy when excess energy is available, and to provide an energy source during non-productive or low productivity renewable energy time periods. Presently, salt caverns represent the only proven underground storage used for CAES. Depleted natural gas reservoirs represent another potential underground storage vessel for CAES because they have demonstrated their container function and may have the requisite porosity and permeability; however reservoirs have yet to be demonstrated as a functional/operational storage media for compressed air. Specifically, air introduced into a depleted natural gas reservoir presents a situation where an ignition and explosion potential may exist. This report presents the results of an initial study identifying issues associated with this phenomena as well as possible mitigating measures that should be considered.

18 CFR 157.213 - Underground storage field facilities.

Science.gov (United States)

2010-04-01

... the storage reservoir boundary, as defined by fluid contacts or natural geological barriers; the... REGULATORY COMMISSION, DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY REGULATIONS UNDER NATURAL GAS ACT APPLICATIONS FOR CERTIFICATES... 7 OF THE NATURAL GAS ACT Interstate Pipeline Blanket Certificates and Authorization Under Section 7...

Management and storage of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Faussat, A.

1995-01-01

Management of radioactive waste is a matter of public concern. Such management, however, is today handled industrially in France, and when these techniques are well applied, its is possible to create storage centres. Waste having a short half-life is now stored in the Centre de l'Aube, which replaces the one begun in 1969 in the Department de la Manche. For waste with a long half-life, following the law passed in 1991, ANDRA is pursuing its programme of site prospecting to establish two underground laboratories for studying geological storage. (author). 2 figs., 1 tab

Interactions Between Stratigraphy and Interfacial Properties on Flow and Trapping in Geologic Carbon Storage

Science.gov (United States)

Liang, Bo; Clarens, Andres F.

2018-01-01

Gas leakage from geologic carbon storage sites could undermine the long-term goal of reducing emissions to the atmosphere and negatively impact groundwater resources. Despite this, there remain uncertainties associated with the transport processes that would govern this leakage. These stem from the complex interaction between governing forces (e.g., gravitational, viscous, and capillary), the heterogeneous nature of the porous media, and the characteristic length scales of these leakage events, all of which impact the CO2 fluid flow processes. Here we assessed how sub-basin-scale horizons in porous media could impact the migration and trapping of a CO2 plume. A high-pressure column packed with two layers of sand with different properties (e.g., grain size and wettability) was used to create a low-contrast stratigraphic horizon. CO2 in supercritical or liquid phase was injected into the bottom of the column under various conditions (e.g., temperature, pressure, and capillary number) and the transport of the resulting plume was recorded using electrical resistivity. The results show that CO2 trapping was most strongly impacted by shifting the wettability balance to mixed-wet conditions, particularly for residual saturation. A 16% increase in the cosine of the contact angle for a mixed-wet sand resulted in nearly twice as much residual trapping. Permeability contrast, pressure, and temperature also impacted the residual saturation but to a lesser extent. Flow rate affected the dynamics of saturation profile development, but the effect is transient, suggesting that the other effects observed here could apply to a broad range of leakage conditions.

Modelling of the Duero Sedimentary Basin and Selection of Deep Favourable Geological Formations for Supercritical CO{sub 2} Storage; Modelizacion del Subsuelo de la Cuenca del Duero y Seleccion de Formaciones Favorables para el Almacenamiento de CO{sub 2} en Estado Supercritico

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Prado, A. J.; Perez del Villar, L.; Pelayo, M.; Recreo, F.

2008-04-10

Currently, the Deep Geological Storage is the internationally most accepted option to store CO{sub 2}, whose main goal is to reduce the CO{sub 2} emissions to the atmosphere. This work, which has been carried out in the frame of The Strategic Singular Project entitled: CO{sub 2} generation, capture and storage advanced technologies summarizes a general methodology focused on the selection and modelling of favourable formations to store CO{sub 2} and to estimate their storage capacity. To conclude, the Duero basin suitability to allocate a CO{sub 2} storage plant has been quantified by integrating the Multi-criteria Evaluation Methods with the corresponding developed Geographical Information Systems. (Author) 45 refs.

Research Project on CO2 Geological Storage and Groundwater Resources: Water Quality Effects Caused by CO2 Intrusion into Shallow Groundwater

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Birkholzer, Jens; Apps, John; Zheng, Liange; Zhang, Yingqi; Xu, Tianfu; Tsang, Chin-Fu

2008-10-01

One promising approach to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is injecting CO{sub 2} into suitable geologic formations, typically depleted oil/gas reservoirs or saline formations at depth larger than 800 m. Proper site selection and management of CO{sub 2} storage projects will ensure that the risks to human health and the environment are low. However, a risk remains that CO{sub 2} could migrate from a deep storage formation, e.g. via local high-permeability pathways such as permeable faults or degraded wells, and arrive in shallow groundwater resources. The ingress of CO{sub 2} is by itself not typically a concern to the water quality of an underground source of drinking water (USDW), but it will change the geochemical conditions in the aquifer and will cause secondary effects mainly induced by changes in pH, in particular the mobilization of hazardous inorganic constituents present in the aquifer minerals. Identification and assessment of these potential effects is necessary to analyze risks associated with geologic sequestration of CO{sub 2}. This report describes a systematic evaluation of the possible water quality changes in response to CO{sub 2} intrusion into aquifers currently used as sources of potable water in the United States. Our goal was to develop a general understanding of the potential vulnerability of United States potable groundwater resources in the event of CO{sub 2} leakage. This goal was achieved in two main tasks, the first to develop a comprehensive geochemical model representing typical conditions in many freshwater aquifers (Section 3), the second to conduct a systematic reactive-transport modeling study to quantify the effect of CO{sub 2} intrusion into shallow aquifers (Section 4). Via reactive-transport modeling, the amount of hazardous constituents potentially mobilized by the ingress of CO{sub 2} was determined, the fate and migration of these constituents in the groundwater was predicted, and the likelihood that drinking water

Large temporal scale and capacity subsurface bulk energy storage with CO2

Science.gov (United States)

Saar, M. O.; Fleming, M. R.; Adams, B. M.; Ogland-Hand, J.; Nelson, E. S.; Randolph, J.; Sioshansi, R.; Kuehn, T. H.; Buscheck, T. A.; Bielicki, J. M.

2017-12-01

Decarbonizing energy systems by increasing the penetration of variable renewable energy (VRE) technologies requires efficient and short- to long-term energy storage. Very large amounts of energy can be stored in the subsurface as heat and/or pressure energy in order to provide both short- and long-term (seasonal) storage, depending on the implementation. This energy storage approach can be quite efficient, especially where geothermal energy is naturally added to the system. Here, we present subsurface heat and/or pressure energy storage with supercritical carbon dioxide (CO2) and discuss the system's efficiency, deployment options, as well as its advantages and disadvantages, compared to several other energy storage options. CO2-based subsurface bulk energy storage has the potential to be particularly efficient and large-scale, both temporally (i.e., seasonal) and spatially. The latter refers to the amount of energy that can be stored underground, using CO2, at a geologically conducive location, potentially enabling storing excess power from a substantial portion of the power grid. The implication is that it would be possible to employ centralized energy storage for (a substantial part of) the power grid, where the geology enables CO2-based bulk subsurface energy storage, whereas the VRE technologies (solar, wind) are located on that same power grid, where (solar, wind) conditions are ideal. However, this may require reinforcing the power grid's transmission lines in certain parts of the grid to enable high-load power transmission from/to a few locations.

Crucial thermophysical mechanisms for the safety of CO{sub 2} geological storage; Mecanismes thermophysiques determinant la securite du stockage geologique du CO{sub 2}

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Chiquet, P

2006-09-15

CO{sub 2} underground storage as an option for reducing greenhouse gases emissions consists of trapping industrial CO{sub 2} and injecting it into deep geological formations such as saline aquifers and hydrocarbons reservoirs. This study aims at assessing leakage processes and evaluating storage capacities. To this end, two leakage phenomena were considered, cap-rock capillary breakthrough and diffusional transport. The former involves interfacial properties of the brine/CO{sub 2}/mineral system: brine/CO{sub 2} interfacial tension and rock wettability under dense CO{sub 2}. Chapter one presents a series of IFT measurements performed at temperatures and pressures up to 4 5 MPa-110 C. Results show a great decrease of IFT with pressure in the 0-to-20 MPa range beyond what it tends to stabilize at values in the order of 25-30 mN.m{sup -1}. Chapter two deals with rock wettability. Dynamic contact angles were measured on muscovite mica and quartz up to 10 MPa. Results highlight an alteration of wettability with pressure that was accounted for by means of a DLVO based model. Direct capillary entry pressures on a clay stone sample are proposed in chapter three. Diffusion, is treated in chapter four. We used the Taylor dispersion method to measure D up to 40 MPa. Results indicate low values in the order of 2.10{sup -9} m{sup 2}.s{sup -1}. Chapter five discusses the consequences of the previous parameters in terms of storage capacity. (author)

Geologic studies of the Columbia Plateau: a status report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Myers, C.W.; Price, S.M.

1979-10-01

The results of recent geologic studies of the Columbia Plateau, with emphasis on work completed under the Basalt Waste Isolation Project, Rockwell Hanford Operations, are summarized in this report. Geologic studies were performed mostly during the period from 1977 to 1979. The major objective of these studies was to examine the feasibility of using deep underground tunnels mined into Columbia River basalt beneath the Hanford Site for final storage of nuclear waste. The results are presented in four chapters: Introduction; Regional Geology; Pasco Basin Geology; and Seismicity and Tectonics. Results from surface mapping and remote sensing studies in the Washington State portion of the Columbia Plateau are presented in the Regional Geology chapter. Results from surface mapping, borehole studies, and geophysical surveys in the Pasco Basin are presented in the Pasco Basin Geology chapter. Results that relate to the tectonic stability of the Pasco Basin and Columbia Plateau and discussion of findings from earthquake monitoring in the region for the past ten years are summarized in the Seismicity and Tectonics chapter. A volume of Appendices is included. This volume contains a description of study tasks, a description of the methodology used in geophysical surveys the geophysical survey results, a summary of earthquake records in eastern Washington, a description of tectonic provinces, and a preliminary description of the regional tectonic setting of the Columbia Plateau

Technical support for GEIS: radioactive waste isolation in geologic formations. Volume 10. Repository preconceptual design studies: granite

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-04-01

This volume, Volume 10 ''Repository Preconceptual Design Studies: Granite,'' is one of a 23-volume series, ''Technical Support for GEIS: Radioactive Waste Isolation in Geologic Formations,'' Y/OWI/TM-36, which supplements the ''Contribution to Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Commercial Waste Management: Radioactive Waste Isolation in Geologic Formations,'' Y/OWI/TM-44. The series provides a more complete technical basis for the preconceptual designs, resource requirements, and environmental source terms associated with isolating commercial LWR wastes in underground repositories in salt, granite, shale and basalt. Wastes are considered from three fuel cycles: uranium and plutonium recycling, no recycling of spent fuel and uranium-only recycling. This document describes a preconceptual design for a nuclear waste storage facility in granite. The facility design consists of several chambers excavated deep within a geologic formation together with access shafts and supportive surface structures. The facility design provides for: receiving and unloading waste containers; lowering them down shafts to the mine level; transporting them to the proper storage area, and emplacing them in mined storage rooms. Drawings of the facility design are contained in TM-36/11, ''Drawings for Repository Preconceptual Design Studies: Granite.''

Technical support for GEIS: radioactive waste isolation in geologic formations. Volume 8. Repository preconceptual design studies: salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-04-01

This volume, Volume 8 ''Repository Preconceptual Design Studies: Salt,'' is one of a 23-volume series, ''Technical Support for GEIS: Radioactive Waste Isolation in Geologic Formations,'' Y/OWI/TM-36, which supplements the ''Contribution to Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Commercial Waste Management: Radioactive Waste Isolation in Geologic Formations,'' Y/OWI/TM-44. The series provides a more complete technical basis for the preconceptual designs, resource requirements, and environmental source terms associated with isolating commercial LWR wastes in underground repositories in salt, granite, shale and basalt. Wastes are considered from three fuel cycles: uranium and plutonium recycling, no recycling of spent fuel and uranium-only recycling. This document describes a preconceptual design for a nuclear waste storage facility in salt. The facility design consists of several chambers excavated deep within a geologic formation together with access shafts and supportive surface structures. The facility design provides for: receiving and unloading waste containers; lowering them down shafts to the mine level; transporting them to the proper storage area, and emplacing them in mined storage rooms. Drawings of the facility design are contained in TM-36/9, ''Drawings for Repository Preconceptual Design Studies: Salt.''

Regional Opportunities for Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage in China: A Comprehensive CO2 Storage Cost Curve and Analysis of the Potential for Large Scale Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage in the People’s Republic of China

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Dahowski, Robert T.; Li, Xiaochun; Davidson, Casie L.; Wei, Ning; Dooley, James J.

2009-12-01

This study presents data and analysis on the potential for carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) technologies to deploy within China, including a survey of the CO2 source fleet and potential geologic storage capacity. The results presented here indicate that there is significant potential for CCS technologies to deploy in China at a level sufficient to deliver deep, sustained and cost-effective emissions reductions for China over the course of this century.

Overview of the regional geology of the Paradox Basin Study Region

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1983-03-01

The Geologic Project Manager for the Paradox Basin Salt Region (PBSR), Woodward-Clyde Consultants, has conducted geologic studies to characterize the region and evaluate selected geologic formations as potential repositories for the storage and disposal of nuclear waste. Evaluations have been made from the standpoint of engineering feasibility, safety, public health, and resource conflicts. The Regulatory Project Manager for the PBSR, Bechtel National, Inc., has performed environmental characterizations to ensure that data on ecological, socioeconomic, and other environmental factors required by the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 are considered. This report characterizes, at a regional overview level of detail, the Paradox Basin Study Region Geology. Information sources include the published literature, field trip guidebooks, open file data of the US Geological Survey (USGC) and Utah Geologic and Mineral Survey, university theses, Geo-Ref Computer Search, and various unpublished sources of subsurface data such as well logs. Existing information has been synthesized and characterized. No field work was conducted as part of this study. Where possible, attempts were made to evaluate the data. All results of this study are subject to change as more data become available

Parametric study of geohydrologic performance characteristics for geologic waste repositories

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bailey, C.E.; Marine, I.W.

1980-11-01

One of the major objectives of the National Waste Terminal Storage Program is to identify potential geologic sites for storage and isolation of radioactive waste (and possibly irradiated fuel). Potential sites for the storage and isolation of radioactive waste or spent fuel in a geologic rock unit are being carefully evaluated to ensure that radionuclides from the stored waste or fuel will never appear in the biosphere in amounts that would constitute a hazard to the health and safety of the public. The objective of this report is to quantify and present in graphical form the effects of significant geohydrologic and other performance characteristics that would influence the movement of radionuclides from a storage site in a rock unit to the biosphere. The effort in this study was focused on transport by groundwater because that is the most likely method of radionuclide escape. Graphs of the major performance characteristics that influence the transport of radionuclides from a repository to the biosphere by groundwater are presented. The major characteristics addressed are radioactive decay, leach rate, hydraulic conductivity, porosity, groundwater gradient, hydrodynamic dispersion, ion exchange, and distance to the biosphere. These major performance characteristics are combind with each other and with the results of certain other combinations and presented in graphical form to provide the interrelationships of values measured during field studies. The graphical form of presentation should be useful in the screening process of site selection. An appendix illustrates the use of these graphs to assess the suitability of a site

Considerations for Disposition of Dry Cask Storage System Materials at End of Storage System Life

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Howard, Rob; Van den Akker, Bret

2014-01-01

Dry cask storage systems are deployed at nuclear power plants for used nuclear fuel (UNF) storage when spent fuel pools reach their storage capacity and/or the plants are decommissioned. An important waste and materials disposition consideration arising from the increasing use of these systems is the management of the dry cask storage systems' materials after the UNF proceeds to disposition. Thermal analyses of repository design concepts currently under consideration internationally indicate that waste package sizes for the geologic media under consideration may be significantly smaller than the canisters being used for on-site dry storage by the nuclear utilities. Therefore, at some point along the UNF disposition pathway, there could be a need to repackage fuel assemblies already loaded into the dry storage canisters currently in use. In the United States, there are already over 1650 of these dry storage canisters deployed and approximately 200 canisters per year are being loaded at the current fleet of commercial nuclear power plants. There is about 10 cubic meters of material from each dry storage canister system that will need to be dispositioned. The concrete horizontal storage modules or vertical storage overpacks will need to be reused, re-purposed, recycled, or disposed of in some manner. The empty metal storage canister/cask would also have to be cleaned, and decontaminated for possible reuse or recycling or disposed of, likely as low-level radioactive waste. These material disposition options can have impacts of the overall used fuel management system costs. This paper will identify and explore some of the technical and interface considerations associated with managing the dry cask storage system materials. (authors)

Simulation of CO2–water–rock interactions on geologic CO2 sequestration under geological conditions of China

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wang, Tianye; Wang, Huaiyuan; Zhang, Fengjun; Xu, Tianfu

2013-01-01

Highlights: • We determined the feasibilities of geologic CO 2 sequestration in China. • We determined the formation of gibbsite suggested CO 2 can be captured by rocks. • We suggested the mechanisms of CO 2 –water–rock interactions. • We found the corrosion and dissolution of the rock increased as temperature rose. -- Abstract: The main purpose of this study focused on the feasibility of geologic CO 2 sequestration within the actual geological conditions of the first Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project in China. This study investigated CO 2 –water–rock interactions under simulated hydrothermal conditions via physicochemical analyses and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Mass loss measurement and SEM showed that corrosion of feldspars, silica, and clay minerals increased with increasing temperature. Corrosion of sandstone samples in the CO 2 -containing fluid showed a positive correlation with temperature. During reaction at 70 °C, 85 °C, and 100 °C, gibbsite (an intermediate mineral product) formed on the sample surface. This demonstrated mineral capture of CO 2 and supported the feasibility of geologic CO 2 sequestration. Chemical analyses suggested a dissolution–reprecipitation mechanism underlying the CO 2 –water–rock interactions. The results of this study suggested that mineral dissolution, new mineral precipitation, and carbonic acid formation-dissociation are closely interrelated in CO 2 –water–rock interactions

Comparison of monitoring technologies for CO2 storage and radioactive waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ryu, Jihun; Koh, Yongkwon; Choi, Jongwon; Lee, Jongyoul

2013-01-01

The monitoring techniques used in radioactive waste disposal have fundamentals of geology, hydrogeology, geochemistry etc, which could be applied to CO 2 sequestration. Large and diverse tools are available to monitoring methods for radioactive waste and CO 2 storage. They have fundamentals on geophysical and geochemical principles. Many techniques are well established while others are both novel and at an early stage of development. Reliable and cost-effective monitoring will be an important part of making geologic sequestration a safe, effective and acceptable method for radioactive waste disposal and CO 2 storage. In study, we discuss the monitoring techniques and the role of these techniques in providing insight in the risks of radioactive waste disposal and CO 2 sequestration

Report on geologic exploration activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Breslin, J.; Laughon, R.B.; Hall, R.J.; Voss, J.W.

1980-01-01

This report provides an overview of the geological exploration activities being carried out as part of the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program, which has been established by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop the technology and provide the facilities for the safe, environmentally acceptable isolation of civilian high-level and transuranic nuclear wastes, including spent fuel elements, for which the Federal government is responsible. The principal programmatic emphasis is on disposal in mined geologic repositories. Explorations are being conducted or planned in various parts of the country to identify potential sites for such repositories. The work is being undertaken by three separate but coordinated NWTS project elements. Under the Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP), basalt formations underlying DOE's Hanford Reservation are being investigated. Granite, tuff, and shale formations at the DOE Nevada Test Site (NTS) are being similarly studied in the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI). The Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation (ONWI) is investigating domed salt formations in several Gulf Coast states and bedded salt formations in Utah and Texas. The ONWI siting studies are being expanded to include areas overlying crystalline rocks, shales, and other geohydrologic systems. The current status of these NWTS efforts, including the projected budgets for FY 1981, is summarized, and the criteria and methodology being employed in the explorations are described. The consistency of the overall effort with the recommendations presented in the Report to the President by the Interagency Review Group on Nuclear Waste Management (IRG), as well as with documents representing the national technical consensus, is discussed

Report on geologic exploration activities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

This report provides an overview of the geological exploration activities being carried out as part of the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program, which has been established by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to develop the technology and provide the facilities for the safe, environmentally acceptable isolation of civilian high-level and transuranic nuclear wastes, including spent fuel elements, for which the Federal government is reponsible. The principal programmatic emphasis is on disposal in mined geologic repositories. Explorations are being conducted or planned in various parts of the country to identify potential sites for such repositories. The work is being undertaken by three separate but coordinated NWTS project elements. Under the Basalt Waste Isolation Project (BWIP), basalt formations underlying DOE's Hanford Reservation are being investigated. Granite, tuff, and shale formations at the DOE Nevada Test Site (NTS) are being similarly studied in the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigations (NNWSI). The Office of Nuclear Waste Isolation (ONWI) is investigating domed salt formations in several Gulf Coast states and bedded salt formations in Utah and Texas. Th ONWI siting studies are being expanded to include areas overlying crystalline rocks, shales, and other geohydrologic systems. The current status of these NWTS efforts, including the projected budgets for FY 1981, is summarized, and the criteria and methodology being employed in the explorations are described. The consistency of the overall effort with the recommendations presented in the Report to the President by the Interagency Review Group on Nuclear Waste Management (IRG), as well as with documents representing the national technical consensus, is discussed

The U. S. DOE Carbon Storage Program: Status and Future Directions

Science.gov (United States)

Damiani, D.

2016-12-01

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) is taking steps to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions through clean energy innovation, including carbon capture and storage (CCS) research. The Office of Fossil Energy Carbon Storage Program is focused on ensuring the safe and permanent storage and/or utilization of CO2 captured from stationary sources. The Program is developing and advancing geologic storage technologies both onshore and offshore that will significantly improve the effectiveness of CCS, reduce the cost of implementation, and be ready for widespread commercial deployment in the 2025-2035 timeframe. The technology development and field testing conducted through this Program will be used to benefit the existing and future fleet of fossil fuel power generating and industrial facilities by creating tools to increase our understanding of geologic reservoirs appropriate for CO2 storage and the behavior of CO2 in the subsurface. The Program is evaluating the potential for storage in depleted oil and gas reservoirs, saline formations, unmineable coal, organic-rich shale formations, and basalt formations. Since 1997, DOE's Carbon Storage Program has significantly advanced the CCS knowledge base through a diverse portfolio of applied research projects. The Core Storage R&D research component focuses on analytic studies, laboratory, and pilot- scale research to develop technologies that can improve wellbore integrity, increase reservoir storage efficiency, improve management of reservoir pressure, ensure storage permanence, quantitatively assess risks, and identify and mitigate potential release of CO2 in all types of storage formations. The Storage Field Management component focuses on scale-up of CCS and involves field validation of technology options, including large-volume injection field projects at pre-commercial scale to confirm system performance and economics. Future research involves commercial-scale characterization for regionally significant storage locations

Carbon capture and storage (CCS)

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Martin-Amouroux, Jean-Marie

2016-01-01

The author first defines what carbon capture and storage (CCS)is, describes more precisely the various technologies, methods and processes involved in carbon capture, carbon transport, and carbon geological storage. He briefly evokes the various applications and uses of CCS. In the second part, he proposes an overview of advances and deadlocks of CCS in the world, of the status of installations and projects, of the development of capture practices in the industry, of some existing and important storage sites, of some pilot installations developed by various industrial actors in different countries (26 installations in the world). He indicates power stations equipped for CCS (in Canada, USA, United-Kingdom, Netherlands, Norway, China, South Korea and United Arab Emirates). He evokes projects which have been given up or postponed. He proposes an overview of policies implemented in different countries (USA, Canada, European Union, Australia, and others) to promote CCS

A new perspective on catchment storage gained from a nested catchment experiment in Luxembourg (Europe)

Science.gov (United States)

Pfister, Laurent; Klaus, Julian; Hissler, Christophe; François Iffly, Jean; Gourdol, Laurent; Martinez-Carreras, Nuria; McDonnell, Jeffrey J.

2014-05-01

Recent hydrological process research focussed on how much water a catchment can store and how these catchments store and release water. Storage can be a valuable metric for catchment description, inter-comparison, and classification. Further storage controls catchment mixing, non-linearities in rainfall-runoff transformation and eco-hydrological processes. Various methods exist to determine catchment storage (e.g. natural tracer, soil moisture and groundwater data, hydrological models). Today it remains unclear what parts of the catchment storage are measured with the different models. Here we present a new hydrometric approach to answer the question how much water a catchment can store. We tested our approach in a dense hydro-climatological monitoring network that encompasses 16 recording streamgauges and 21 pluviographs in the Alzette River basin in Luxembourg (Europe). Catchment scales are ranging from 0.47 to 285 km2 and they have clean- and mixed combinations of distinct geologies ranging from schists to marls, sandstone, dolomite and limestone. Previous investigations in the area of interest have shown that geology largely controls winter runoff coefficients. Here, we focus at how catchment geology is ultimately affecting catchment storage. We used the approach of Sayama et al. (2011) to compute catchment dynamic storage changes for each winter season over the period 2002-2012 (based on precipitation as input; discharge and evapotranspiration as output). We determined dynamic storage changes for each winter semester (October to March) in all 16 catchments over the period 2002-2012. At the beginning of each hydrological winter season, all catchments showed similar trends in storage change. A few weeks into the winter season, catchments with lowest permeability (e.g. marls) started to plateau. The highest storage values were reached several months later in the season in catchments dominated by permeable substrate (e.g. sandstone). For most catchments, we found

Worldwide databases in marine geology: A review

Digital Repository Service at National Institute of Oceanography (India)

Kunte, P.D.

such as image capturing, multimedia and geographic information system (GIS) should be utilized. Information managers need to collaborate with subject experts in order to maintain the high quality of the databases. 1. Introduction With the advent of computer...-DOS and Macintosh $ 56 MS-DOS P. D. KunteJMarine Geology 122 (1995) 263-275 coordination between the information providers and management centres. Within the databases there is no uniformity in the structure, storage and operating systems. Every producer...

The potential of near-surface geophysical methods in a hierarchical monitoring approach for the detection of shallow CO2 seeps at geological storage sites

Science.gov (United States)

Sauer, U.; Schuetze, C.; Dietrich, P.

2013-12-01

The MONACO project (Monitoring approach for geological CO2 storage sites using a hierarchic observation concept) aims to find reliable monitoring tools that work on different spatial and temporal scales at geological CO2 storage sites. This integrative hierarchical monitoring approach based on different levels of coverage and resolutions is proposed as a means of reliably detecting CO2 degassing areas at ground surface level and for identifying CO2 leakages from storage formations into the shallow subsurface, as well as CO2 releases into the atmosphere. As part of this integrative hierarchical monitoring concept, several methods and technologies from ground-based remote sensing (Open-path Fourier-transform infrared (OP-FTIR) spectroscopy), regional measurements (near-surface geophysics, chamber-based soil CO2 flux measurement) and local in-situ measurements (using shallow boreholes) will either be combined or used complementary to one another. The proposed combination is a suitable concept for investigating CO2 release sites. This also presents the possibility of adopting a modular monitoring concept whereby our monitoring approach can be expanded to incorporate other methods in various coverage scales at any temporal resolution. The link between information obtained from large-scale surveys and local in-situ monitoring can be realized by sufficient geophysical techniques for meso-scale monitoring, such as geoelectrical and self-potential (SP) surveys. These methods are useful for characterizing fluid flow and transport processes in permeable near-surface sedimentary layers and can yield important information concerning CO2-affected subsurface structures. Results of measurements carried out a natural analogue site in the Czech Republic indicate that the hierarchical monitoring approach represents a successful multidisciplinary modular concept that can be used to monitor both physical and chemical processes taking place during CO2 migration and seepage. The

Bedrock geologic map of the Yucca Mountain area, Nye County, Nevada

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Day, W.C.; Potter, C.J.; Sweetkind, D.S.; Fridrich, C.J.; Dickerson, R.P.; San Juan, C.A.; Drake, R.M. II

1998-01-01

Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada, has been identified as a potential site for underground storage of high-level radioactive nuclear waste. Detailed bedrock geologic maps form an integral part of the site characterization program by providing the fundamental framework for research into the geologic hazards and hydrologic behavior of the mountain. This bedrock geologic map provides the geologic framework and structural setting for the area in and adjacent to the site of the potential repository. The study area comprises the northern and central parts of Yucca Mountain, located on the southern flank of the Timber Mountain-Oasis Valley caldera complex, which was the source for many of the volcanic units in the area. The Timber Mountain-Oasis Valley caldera complex is part of the Miocene southwestern Nevada volcanic field, which is within the Walker Lane belt. This tectonic belt is a northwest-striking megastructure lying between the more active Inyo-Mono and Basin-and-Range subsections of the southwestern Great Basin

Bedrock geologic map of the Yucca Mountain area, Nye County, Nevada

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Day, W.C.; Potter, C.J.; Sweetkind, D.S.; Fridrich, C.J. [Geological Survey, Denver, CO (US); Dickerson, R.P.; San Juan, C.A.; Drake, R.M. II [Pacific Western Technologies, Inc., Denver, CO (US)

1998-11-01

Yucca Mountain, Nye County, Nevada, has been identified as a potential site for underground storage of high-level radioactive nuclear waste. Detailed bedrock geologic maps form an integral part of the site characterization program by providing the fundamental framework for research into the geologic hazards and hydrologic behavior of the mountain. This bedrock geologic map provides the geologic framework and structural setting for the area in and adjacent to the site of the potential repository. The study area comprises the northern and central parts of Yucca Mountain, located on the southern flank of the Timber Mountain-Oasis Valley caldera complex, which was the source for many of the volcanic units in the area. The Timber Mountain-Oasis Valley caldera complex is part of the Miocene southwestern Nevada volcanic field, which is within the Walker Lane belt. This tectonic belt is a northwest-striking megastructure lying between the more active Inyo-Mono and Basin-and-Range subsections o f the southwestern Great Basin.

Optimizing and Quantifying CO₂ Storage Resource in Saline Formations and Hydrocarbon Reservoirs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bosshart, Nicholas W. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Folks, ND (United States). Energy & Environmental Research Center; Ayash, Scott C. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Folks, ND (United States). Energy & Environmental Research Center; Azzolina, Nicholas A. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Folks, ND (United States). Energy & Environmental Research Center; Peck, Wesley D. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Folks, ND (United States). Energy & Environmental Research Center; Gorecki, Charles D. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Folks, ND (United States). Energy & Environmental Research Center; Ge, Jun [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Folks, ND (United States). Energy & Environmental Research Center; Jiang, Tao [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Folks, ND (United States). Energy & Environmental Research Center; Burton-Kelly, Matthew E. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Folks, ND (United States). Energy & Environmental Research Center; Anderson, Parker W. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Folks, ND (United States). Energy & Environmental Research Center; Dotzenrod, Neil W. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Folks, ND (United States). Energy & Environmental Research Center; Gorz, Andrew J. [Univ. of North Dakota, Grand Folks, ND (United States). Energy & Environmental Research Center

2017-06-30

In an effort to reduce carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions from large stationary sources, carbon capture and storage (CCS) is being investigated as one approach. This work assesses CO₂ storage resource estimation methods for deep saline formations (DSFs) and hydrocarbon reservoirs undergoing CO₂ enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Project activities were conducted using geologic modeling and simulation to investigate CO₂ storage efficiency. CO₂ storage rates and efficiencies in DSFs classified by interpreted depositional environment were evaluated at the regional scale over a 100-year time frame. A focus was placed on developing results applicable to future widespread commercial-scale CO₂ storage operations in which an array of injection wells may be used to optimize storage in saline formations. The results of this work suggest future investigations of prospective storage resource in closed or semiclosed formations need not have a detailed understanding of the depositional environment of the reservoir to generate meaningful estimates. However, the results of this work also illustrate the relative importance of depositional environment, formation depth, structural geometry, and boundary conditions on the rate of CO₂ storage in these types of systems. CO₂ EOR occupies an important place in the realm of geologic storage of CO₂, as it is likely to be the primary means of geologic CO₂ storage during the early stages of commercial implementation, given the lack of a national policy and the viability of the current business case. This work estimates CO₂ storage efficiency factors using a unique industry database of CO₂ EOR sites and 18 different reservoir simulation models capturing fluvial clastic and shallow shelf carbonate depositional environments for reservoir depths of 1219 and 2438 meters (4000 and 8000 feet) and 7.6-, 20-, and 64-meter (25-, 66

Research and development on radioactive waste management and storage: Third annual progress report (1982) of the European Community programme 1980-1984

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1984-01-01

This book examines the European Community's program for nuclear waste management and storage. Topics considered include the characterization of conditioned low and medium activity waste forms, conditioning of high activity solid waste, treatment and conditioning processes for low and medium activity liquid waste, processing of alpha-contaminated waste, testing and evaluation of solidified high activity waste forms, immobilization and storage of gaseous waste, shallow land burial of solid low activity waste, storage and disposal in geological formations, and the performance and safety evaluation of radioactive waste disposed in geological formations

Factors affecting storage of compressed air in porous-rock reservoirs

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Allen, R.D.; Doherty, T.J.; Erikson, R.L.; Wiles, L.E.

1983-05-01

This report documents a review and evaluation of the geotechnical aspects of porous medium (aquifer) storage. These aspects include geologic, petrologic, geophysical, hydrologic, and geochemical characteristics of porous rock masses and their interactions with compressed air energy storage (CAES) operations. The primary objective is to present criteria categories for the design and stability of CAES in porous media (aquifers). The document will also describe analytical, laboratory, and field-scale investigations that have been conducted.

Iodide and iodate sodalites for the long-term storage of iodine-129

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strachan, D.M.; Babad, H.

1979-01-01

There exist several proposals for the storage of 129 I. None of these propose the use of a mineral with demonstrated geologic stability. The work described in this paper has identified the minerals iodide and iodate sodalites [Na 8 (AlSiO 4 ) 6 I 2 /(IO 3 ) 2 ] as good candidates for the long-term storage of 129 I. 4 tables

Carbon Capture and Storage in the CDM

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

2007-07-01

This publication assesses the policy questions as highlighted in the relevant COP/MOP 2 decision, particularly leaks (or seepage) and permanence for geological storage, project boundaries and liability issues, and leakage, as well as a few others raised by some Parties. Since any emissions or leaks during the separation, capture and transport phases would occur during the crediting period of the project (and would therefore be accounted for as project emissions), the paper focuses its analyses for leaks and liability on storage, as it is in this part of the CCS process that long-term leaks could occur.

''Project Crystal'' for ultimate storage of highly radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1983-01-01

NAGRA (The National Association for storage of radioactive waste) in Baden has launched in North Switzerland an extensive geological research program. The current research program, under the title of ''Project Crystal'', aims at providing the scientific knowledge which is required for the assessment of the suitability of the crystalline sub-soil of North Switzerland for the ultimate storage of highly radioactive waste. Safety and feasibility of such ultimate storage are in the forefront of preoccupations. Scientific institutes of France, Germany, USA and Canada are cooperating more particularly on boring research and laboratory analyses. Technical data are given on the USA and German installations used. (P.F.K.)

Assessing reservoir performance risk in CO2 storage projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bowden, A.R.; Rigg, A.

2005-01-01

One of the main issues for researchers involved with geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) has been the development of a proper methodology to assess and compare alternative CO 2 injection projects on the basis of risk. Consideration needs to be given to technical aspects, such as the risk of leakage and the effectiveness of the intended reservoir, as well as less tangible aspects such as the value and safety of geological storage of CO 2 , and potential impacts on the community and environment. The Geological Disposal of Carbon Dioxide (GEODISC), was a research program of the Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre which identified 56 potential environmentally sustainable sites for CO 2 injection (ESSCIs) within Australia. Several studies were carried out, involving detailed evaluation of the suitability of 4 selected sites, including Dongara, Petrel, Gippsland and Carnarvon. The GEODISC program included a risk assessment research module which required a complete and quantified risk assessment of CO 2 injection as a storage option. Primary goals were to assess the risk of leakage, to assess the effectiveness of the intended reservoir, and to assess negative consequences to facilitate comparison of alternative sites. This paper discussed the background and risk assessment model. Key performance indicators (KPIs) were also developed to address the purpose of risk assessment. It was concluded that the RISQUE method is an appropriate approach and that potential injection projects can be measured against six KPIs including containment; effectiveness; self-funding potential; wider community benefits; community safety and community amenity. 6 refs., 3 tabs., 3 figs

Assessment of Environmental Factors of Geology on Waste and Engineering Barriers for Waste Storage Near Surface

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Arimuladi SP

2007-01-01

Geological environment factors include features and processes occurring within that spatial and temporal (post-closure) domain whose principal effect is to determine the evolution of the physical, chemical, biological and human conditions of the domain that are relevant to estimating the release and migration of radionuclide and consequent exposure to man. Hardness of radioactive waste and engineer barrier can be decrease by environmental factors. Disposal system domain geological environment factors is a category in the International FEP list and is divided into sub-categories. There are 13 sub-factors of geological environment, 12 sub-factors influence hardness of radioactive waste and engineer barrier, thermal processes and conditions in geosphere can be excluded. (author)

Dry spent fuel storage in the 1990's

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Roberts, J.P.

1991-01-01

In the US, for the decade of the 1990's, at-reactor-site dry spent fuel storage has become the predominant option outside of reactor spent fuel pools. This development has resulted from failure, in the 1980's, of a viable reprocessing option for commercial power reactors, and delay in geologic repository development to an operational date at or beyond the year 2010. Concurrently, throughout the 1980's, aggressive technical and regulatory efforts by the Federal Government, coordinated with nuclear industry, have led to successful evolution of dry spent fuel storage as a utility option

Rocky Mountain Regional CO{sub 2} Storage Capacity and Significance

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Laes, Denise; Eisinger, Chris; Esser, Richard; Morgan, Craig; Rauzi, Steve; Scholle, Dana; Matthews, Vince; McPherson, Brian

2013-08-30

The purpose of this study includes extensive characterization of the most promising geologic CO{sub 2} storage formations on the Colorado Plateau, including estimates of maximum possible storage capacity. The primary targets of characterization and capacity analysis include the Cretaceous Dakota Formation, the Jurassic Entrada Formation and the Permian Weber Formation and their equivalents in the Colorado Plateau region. The total CO{sub 2} capacity estimates for the deep saline formations of the Colorado Plateau region range between 9.8 metric GT and 143 metric GT, depending on assumed storage efficiency, formations included, and other factors.

National Waste Terminal Storage Program information meeting, December 7-8, 1976

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1976-01-01

Volume II of the report comprises copies of the slides from the talks presented at the second session of the National Waste Terminal Storage Program information meeting. This session was devoted to geologic studies

The Influence of Hydraulic Fracturing on Carbon Storage Performance

Science.gov (United States)

Fu, Pengcheng; Settgast, Randolph R.; Hao, Yue; Morris, Joseph P.; Ryerson, Frederick J.

2017-12-01

Conventional principles of the design and operation of geologic carbon storage (GCS) require injecting CO2 below the caprock fracturing pressure to ensure the integrity of the storage complex. In nonideal storage reservoirs with relatively low permeability, pressure buildup can lead to hydraulic fracturing of the reservoir and caprock. While the GCS community has generally viewed hydraulic fractures as a key risk to storage integrity, a carefully designed stimulation treatment under appropriate geologic conditions could provide improved injectivity while maintaining overall seal integrity. A vertically contained hydraulic fracture, either in the reservoir rock or extending a limited height into the caprock, provides an effective means to access reservoir volume far from the injection well. Employing a fully coupled numerical model of hydraulic fracturing, solid deformation, and matrix fluid flow, we study the enabling conditions, processes, and mechanisms of hydraulic fracturing during CO2 injection. A hydraulic fracture's pressure-limiting behavior dictates that the near-well fluid pressure is only slightly higher than the fracturing pressure of the rock and is insensitive to injection rate and mechanical properties of the formation. Although a fracture contained solely within the reservoir rock with no caprock penetration, would be an ideal scenario, poroelastic principles dictate that sustaining such a fracture could lead to continuously increasing pressure until the caprock fractures. We also investigate the propagation pattern and injection pressure responses of a hydraulic fracture propagating in a caprock subjected to heterogeneous in situ stress. The results have important implications for the use of hydraulic fracturing as a tool for managing storage performance.

Study of heat diffusion in a granitic geologic formation of high level radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Goldstein, S.; Juignet, N.

1980-06-01

Thermal study of granitic underground storage of vitrified high level radioactive wastes in a regular network of shafts and galleries. The aim is to show influence on temperature rise of the geologic formation of main parameters to define the storage zone and to determine the network dimension in function of the rock properties. Two models were studied allowing a rapid variation of geometrical and physical parameters. A numerical method using finite element method or Green functions were used for calculations. Temperatures are determined either for the whole storage site or a unit cell of the lattice [fr

Reforming fossil fuel use : the merits, costs and risks of carbon dioxide capture and storage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Damen, Kay J.

2007-01-01

The sense of urgency in achieving large reductions in anthropogenic CO2 emissions has increased the interest in carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS). CCS can be defined as the separation and capture of CO2 produced at large stationary sources, followed by transport and storage in geological

Engineering Geology | Alaska Division of Geological & Geophysical Surveys

Science.gov (United States)

Alaska's Mineral Industry Reports AKGeology.info Rare Earth Elements WebGeochem Engineering Geology Alaska content Engineering Geology Additional information Engineering Geology Posters and Presentations Alaska Alaska MAPTEACH Tsunami Inundation Mapping Engineering Geology Staff Projects The Engineering Geology

Assessing Reservoir Depositional Environments to Develop and Quantify Improvements in CO₂ Storage Efficiency. A Reservoir Simulation Approach

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Okwen, Roland [University of Illinois, Champaign, IL (United States); Frailey, Scott [University of Illinois, Champaign, IL (United States); Leetaru, Hannes [University of Illinois, Champaign, IL (United States); Moulton, Sandy [Illinois State Geological Survey, Champaign, IL (United States)

2014-09-30

The storage potential and fluid movement within formations are dependent on the unique hydraulic characteristics of their respective depositional environments. Storage efficiency (E) quantifies the potential for storage in a geologic depositional environment and is used to assess basinal or regional CO₂ storage resources. Current estimates of storage resources are calculated using common E ranges by lithology and not by depositional environment. The objectives of this project are to quantify E ranges and identify E enhancement strategies for different depositional environments via reservoir simulation studies. The depositional environments considered include deltaic, shelf clastic, shelf carbonate, fluvial deltaic, strandplain, reef, fluvial and alluvial, and turbidite. Strategies considered for enhancing E include CO₂ injection via vertical, horizontal, and deviated wells, selective completions, water production, and multi-well injection. Conceptual geologic and geocellular models of the depositional environments were developed based on data from Illinois Basin oil fields and gas storage sites. The geologic and geocellular models were generalized for use in other US sedimentary basins. An important aspect of this work is the development of conceptual geologic and geocellular models that reflect the uniqueness of each depositional environment. Different injection well completions methods were simulated to investigate methods of enhancing E in the presence of geologic heterogeneity specific to a depositional environment. Modeling scenarios included horizontal wells (length, orientation, and inclination), selective and dynamic completions, water production, and multiwell injection. A Geologic Storage Efficiency Calculator (GSECalc) was developed to calculate E from reservoir simulation output. Estimated E values were normalized to diminish their dependency on fluid relative permeability. Classifying depositional environments according to

Geology and hydrology of the proposed Lyons, Kansas, radioactive waste repository site. Final report

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1971-03-01

The five chapters cover: surface geology and ground-water hydrology, status report of 6-month study of subsurface rocks, study of salt sequence, heat transfer, and energy storage and radiation damage effect in rock salt. 64 figures, 9 tables

Dry spent fuel storage licensing

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Sturz, F.C.

1995-01-01

In the US, at-reactor-site dry spent fuel storage in independent spent fuel storage installations (ISFSI) has become the principal option for utilities needing storage capacity outside of the reactor spent fuel pools. Delays in the geologic repository operational date at or beyond 2010, and the increasing uncertainty of the US Department of Energy's (DOE) being able to site and license a Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) facility by 1998 make at-reactor-site dry storage of spent nuclear fuel increasingly desirable to utilities and DOE to meet the need for additional spent fuel storage capacity until disposal, in a repository, is available. The past year has been another busy year for dry spent fuel storage licensing. The licensing staff has been reviewing 7 applications and 12 amendment requests, as well as participating in inspection-related activities. The authors have licensed, on a site-specific basis, a variety of dry technologies (cask, module, and vault). By using certified designs, site-specific licensing is no longer required. Another new cask has been certified. They have received one new application for cask certification and two amendments to a certified cask design. As they stand on the brink of receiving multiple applications from DOE for the MPC, they are preparing to meet the needs of this national program. With the range of technical and licensing options available to utilities, the authors believe that utilities can meet their need for additional spent fuel storage capacity for essentially all reactor sites through the next decade

Using improved technology for widespread application of a geological carbon sequestration study

Science.gov (United States)

Raney, J.

2013-12-01

The Kansas Geological Survey is part of an ongoing collaboration between DOE-NETL, academia, and the petroleum industry to investigate the feasibility of carbon utilization and storage in Kansas. Latest findings in the 25,000 mi2 study area in southern Kansas estimate CO2 storage capacity ranges from 8.8 to 75.5 billion metric tons in a deep Lower Orodovican-age Arbuckle saline aquifer. In addition, an estimated 100 million tonnes of CO2 could be used for extracting additional oil from Kansas' fields, making transitions to carbon management economic. This partnership has a rare opportunity to synchronize abundant, yet previously disseminated knowledge into a cohesive scientific process to optimize sequestration site selection and implementation strategies. Following a thorough characterization, a small-scale CO2 injection of 70,000 tonnes will be implemented in Wellington Field in Sumner County, including a five-plot miscible CO2-EOR flood of a Mississippian reservoir followed by the underlying Arbuckle saline aquifer. Best practices and lessons learned from the field study will improve estimates on CO2 storage capacity, plume migration models, and identify potential leakage pathways to pursue safe and effective geological carbon sequestration at commercial scales. A highly accessible and multifunctional online database is being developed throughout the study that integrates all acquired geological, physical, chemical, and hydrogeologic knowledge. This public database incorporates tens of thousands of data points into easily viewable formats for user downloads. An Interactive Project Map Viewer is a key mechanism to present the scientific research, and will delineate compartment candidates and reservoirs matching reference criteria or user defined attributes. This tool uses a familiar pan and zoom interface to filter regional project data or scale down to detailed digitized information from over 3,300 carefully selected preexisting Kansas wells. A Java-based log

Finland: construction of the first geological storage of the world

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Garcia Neri, E.

2015-01-01

Finland has become the first country in the world granting a construction license for a store deep geological (AGP) for radioactive waste, as reported last November 12 Posiva, the agency management of these materials in the Baltic country. After more than 40 years of research, Posiva begin construction of this facility in Olkiluoto, which will house so end spent fuel generated in power stations Olkiluoto and Loviisa and could start operating in 2023. As noted Janne Mokka, president of Posiva, this pioneering project is not only important for Finland, but for everyone because it is the first AGP enters under construction in the world. (Author)

Public acceptance of CO2 capture and storage technology : a survey of public opinion to explore influential factors

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Itaoka, K.; Saito, A.; Akai, M.

2005-01-01

A potentially effective tool in managing carbon emissions is carbon capture and storage technology (CCS). However, its effectiveness depends on its acceptability by the public, and very little is known about how willing the general public will accept various options of CCS. This paper presented the results of a study that assessed general perceptions of various forms of CCS and identified various factors that influence public acceptance of CCS. Two versions of a survey were administered and conducted in Tokyo and Sapporo, Japan in December 2003. The paper discussed the design of the questionnaire as well as the administration of the survey. One version of the survey provided limited education about CCS, while another version, provided more extensive information about CCS. The data analysis methodology was also described with reference to factor analysis, comparisons of means and rank order distributions, and multiple regression. Last, the study findings and results were presented. The findings suggest that the general public was supportive of CCS as part of a larger national climate policy, although it was opposed to the implementation of specific CCS options involving deep-sea dilution option of ocean storage, lake type option of ocean storage, onshore option of geological storage, and offshore option of geological storage. In addition, it was found that education about CCS affected public acceptance. The more information respondents obtained about CCS, the more likely they were to be supportive of those storage options, except for onshore option of geological storage. 4 refs., 3 tabs

Ethics and the storage of long-life radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strohl, P.

1999-01-01

This article deals with the ethical aspects of nuclear waste storage. The different solutions: transmutation, sub-surface storage and deep geological storage are reviewed from this point of view. Reversibility means for future generations the possibility to recover stored waste packages, this recovery could be motivated by various reasons based on: scientific progress, the valorization of some nuclides, the recovery of energy in spent fuels or the underestimation of a risk in the safety analysis. Reversibility could also be a political argument to convince population repelled by the solution of a definitive choice. It appears that our technological choices do not have to assure both reversibility and definitive storage, this possibility would give to future generations the possibility to do something or to do nothing, it is beyond our moral obligations. (A.C.)

Bibliography with abstracts of geological literature pertaining to southern Nevada with particular reference to the Nevada Test Site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Connolly, J.R.; Hicks, R.T.; Emmanuel, K.M.; Cappon, J.P.; Sinnock, S.

1983-05-01

This bibliography (with abstracts) of geological literature pertains to the Nevada Test Site and its southern Nevada environs. Its purpose is to provide a convenient, general reference document for published geological information potentially useful for radioactive waste studies conducted by the Nevada Nuclear Waste Storage Investigation project at the Nevada Test Site. It is organized so that users of geological information about southern Nevada may find subject matter in their areas or topics of interest. The most current published literature included is dated 1980

Risk Assessment of Geologic Formation Sequestration in The Rocky Mountain Region, USA

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lee, Si-Yong; McPherson, Brian

2013-08-01

The purpose of this report is to describe the outcome of a targeted risk assessment of a candidate geologic sequestration site in the Rocky Mountain region of the USA. Specifically, a major goal of the probabilistic risk assessment was to quantify the possible spatiotemporal responses for Area of Review (AoR) and injection-induced pressure buildup associated with carbon dioxide (CO₂) injection into the subsurface. Because of the computational expense of a conventional Monte Carlo approach, especially given the likely uncertainties in model parameters, we applied a response surface method for probabilistic risk assessment of geologic CO₂ storage in the Permo-Penn Weber formation at a potential CCS site in Craig, Colorado. A site-specific aquifer model was built for the numerical simulation based on a regional geologic model.

Extending Spent Fuel Storage until Transport for Reprocessing or Disposal

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Carlsen, Brett; Chiguer, Mustapha; Grahn, Per; Sampson, Michele; Wolff, Dietmar; Bevilaqua, Arturo; Wasinger, Karl; Saegusa, Toshiari; Seelev, Igor

2016-09-01

Spent fuel (SF) must be stored until an end point such as reprocessing or geologic disposal is imple-mented. Selection and implementation of an end point for SF depends upon future funding, legisla-tion, licensing and other factors that cannot be predicted with certainty. Past presumptions related to the availability of an end point have often been wrong and resulted in missed opportunities for properly informing spent fuel management policies and strategies. For example, dry cask storage systems were originally conceived to free up needed space in reactor spent fuel pools and also to provide SFS of up to 20 years until reprocessing and/or deep geological disposal became available. Hundreds of dry cask storage systems are now employed throughout the world and will be relied upon well beyond the originally envisioned design life. Given present and projected rates for the use of nuclear power coupled with projections for SF repro-cessing and disposal capacities, one concludes that SF storage will be prolonged, potentially for several decades. The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has recently considered 300 years of storage to be appropriate for the characterization and prediction of ageing effects and ageing management issues associated with extending SF storage and subsequent transport. This paper encourages addressing the uncertainty associated with the duration of SF storage by de-sign – rather than by default. It suggests ways that this uncertainty may be considered in design, li-censing, policy, and strategy decisions and proposes a framework for safely extending spent fuel storage until SF can be transported for reprocessing or disposal – regardless of how long that may be. The paper however is not intended to either encourage or facilitate needlessly extending spent fuel storage durations. Its intent is to ensure a design and safety basis with sufficient margin to accommodate the full range of potential future scenarios. Although the focus is primarily on

Potential storage and/or disposal strategies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lioure, A.

2002-01-01

The long-term management of substances produced by nuclear power plants has become a major challenge for society. One of the options is to dispose of ultimate waste, or even whole spent fuel, in geological structures with reversibility potential. Another option, which may precede this, is storage, which is already the interim solution adopted by the industry. CEA has started to demonstrate that standardized storage is feasible over centuries for all types of objects (spent fuel, packages of vitrified waste, forthcoming packages resulting from advanced separation) in heavy-duty, passive near-surface or subsurface facilities. The finer details of some technical arrangements as well as the cost of these stores remain to be worked out. (author)

General safety guidelines for looking for a low mass activity-long life waste storage site

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2008-01-01

The objective of this document is to define general guidelines which must be followed during the stages of search for a site and stages of design of a storage facility for low activity-long life radioactive wastes, in order to ensure its safety after closure. After having specified the considered wastes, geological shapes, and situations, this document defines the fundamental objective and the associated criteria (protection against chemical risk, radioprotection). It presents the design aspects related to safety (safety principles and functions, waste packages, public works engineering, geological environment, storage concepts). The last part deals with the safety demonstration after site closure which includes the control of some components, the assessment of disturbances in the storage facility or due to its presence, the taking of uncertainty and sensitivity studies into account, the influence of natural events

Nuclear Waste Facing the Test of Time: The Case of the French Deep Geological Repository Project.

Science.gov (United States)

Poirot-Delpech, Sophie; Raineau, Laurence

2016-12-01

The purpose of this article is to consider the socio-anthropological issues raised by the deep geological repository project for high-level, long-lived nuclear waste. It is based on fieldwork at a candidate site for a deep storage project in eastern France, where an underground laboratory has been studying the feasibility of the project since 1999. A project of this nature, based on the possibility of very long containment (hundreds of thousands of years, if not longer), involves a singular form of time. By linking project performance to geology's very long timescale, the project attempts "jump" in time, focusing on a far distant future, without understanding it in terms of generations. But these future generations remain measurements of time on the surface, where the issue of remembering or forgetting the repository comes to the fore. The nuclear waste geological storage project raises questions that neither politicians nor scientists, nor civil society, have ever confronted before. This project attempts to address a problem that exists on a very long timescale, which involves our responsibility toward generations in the far future.

Underground storage of natural gas in Italy

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Henking, E.

1992-01-01

After first relating the importance of natural gas storage to the viability of Italian industrial activities, this paper discusses the geo-physical nature of different types of underground cavities which can be used for natural gas storage. These include depleted petroleum and natural gas reservoirs, aquifers and abandoned mines. Attention is given to the geologic characteristics and physical characteristics such as porosity, permeability and pressure that determine the suitability of any given storage area, and to the techniques used to resolve problems relative to partially depleted reservoirs, e.g., the presence of oil, water and salt. A review is made of Italy's main storage facilities. This review identifies the various types of storage techniques, major equipment, operating and maintenance practices. A look is then given at Italy's plans for the development of new facilities to meet rising demand expected to reach 80 billion cubic meters/year by the turn of the century. The operating activities of the two leading participants, SNAM and AGIP, in Italy's natural gas industry are highlighted. Specific problems which contribute to the high operating costs of natural gas storage are identified and a review is made of national normatives governing gas storage. The report comes complete with a glossary of the relative terminology and units of measure

A state geological survey commitment to environmental geology - the Texas Bureau of Economic Geology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wermund, E.G.

1990-01-01

In several Texas environmental laws, the Bureau of Economic Geology is designated as a planning participant and review agency in the process of fulfilling environmental laws. Two examples are legislation on reclamation of surface mines and regulation of processing low level radioactive wastes. Also, the Bureau is the principal geological reviewer of all Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statements which the Office of the Governor circulates for state review on all major developmental activities in Texas. The BEG continues its strong interest in environmental geology. In February 1988, it recommitted its Land Resources Laboratory, initiated in 1974, toward fulfilling needs of state, county, and city governments for consultation and research on environmental geologic problems. An editorial from another state geological survey would resemble the about description of texas work in environmental geology. State geological surveys have led federal agencies into many developments of environmental geology, complemented federal efforts in their evolution, and continued a strong commitment to the maintenance of a quality environment through innovative geologic studies

Assessing reservoir performance risk in CO{sub 2} storage projects

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Bowden, A.R. [URS Corp., San Francisco, CA (United States); Rigg, A. [CRC for Greenhouse Gas Technologies, Canberra (Australia)

2005-07-01

One of the main issues for researchers involved with geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) has been the development of a proper methodology to assess and compare alternative CO{sub 2} injection projects on the basis of risk. Consideration needs to be given to technical aspects, such as the risk of leakage and the effectiveness of the intended reservoir, as well as less tangible aspects such as the value and safety of geological storage of CO{sub 2}, and potential impacts on the community and environment. The Geological Disposal of Carbon Dioxide (GEODISC), was a research program of the Australian Petroleum Cooperative Research Centre which identified 56 potential environmentally sustainable sites for CO{sub 2} injection (ESSCIs) within Australia. Several studies were carried out, involving detailed evaluation of the suitability of 4 selected sites, including Dongara, Petrel, Gippsland and Carnarvon. The GEODISC program included a risk assessment research module which required a complete and quantified risk assessment of CO{sub 2} injection as a storage option. Primary goals were to assess the risk of leakage, to assess the effectiveness of the intended reservoir, and to assess negative consequences to facilitate comparison of alternative sites. This paper discussed the background and risk assessment model. Key performance indicators (KPIs) were also developed to address the purpose of risk assessment. It was concluded that the RISQUE method is an appropriate approach and that potential injection projects can be measured against six KPIs including containment; effectiveness; self-funding potential; wider community benefits; community safety and community amenity. 6 refs., 3 tabs., 3 figs.

From clay bricks to deep underground storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2012-05-01

This booklet issued by the Swiss National Cooperative for the Disposal of Radioactive Waste NAGRA takes a look at the use of clay strata for the storage of radioactive wastes in deep-lying repositories. First of all, a geological foray is made concerning the history of the use of clay and its multifarious uses. The characteristics of clay and its composition are examined and its formation in the geological past is explained. In particular Opalinus clay is looked at and the structures to be found are discussed. The clay's various properties and industrial uses are examined and its sealing properties are examined. Also, Bentonite clay is mentioned and work done by Nagra and co-researchers is noted

Numerical investigation of CO2 storage in hydrocarbon field using a geomechanical-fluid coupling model

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Guang Li

2016-09-01

Full Text Available Increasing pore pressure due to CO2 injection can lead to stress and strain changes of the reservoir. One of the safely standards for long term CO2 storage is whether stress and strain changes caused by CO2 injection will lead to irreversible mechanical damages of the reservoir and impact the integrity of caprock which could lead to CO2 leakage through previously sealing structures. Leakage from storage will compromise both the storage capacity and the perceived security of the project, therefore, a successful CO2 storage project requires large volumes of CO2 to be injected into storage site in a reliable and secure manner. Yougou hydrocarbon field located in Orods basin was chosen as storage site based on it's stable geological structure and low leakage risks. In this paper, we present a fluid pressure and stress-strain variations analysis for CO2 geological storage based on a geomechanical-fluid coupling model. Using nonlinear elasticity theory to describe the geomechanical part of the model, while using the Darcy's law to describe the fluid flow. Two parts are coupled together using the poroelasticity theory. The objectives of our work were: 1 evaluation of the geomechanical response of the reservoir to different CO2 injection scenarios. 2 assessment of the potential leakage risk of the reservoir caused by CO2 injection.

Techno-economical Analysis of High Level Waste Storage and Disposal Options

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Bace, M.; Trontl, K.; Vrankic, K.

2002-01-01

Global warming and instability of gas and oil prices are redefining the role of nuclear energy in electrical energy production. A production of high-level radioactive waste (HLW), during the nuclear power plant operation and a danger of high level waste mitigation to the environment are considered by the public as a main obstacle of accepting the nuclear option. As economical and technical aspects of the back end of fuel cycle will affect the nuclear energy acceptance the techno-economical analysis of different methods for high level waste storage and disposal has to be performed. The aim of this paper is to present technical and economical characteristics of different HLW storage and disposal technologies. The final choice of a particular HLW management method is closely connected to the selection of a fuel cycle type: open or closed. Wet and dry temporary storage has been analyzed including different types of spent fuel pool capacity increase methods, different pool location (at reactor site and away from reactor site) as well as casks and vault system of dry storage. Since deep geological deposition is the only disposal method with a realistic potential, we focused our attention on that disposal technology. Special attention has been given to the new idea of international and regional disposal location. The analysis showed that a coexistence of different storage methods and deep geological deposition is expected in the future, regardless of the fuel cycle type. (author)

Comprenhensive Program of Engineering and Geologic Surveys for Designing and Constructing Radioactive Waste Storage Facilities in Hard Rock Massifs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Gupalo, T.; Milovidov, V.; Prokopoca, O.; Jardine, L.

2002-01-01

Geological, geophysical, and engineering-geological research conducted at the 'Yeniseisky' site obtained data on climatic, geomorphologic, geological conditions, structure and properties of composing rock, and conditions of underground water recharge and discharge. These results provide suficient information to make an estimate of the suitability of locating a radioactive waste (RW) underground isolation facility at the Nizhnekansky granitoid massif.

Interim licensing criteria for physical protection of certain storage of spent fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Dwyer, P.A.

1994-11-01

This document presents interim criteria to be used in the physical protection licensing of certain spent fuel storage installations. Installations that will be reviewed under this criteria are those that store power reactor spent fuel at decommissioned power reactor sites; independent spent fuel storage installations located outside of the owner controlled area of operating nuclear power reactors; monitored retrievable storage installations owned by the Department of Energy, designed and constructed specifically for the storage, of spent fuel; the proposed geologic repository operations area; or permanently shutdown power reactors still holding a Part 50 license. This criteria applies to both dry cask and pool storage. However, the criteria in this document does not apply to the storage of spent fuel within the owner-controlled area of operating nuclear power reactors

Technical support for GEIS: radioactive waste isolation in geologic formations. Volume 12. Repository preconceptual design studies: shale

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-04-01

This document describes a preconceptual design for a nuclear waste storage facility in shale. The facility design consists of several chambers excavated deep within a geologic formation together with access shafts and supportive surface structures. The facility design provides for: receiving and unloading waste containers; lowering them down shafts to the mine level; transporting them to the proper storage area, and emplacing them in mined storage rooms. Drawings of the facility design are contained in TM-36/13, ''Drawings for Repository Preconceptual Design Studies: Shale.''

Technical support for GEIS: radioactive waste isolation in geologic formations. Volume 14. Repository preconceptual design studies: basalt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-04-01

This document describes a preconceptual design for a nuclear waste storage facility in basalt. The facility design consists of several chambers excavated deep within a geologic formation together with access shafts and supportive surface structures. The facility design provides for: receiving and unloading waste containers; lowering them down shafts to the mine level; transporting them to the proper storage area and emplacing them in mined storage rooms. Drawings of the facility design are contained in TM-36/15, ''Drawings for Repository Preconceptual Design Studies: Basalt.''

Summary of geologic review group meetings, March 17--18, 1977 and May 26--27, 1977

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Frye, J.C.; Crawford, J.H.; Davis, S.N.; Donath, F.A.; Gloyna, E.F.; Krauskopf, K.B.

1977-01-01

As a result of these meetings, the Geologic Review Group made suggestions and recommendations on radioactive waste repository sites, covering priorities for needed data on rock types, retrievable storage, use of Nevada Test Site, non-salt rock types, etc

Heat conduction through geological mattresses from cells storing mean activity and long life nuclear wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lajoie, D.; Raffourt, C.; Wendling, J.

2010-01-01

Document available in extended abstract form only. ANDRA ordered in 2008 a campaign of numerical simulations to assess the efficiency of the ventilation system designed for cells storing mean activity and long life nuclear wastes. Numerical models were performed by ACRIIN as research engineering office. The main objectives were to assess the risks of atmospheric explosions due to high rate of hydrogen and to determine the efficiency of the system to evacuate released heat from storage packages. Further calculations have been carried out to evaluate temperature gradients in the surrounding geological medium. Three-dimensional numerical models of a reference cell were built to simulate the air flow injected at the cell entrance and retrieved and the other extremity. The reference case is based on a cell full of storage packages, with rows and columns of packages methodically ordered. Analytic and numerical calculations have been performed introducing progressively each complex physical phenomenon in order to dissociate origins of transport of released mass or heat. Three kinds of flows have been physically distinguished: 1) Ventilation in a cell with storage package that are thermally inert, i.e. no heat release, but with hydrogen release. 2) Flow in a cell with storage packages that emit heat and warm the injected air, supposing that no heat were lost towards the surrounding concrete walls of the cell. 3) Air Flow warmed by the storage packages with heat losses towards concrete walls and geological medium. Simulations with absence of thermal effects allowed the knowledge of main topics of the ventilation air flows that may be synthesized as follows: - Flows infiltrate clearances between piles and rows of storage packages. Such apertures are a few centimetres wide. The flow is disorganised between the first rows, with distribution in both transversal and longitudinal directions. After a few tens of rows, the flow reaches its hydraulic equilibrium, with a nearly pure

Carbon dioxide capture and storage; Captage et stockage du gaz carbonique (CSC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Durand, B.

2011-07-01

The author first highlights the reasons why storing carbon dioxide in geological formations could be a solution in the struggle against global warming and climate change. Thus, he comments various evolutions and prospective data about carbon emissions or fossil energy consumption as well as various studies performed by international bodies and agencies which show the interest of carbon dioxide storage. He comments the evolution of CO{sub 2} contributions of different industrial sectors and activities, notably in France. He presents the different storage modes and methods which concern different geological formations (saline aquifers, abandoned oil or gas fields, not exploitable coal seams) and different processes (sorption, carbonation). He discusses the risks associated with these storages, the storable quantities, evokes some existing installations in different countries. He comments different ways to capture carbon dioxide (in post-combustion, through oxy-combustion, by pre-combustion) and briefly evokes some existing installations. He evokes the issue of transport, and discusses efficiency and cost aspects, and finally has few words on legal aspects and social acceptability

Numerical modeling of the thermomechanical behavior of networks of underground galleries for the storage of the radioactive waste: approach by homogenization

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zokimila, P.

2005-10-01

Deep geological disposal is one of the privileged options for the storage of High Level radioactive waste. A good knowledge of the behavior and properties of the potential geological formations as well as theirs evolution in time under the effect of the stress change induced by a possible installation of storage is required. The geological formation host will be subjected to mechanical and thermal solicitations due respectively to the excavation of the disposal tunnels and the release of heat of the canisters of radioactive waste. These thermomechanical solicitations will generate a stress relief in the host layer and disposal tunnels deformations as well as the extension of the damaged zones (EDZ) could cause local and global instabilities. This work aims to develop calculation methods to optimize numerical modeling of the thermoelastic behavior of the disposal at a large scale and to evaluate thermomechanical disturbance induced by storage on the geological formation host. Accordingly, after a presentation of the state of knowledge on the thermomechanical aspects of the rocks related to deep storage, of numerical modeling 2D and 3D of the thermoelastic behavior of individual disposal tunnel and a network of tunnels were carried out by a discrete approach. However, this classical approach is penalizing to study the global behavior of disposal storage. To mitigate that, an approach of numerical modeling, based on homogenization of periodic structures, was proposed. Formulations as numerical procedures were worked out to calculate the effective thermoelastic behavior of an equivalent heterogeneous structure. The model, obtained by this method, was validated with existing methods of homogenization such as the self-consistent model, as well as the Hashin-Shtrikman bounds. The comparison between the effective thermoelastic behavior and current thermoelastic behavior of reference showed a good coherence of the results. For an application to deep geological storage, the

Legal and regulatory issues affecting compressed air energy storage

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Hendrickson, P.L.

1981-07-01

Several regulatory and legal issues that can potentially affect implementation of a compressed air energy storage (CAES) system are discussed. This technology involves the compression of air using base load electric power for storage in an underground storage medium. The air is subsequently released and allowed to pass through a turbine to generate electricity during periods of peak demand. The storage media considered most feasible are a mined hard rock cavern, a solution-mined cavern in a salt deposit, and a porous geologic formation (normally an aquifer) of suitable structure. The issues are discussed in four categories: regulatory issues common to most CAES facilities regardless of storage medium, regulatory issues applicable to particular CAES reservoir media, issues related to possible liability from CAES operations, and issues related to acquisition of appropriate property rights for CAES implementation. The focus is on selected federal regulation. Lesser attention is given to state and local regulation. (WHK)

Integrated spent fuel storage and transportation system using NUHOMS

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lehnert, R.; McConaghy, W.; Rosa, J.

1990-01-01

As utilities with nuclear power plants face increasing near term spent fuel store needs, various systems for dry storage such as the NUTECH Horizontal Modular Storage (NUHOMS) system are being implemented to augment existing spent fuel pool storage capacities. These decisions are based on a number of generic and utility specific considerations including both short term and long term economics. Since the US Department of Energy (DOE) is tasked by the Nuclear Waste Policy Act with the future responsibility of transporting spent fuel from commercial nuclear power plants to a Monitored Retrievable Storage (MRS) facility anchor a permanent geologic repository, the interfaces between the utilities at-reactor dry storage system and the DOE's away-from-reactor transportation system become important. This paper presents a study of the interfaces between the current at-reactor NUHOMS system and the future away-from-reactor DOE transportation system being developed under the Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management (OCRWM) program. 7 refs., 9 figs., 1 tab

Deep geological radioactive waste disposal in Germany: Lessons learned and future perspectives

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lempert, J.P.; Biurrun, E.

2001-01-01

As far back as in the seventies a fully developed, integrated concept for closing the nuclear fuel cycle was agreed upon in Germany between the Federal Government of that time and the electricity utilities. In the twenty years elapsed since then it was further developed as necessary to permanently fit the state of the art of science and technology. For management of spent fuel, the concept currently considers two equivalent alternatives: direct disposal of the spent fuel or reprocessing the fuel and recycling in thermal reactors. Interim storage of spent fuel and vitrified high level waste (HLW) to allow for decay heat generation to decrease to a convenient level is carried out in centralized installations. Radioactive waste disposal in pursuant to German regulations for all kinds of waste is to be carried out exclusively in deep geologic repositories. At present in the country, there are three centralized interim storage facilities for spent fuel, one of them can also accept vitrified HLW. Several facilities are in use for low level waste (LLW) and intermediate level waste (ILW) storage at power plants and other locations. A pilot conditioning facility for encapsulating spent fuel and/or HLW for final disposal is now ready to be commissioned. Substantial progress has been achieved in realization of HLW disposal, including demonstration of all the needed technology and fabrication of a significant part of the equipment. With regard to deep geologic disposal of LLW and ILW, Germany has worldwide unique experience. The Asse salt mine was used as an experimental repository for some 10 years in the late sixties and seventies. After serving since then as an underground research facility, it is now being backfilled and sealed. The Morsleben deep geologic repository was in operation for more than 25 years until September 1998. (author)

Time to rethink nuclear waste storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Flynn, J.; Kasperson, R.; Kunreuther, H.; Slovic, P.

1992-01-01

The authors feel that given the levels of public opposition and distrust, congress should scrap the current nuclear waste storage program and reconsider the options. They observe that no compelling reason currently exists for siting a permanent repository at an early date. Technology developed in the past decade, especially dry-cask storage, provides assurance that wastes from commercial reactors can be stored safely for a lengthy period at current sites. In the longer term, reprocessing may reduce the volume of high-level wastes; storage elsewhere than in a geological repository may prove attractive; and experimental techniques such as transmutation - aimed at radically reducing the amount of time that wastes remain highly radioactive - could help solve the problem. In the meantime, the authors suggest that the US must begin a long-term effort to engage the public in a process of active collaboration. In doing so, the US has much to learn from other countries, where innovative approaches and techniques have began to establish public confidence

Rethinking the economics of centralized spent fuel storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, T.W.; Short, S.M.; Dippold, D.G.; Rod, S.R.; Williams, J.W.

1991-04-01

The technology for extended storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), either at-reactor or in a centralized facility such as a monitored retrievable storage (MRS) facility, is well-developed and proven from an engineering and safety perspective. The question of whether spent fuel should await its final geologic disposal while at a reactor site or in an MRS facility is essentially an economic one. While intuition and previous results suggest that centralized storage will be more economical than at-reactor storage beyond some break-even quantity of SNF, the incremental costs of pool storage at-reactor are close to zero as long as pool capacity is generally available. Thus, if economics is the prime motivator, the quantity of spent fuel required to warrant centralized storage could be quite large. The economics of centralizing the storage of spent fuel at a single site, as opposed to continued storage at over 100 reactor sites, has been the subject of several recent analyses. Most of these analyses involved calculating the benefits of an MRS facility with a pre-defined MRS operating scenario. This paper reverses this approach to economic analysis of the MRS by seeking the optimal MRS operating scenario (in terms of the parameters listed above) implied by the economic incentives arising from the relative costs of at-reactor storage and centralized storage. This approach treats an MRS as a possible storage location that will be used according to its economic value in system operation. 5 refs., 5 figs

Nuclear waste. Storage at Vaalputs

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

1984-01-01

The Vaalputs nuclear waste dump site in Namaqualand is likely to be used to store used fuel from Koeberg, as well as low and intermediate waste. It is argued that Vaalputs is the most suitable site in the world for the disposal of nuclear waste. The Vaalputs site is sparsely populated, there are no mineral deposits of any value, the agricultural potential is minimal. It is a typical semi-desert area. Geologically it lend itself towards the ground-storage of used nuclear fuel

2005 dossier: clay. Tome: phenomenological evolution of the geologic disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2005-01-01

This document makes a status of the researches carried out by the French national agency of radioactive wastes (ANDRA) about the phenomenological processes taking place in an argilite-type geologic disposal facility for high-level and long-lived (HLLL) radioactive wastes. Content: 1 - introduction: goal, input data, time and space scales, long-time forecasting of the phenomenological evolution; 2 - the Meuse/Haute-Marne site, the HLLL wastes and the disposal concepts: impact of the repository architecture; 3 - initial state of the geologic environment prior to the building up of the repository: general framework, geologic formations, tectonics and fractures, surface environment, geologic synthesis; 4 - phenomenological processes: storage-related processes, geodynamics-related processes, time scales of processes and of radionuclides migration, independence and evolution similarities of the repository and of the geologic environment; 5 - heat loads: heat transfers between containers and geologic formations, spatial organization of the thermal load, for C-type wastes and spent fuels, for B-type wastes, synthesis of the repository thermal load; 6 - flows and liquid solution and gas transfers: hydraulic behaviour of surrounding Jurassic formations (Tithonian, Kimmeridgian, Callovian, Oxfordian); 7 - chemical phenomena: chemical evolution of ventilated facilities (alveoles, galleries, boreholes), chemical evolution of B-type waste alveoles and of gallery and borehole sealing after closure, far field chemical evolution of Callovo-Oxfordian argilites and of other surrounding formations; 8 - mechanical evolution of the disposal and of the surrounding geologic environment: creation of an initial excavated damaged zone (EDZ), mechanical evolution of ventilated galleries, alveoles and sealing before and after closure, large-scale mechanical evolution; 9 - geodynamical evolution of the Callovo-Oxfordian and other surrounding formations and of the surface environment: internal

3D Geological Model for "LUSI" - a Deep Geothermal System

Science.gov (United States)

Sohrabi, Reza; Jansen, Gunnar; Mazzini, Adriano; Galvan, Boris; Miller, Stephen A.

2016-04-01

Geothermal applications require the correct simulation of flow and heat transport processes in porous media, and many of these media, like deep volcanic hydrothermal systems, host a certain degree of fracturing. This work aims to understand the heat and fluid transport within a new-born sedimentary hosted geothermal system, termed Lusi, that began erupting in 2006 in East Java, Indonesia. Our goal is to develop conceptual and numerical models capable of simulating multiphase flow within large-scale fractured reservoirs such as the Lusi region, with fractures of arbitrary size, orientation and shape. Additionally, these models can also address a number of other applications, including Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), CO2 sequestration (Carbon Capture and Storage CCS), and nuclear waste isolation. Fractured systems are ubiquitous, with a wide-range of lengths and scales, making difficult the development of a general model that can easily handle this complexity. We are developing a flexible continuum approach with an efficient, accurate numerical simulator based on an appropriate 3D geological model representing the structure of the deep geothermal reservoir. Using previous studies, borehole information and seismic data obtained in the framework of the Lusi Lab project (ERC grant n°308126), we present here the first 3D geological model of Lusi. This model is calculated using implicit 3D potential field or multi-potential fields, depending on the geological context and complexity. This method is based on geological pile containing the geological history of the area and relationship between geological bodies allowing automatic computation of intersections and volume reconstruction. Based on the 3D geological model, we developed a new mesh algorithm to create hexahedral octree meshes to transfer the structural geological information for 3D numerical simulations to quantify Thermal-Hydraulic-Mechanical-Chemical (THMC) physical processes.

Optimization method for dimensioning a geological HLW waste repository

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ouvrier, N.; Chaudon, L.; Malherbe, L.

1990-01-01

This method was developed by the CEA to optimize the dimensions of a geological repository by taking account of technical and economic parameters. It involves optimizing radioactive waste storage conditions on the basis of economic criteria with allowance for specified thermal constraints. The results are intended to identify trends and guide the choice from among available options: simple and highly flexible models were therefore used in this study, and only nearfield thermal constraints were taken into consideration. Because of the present uncertainty on the physicochemical properties of the repository environment and on the unit cost figures, this study focused on developing a suitable method rather than on obtaining definitive results. The optimum values found for the two media investigated (granite and salt) show that it is advisable to minimize the interim storage time, implying the containers must be separated by buffer material, whereas vertical spacing may not be required after a 30-year interim storage period. Moreover, the boreholes should be as deep as possible, on a close pitch in widely spaced handling drifts. These results depend to a considerable extent on the assumption of high interim storage costs

2006-2009: 4 years of research at the ANDRA for storage projects

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2010-01-01

This report gives an overview of research activities performed by the ANDRA (Agence nationale pour la gestion des dechets radioactifs, the French national agency for the management of radioactive wastes). These activities concern several axis: the consolidation of previously obtained data and the performance of long duration experimentations to support modelling studies, technological tests and implementation of storage control and survey means, a more precise assessment of safety margins through a finer assessment of the behaviour and evolution of the storage and of its components, development of numerical simulations, and the definition of a precise location for a possible storage. These activities are here reported according to different themes: storage reversibility as it is perceived by social and human sciences, conceptualisation of the geological media and of the associated biosphere, storage and its interactions with the environment, transfer phenomena within a storage, survey and control of a storage and of its environment, storage performance assessment, publications and scientific valuation

Geophysical Research in the Ganuelas-Mazarron Tertiary Basin (Murcia, Spain), as a Natural Analogue of CO{sub 2} Storage and Leakage; Estudio Geofisico del Analogo Natural de Almacenamiento y Escape de CO{sub 2} de la Cuenca Terciaria de Ganuelas-Mazarron (Murcia, Espana)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Rodrigo-Naharro, J.; Aracil, E.; Perez del Villar, L.

2013-07-01

In order to determine the depth, morphology and extent of the CO{sub 2}-enriched deep saline aquifer in the Ganuelas-Mazarron Tertiary basin (Murcia, Spain), it was necessary reprocessing the vertical electrical soundings performed by IGME-ADARO in the eighties and to perform several geophysical campaigns by means of electrical tomography, time domain electromagnetic surveys and gravimetry. Densities of the outcropping lithologies in the studied basin were also determined in order to refine the model obtained from gravimetric data. The geophysical results, particularly from gravimetric data, seem to indicate that the CO{sub 2}-enriched deep saline aquifer, located in the contact or within the carbonate materials of the Nevado-Filabride Complex, could reach a depth greater than 800 m. For this reason, the possibility that this CO{sub 2} is in supercritical state in certain areas of the aquifer, is not discardable. Thus, the studied basin would be an excellent natural analogue of a CO{sub 2}-deep geological storage in a deep saline aquifer in volcanic and/or carbonate rocks, anthropogenically perturbed by geothermal exploration wells (La Ermita de El Saladillo and El Alto de El Reventon) and hydrogeological wells for agricultural purposes. (Author)

Final storage of radioactive waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Albrecht, E.; Kolditz, H.; Thielemann, K.; Duerr, K.; Klarr, K.; Kuehn, K.; Staupendahl, G.; Uerpmann, E.P.; Bechthold, W.; Diefenbacher, W.

1974-12-01

The present report - presented by the Gesellschaft fuer Strahlen- und Umweltforschung mbH, Muenchen in cooperation with the Gesellschaft fuer Kernforschung mbH, Karlsruhe - gives a survey of the 1973 work in the field of final storage of radioactive wastes. The mining and constructional work carried out aboveground and underground in the saline of Asse near Remlingen with a view to repair, maintenance and expansion for future tasks is discussed. Storage of slightly active wastes on the 750 m floor and the tentative storage of medium-activity wastes on the 490 m floor were continued in the time under review. In September, the multiple transport container S 7 V, developped in the GfK for transports of 7 200 l iron-hooped drums containing medium activity wastes, were employed in Asse for the first time. With two transports a week between Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Centre and the Asse mine, 14 drums were stored per week with a total of 233 drums at the end of the year. The report also gives information on the present state of research in the fields of mountain engineering geology and hydrology, and its results. In addition, new storage methods are mentioned which are still in the planning stage. (orig./AK) [de

Geologic simulation model for a hypothetical site in the Columbia Plateau

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Petrie, G.M.; Zellmer, J.T.; Lindberg, J.W.; Foley, M.G.

1981-04-01

This report describes the structure and operation of the Assessment of Effectiveness of Geologic Isolation Systems (AEGIS) Geologic Simulation Model, a computer simulation model of the geology and hydrology of an area of the Columbia Plateau, Washington. The model is used to study the long-term suitability of the Columbia Plateau Basalts for the storage of nuclear waste in a mined repository. It is also a starting point for analyses of such repositories in other geologic settings. The Geologic Simulation Model will aid in formulating design disruptive sequences (i.e. those to be used for more detailed hydrologic, transport, and dose analyses) from the spectrum of hypothetical geological and hydrological developments that could result in transport of radionuclides out of a repository. Quantitative and auditable execution of this task, however, is impossible without computer simulation. The computer simulation model aids the geoscientist by generating the wide spectrum of possible future evolutionary paths of the areal geology and hydrology, identifying those that may affect the repository integrity. This allows the geoscientist to focus on potentially disruptive processes, or series of events. Eleven separate submodels are used in the simulation portion of the model: Climate, Continental Glaciation, Deformation, Geomorphic Events, Hydrology, Magmatic Events, Meteorite Impact, Sea-Level Fluctuations, Shaft-Seal Failure, Sub-Basalt Basement Faulting, and Undetected Features. Because of the modular construction of the model, each submodel can easily be replaced with an updated or modified version as new information or developments in the state of the art become available. The model simulates the geologic and hydrologic systems of a hypothetical repository site and region for a million years following repository decommissioning. The Geologic Simulation Model operates in both single-run and Monte Carlo modes

Rethinking the economics of centralized spent fuel storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Wood, T.W.; Short, S.M.; Dippold, D.G.; Rod, S.R.; Williams, J.W.

1991-01-01

The technology for extended storage of spent nuclear fuel (SNF), either at-reactor or in a centralized facility such as a monitored retrievable storage (MRS) facility, is well-developed and proven from an engineering and safety perspective. The question of whether spent fuel should await its final geologic disposal while at a reactor site or in an MRS facility is essentially an economic one. While intuition and previous results suggest that centralized storage will be more economical than at-reactor storage beyond some break-even quantity of SNF, the incremental costs of pool storage at-reactor are close to zero as long as pool capacity is generally available. Thus, if economics is the prime motivator, the quantity of spent fuel required to warrant centralized storage could be quite large. The economics of centralizing the storage of spent fuel at a single site, as opposed to continued storage at over 100 reactor sites, has been the subject of several recent analyses. Most of these analyses involved calculating the benefits of an MRS facility (in terms of avoided utility costs) with a pre-defined MRS operating scenario (e.g., spent fuel acceptance schedule, storage capacity, and typical storage cycle). While these analyses provided some insight into the economic justification for an MRS facility, even the most favorable scenarios resulted in net costs of hundreds of millions of dollars when evaluated on a discounted cash flow basis

Preliminary Study of Favourable Formations for CO{sub 2} Subsurface Storage in Spain; Estudio Preliminar de las Formaciones Favorables para el Almacenamiento Subterraneo de CO{sub 2} en Espana

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Zapatero, M. A.; Reyes, J. L.; Martinez, R.; Suarez, I.; Arenillas, A.; Perucha, M. A.

2009-10-12

This report is a synthesis of the possibilities of CO{sub 2} storage in the Spanish subsurface. Compilation and analysis of geological information has been carried out, looking at surface and subsurface, in order to make a pre-selection of potential favourable units for CO{sub 2} storage, taking in account that each of this storages needs a confining formation to seal the storage. Before the storage selection, a general description of the great geological units of the Iberian Peninsula is done. Afterwards, borehole logging from petroleum exploration is analysed in these units, formations and areas of interest. The aim is to finally obtain a description of selected units and their possibilities of CO{sub 2} storage. (Author) 17 refs.

Preliminary geologic map of the late Cenozoic sediments of the western half of the Pasco Basin

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Lillie, J.T.; Tallman, A.M.; Caggiano, J.A.

1978-09-01

The U.S. Department of Energy, through the Basalt Waste Isolation Program within the Rockwell Hanford Operations, is investigating the feasibility of terminal storage of radioactive waste in deep caverns constructed in Columbia River Basalt. This report represents a portion of the geological work conducted during fiscal year 1978 to assess the geological conditions in the Pasco Basin. The surficial geology of the western half of the Pasco Basin was studied and mapped in a reconnaissance fashion at a scale of 1:62,500. The map was produced through a compilation of existing geologic mapping publications and additional field data collected during the spring of 1978. The map was produced primarily to: (1) complement other mapping work currently being conducted in the Pasco Basin and in the region by Rockwell Hanford Operations and its subcontractors; and, (2) to provide a framework for more detailed late Cenozoic studies within the Pasco Basin. A description of procedures used to produce the surficial geologic map and geologic map units is summarized in this report

At-reactor storage of spent fuel for life-of-plant

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuierer, A.A.

1990-01-01

The management of commercial spent fuel is a fairly broad topic beginning with the discharge from a reactor, its storage on-site, its transport from the reactor site to a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility, and its ultimate disposal in a geologic repository. This paper discusses spent-fuel management in the at-reactor phase. There are two basic methods for at-reactor storage of spent fuel. The first is wet storage in a pool, and the second is dry storage external to the plant in some form of cask or vault. Spent-fuel consolidation will impact the utility and the DOE waste system. Some of these impacts have a positive effect and some have a negative effect, and each will vary somewhat for each utility. Spent-fuel consolidation and life-of-plant storage will be an increased burden to utilities but will likely result in significant cost savings to the overall waste management system and by proper integration can result in significant institutional benefits

Researches on the radioactive wastes management: advances in the domain of the conditioning and the storage

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2003-12-01

This paper presents in the first part the researches in the domain of the radioactive wastes management at the Cea: separation processes and transmutation, the underground geologic disposal, the conditioning and the storage. The recent progresses in the domain of the conditioning and the storage are then detailed and the legal context presented. A special attention is given to the CECER of Marcoule, the expertise center on the conditioning and the storage of radioactive wastes. (A.L.B.)

Geometry-coupled reactive fluid transport at the fracture scale -Application to CO 2 geologic storage

KAUST Repository

Kim, Seunghee

2015-08-19

Water acidification follows CO2 injection and leads to reactive fluid transport through pores and rock fractures, with potential implications to reservoirs and wells in CO2 geologic storage and enhanced oil recovery. Kinetic rate laws for dissolution reactions in calcite and anorthite are combined with Navier-Stokes law and advection-diffusion transport to perform geometry-coupled numerical simulations in order to study the evolution of chemical reactions, species concentration and fracture morphology. Results are summarized as a function of two dimensionless parameters: the Damköhler number Da which is the ratio between advection and reaction times, and the transverse Peclet number Pe defined as the ratio between the time for diffusion across the fracture and the time for advection along the fracture. Reactant species are readily consumed near the inlet in a carbonate reservoir when the flow velocity is low (low transverse Peclet number and Da>10-1). At high flow velocities, diffusion fails to homogenize the concentration field across the fracture (high transverse Peclet number Pe>10-1). When the reaction rate is low as in anorthite reservoirs (Da<10-1) reactant species are more readily transported towards the outlet. At a given Peclet number, a lower Damköhler number causes the flow channel to experience a more uniform aperture enlargement along the length of the fracture. When the length-to-aperture ratio is sufficiently large, say l/d>30, the system response resembles the solution for 1-D reactive fluid transport. A decreased length-to-aperture ratio slows the diffusive transport of reactant species to the mineral fracture surface, and analyses of fracture networks must take into consideration both the length and slenderness of individual fractures in addition to Pe and Da numbers.

Geometry-coupled reactive fluid transport at the fracture scale -Application to CO 2 geologic storage

KAUST Repository

Kim, Seunghee; Santamarina, Carlos

2015-01-01

Water acidification follows CO2 injection and leads to reactive fluid transport through pores and rock fractures, with potential implications to reservoirs and wells in CO2 geologic storage and enhanced oil recovery. Kinetic rate laws for dissolution reactions in calcite and anorthite are combined with Navier-Stokes law and advection-diffusion transport to perform geometry-coupled numerical simulations in order to study the evolution of chemical reactions, species concentration and fracture morphology. Results are summarized as a function of two dimensionless parameters: the Damköhler number Da which is the ratio between advection and reaction times, and the transverse Peclet number Pe defined as the ratio between the time for diffusion across the fracture and the time for advection along the fracture. Reactant species are readily consumed near the inlet in a carbonate reservoir when the flow velocity is low (low transverse Peclet number and Da>10-1). At high flow velocities, diffusion fails to homogenize the concentration field across the fracture (high transverse Peclet number Pe>10-1). When the reaction rate is low as in anorthite reservoirs (Da<10-1) reactant species are more readily transported towards the outlet. At a given Peclet number, a lower Damköhler number causes the flow channel to experience a more uniform aperture enlargement along the length of the fracture. When the length-to-aperture ratio is sufficiently large, say l/d>30, the system response resembles the solution for 1-D reactive fluid transport. A decreased length-to-aperture ratio slows the diffusive transport of reactant species to the mineral fracture surface, and analyses of fracture networks must take into consideration both the length and slenderness of individual fractures in addition to Pe and Da numbers.

Geologic framework of the regional ground-water flow system in the Upper Deschutes Basin, Oregon

Science.gov (United States)

Lite, Kenneth E.; Gannett, Marshall W.

2002-12-10

Ground water is increasingly relied upon to satisfy the needs of a growing population in the upper Deschutes Basin, Oregon. Hydrogeologic studies are being undertaken to aid in management of the ground-water resource. An understanding of the geologic factors influencing ground-water flow is basic to those investigations. The geology of the area has a direct effect on the occurrence and movement of ground water. The permeability and storage properties of rock material are influenced by the proportion, size, and degree of interconnection of open spaces the rocks contain. These properties are the result of primary geologic processes such as volcanism and sedimentation, as well as subsequent processes such as faulting, weathering, or hydrothermal alteration. The geologic landscape in the study area evolved during about 30 million years of volcanic activity related to a north-south trending volcanic arc, the current manifestation of which are today’s Cascade Range volcanoes.

Thermal loading effects on geological disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Come, B.; Venet, P.

1984-01-01

A joint study on the thermal loading effects on geological disposal was carried out within the European Community Programme on Management and Storage of Radioactive Waste by several laboratories in Belgium, France and the Federal Republic of Germany. The purpose of the work was to review the thermal effects induced by the geological disposal of high-level wastes and to assess their consequences on the 'admissible thermal loading' and on waste management in general. Three parallel studies dealt separately with the three geological media being considered for HLW disposal within the CEC programme: granite (leadership: Commissariat a l'energie atomique (CEA), France), salt (leadership: Gesellschaft fuer Strahlen- und Umweltforschung (GSF), Federal Republic of Germany), and clay (leadership: Centre d'etude de l'energie nucleaire (CEN/SCK), Belgium). The studies were based on the following items: only vitrified high-level radioactive waste was considered; the multi-barrier confinement concept was assumed (waste glass, container (with or without overpack), buffer material, rock formation); the disposal was foreseen in a deep mined repository, in an 'in-land' geological formation; only normal situations and processes were covered, no 'accident' scenario being taken into account. Although reasonably representative of a wide variety of situations, the data collected and the results obtained are generic for granite, formation-specific for salt (i.e. related to the north German Zechstein salt formation), and site-specific for clay (i.e. concentrated on the Boom clay layer at the Mol site, Belgium). For each rock type, realistic temperature limits were set, taking into account heat propagation, thermo-mechanical effects inside the rock formations, induced or modified groundwater or brine movement, effects on the buffer material as well as effects on the waste glass and canister, and finally, nuclide transport

The storage of greenhouse gases

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Herzog, H.; Kaarstad, O.; Eliasson, B

2000-01-01

Since 1850, that is to say the beginning of the industrial era,the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has risen from 280 ppm to 370 ppm, this increase is mainly due to the combustion of fossil fuels. Today fossil fuels represent 85% of all the energy used in the world. Fearing progressive climatic changes, more and more governments become aware of the necessity of reducing the emission of greenhouse gases. A more efficient use of energy and the promoting of renewable energies and of the nuclear energy are the most evident solutions but they appear to be insufficient. A third solution is the storage of carbon dioxide in geological layers. This technique has been put into use since 1996 in Norway. An off-shore natural gas platform injects carbon dioxide in a geological reservoir situated 1000 meters below the ocean bed. The injection of CO 2 could be used in oil fields in order to facilitate the extraction of petroleum. Far more large and efficient reservoirs would be the oceans, they already hold up 40000 10 9 tons of dissolved CO 2 . Even if the double of the carbon dioxide accumulated in the atmosphere since 1850 were injected, the concentration of carbon in sea waters would rise by less than 2%. The safety of CO 2 storage and the impact on the environment of ocean injection sites are being studied. (A.C.)

Potential hazards of CO2 leakage in storage systems : learning from natural systems

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Beaubien, S.E.; Lombardi, S.; Ciotoli, G.; Annunziatellis, A.; Hatziyannis, G.; Metaxas, A.; Pearce, J.M.

2005-01-01

The Natural Analogues for the Storage of CO2 in the Geological Environment (NASCENT) Project has examined several naturally occurring carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) deposits throughout Europe to better understand the possible long term geological effects of a man-made CO 2 storage reservoir. Natural geological accumulations of CO 2 also occur widely throughout the world, some of which leak CO 2 to the surface, while others are effectively sealed. It is important to understanding the characteristics of both types of deposits in order to select and design underground storage sites for CO 2 storage. Four naturally occurring CO 2 sites were reviewed in this paper with reference to issues related to risk assessment, such as migration pathways; the speed of migration and mass flux rates; changes in groundwater chemistry; and, the effects these emissions may have on local populations and ecosystems. One site was located in northern Greece, near the Florina CO 2 gas field. The other three sites were in central Italy, including a selected area of the Latera geothermal complex, where natural deep CO 2 migrates upwards along faults and is emitted to the atmosphere; the San Vittorino intermontane basin where CO 2 -charged groundwaters cause the dissolution of limestone to form large sinkholes; and, the Ciampino area southeast of Rome, where CO 2 from deep-seated volcanism migrates along faults in a residential area. Work performed on these sites included soil gas, CO 2 flux and aqueous geochemical surveys. A GIS based model was also developed for the Latera site to assesses the risk of deep gas migration to surface. It was emphasized that these 4 sites are extreme cases compared to a man-made CO 2 geological storage site. For example all sites have an essentially infinite supply of deep CO 2 as the result of the thermo-metamorphic reactions forming this gas, whereas a man-made storage site would have a finite volume of gas which would be limited in its mass transfer out of the

Performance Analysis of Depleted Oil Reservoirs for Underground Gas Storage

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Dr. C.I.C. Anyadiegwu

2014-02-01

Full Text Available The performance of underground gas storage in depleted oil reservoir was analysed with reservoir Y-19, a depleted oil reservoir in Southern region of the Niger Delta. Information on the geologic and production history of the reservoir were obtained from the available field data of the reservoir. The verification of inventory was done to establish the storage capacity of the reservoir. The plot of the well flowing pressure (Pwf against the flow rate (Q, gives the deliverability of the reservoir at various pressures. Results of the estimated properties signified that reservoir Y-19 is a good candidate due to its storage capacity and its flow rate (Q of 287.61 MMscf/d at a flowing pressure of 3900 psig

Scientific basis to assess the potential for geological sequestration of CO{sub 2} in Switzerland

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Diamond, L. W.; Chevalier, G. [Institut fuer Geologie, Universitaet Bern, Bern (Switzerland); Leu, W. [Geoform AG, Geologische Beratungen und Studien, Villeneuve (former Minusio) (Switzerland)

2010-07-01

Possibilities to sequester anthropogenic CO{sub 2} in deep geological formations are being investigated worldwide, but the potential within Switzerland has not yet been evaluated. This study presents a first-order appraisal based solely on geological criteria collated from the literature. The Swiss Molasse Basin (SMB) and the adjacent Folded Jura are the only realms of the country where CO{sub 2} could conceivably be stored in saline aquifers. Evaluation of geological criteria at the basin-wide scale shows that the SMB-Jura has moderate potential (score of 0.6 on a scale from 0 to 1) when compared to basins elsewhere. At the intrabasinal scale, inspection of the stratigraphy reveals four regional candidate aquifers that are sealed by suitable caprocks: top Basement plus basal Mesozoic sandstones, all sealed by the Anhydrite Group; Upper Muschelkalk sealed by the Gipskeuper; Hauptrogenstein sealed by the Effinger Member, and Upper Malm plus Lower Cretaceous sealed by the Lower Freshwater Molasse. Nine geological criteria are defined to evaluate the storage potential of these and other smaller-scale candidates. A numerical scoring and weighting scheme allows the criteria to be assessed simultaneously, permitting the storage potential to be depicted using the 0-1 scale in contoured maps. Approximately 5000 km{sup 2} of the central SMB exhibits potentials between 0.6 and 0.96. The Fribourg-Olten-Lucerne area is the most favoured owing to the presence of several sealed aquifers within the preferred 800-2500 m depth interval, and to its low seismicity, low geothermal gradient, low fault density, and long groundwater residence times. Smaller areas with good potential lie between Zurich and St. Gall. In contrast, western Switzerland, the Jura and the southern SMB have markedly poorer potential. Considering only the portions of the aquifers with potential above 0.6, the theoretical, effective storage capacity of the basin is estimated to be 2680 million tonnes of CO{sub 2

Underground storage of nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Russell, J.E.

1977-06-01

The objective of the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program is to provide facilities in various deep geologic formations at multiple locations in the United States which will safely dispose of commerical radioactive waste. The NWTS Program is being administered for the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) by the Office of Waste Isolation (OWI), Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division. OWI manages projects that will lead to the location, construction, and operation of repositories, including all surface and underground engineering and facility design projects and technical support projects. 7 refs., 5 figs

Underground storage of nuclear waste

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Russell, J E

1977-12-01

The objective of the National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) Program is to provide facilities in various deep geologic formations at multiple locations in the United States which will safely dispose of commercial radioactive waste. The NWTS Program is being administered for the Energy Research and Development Administration (ERDA) by the Office of Waste Isolation (OWI), Union Carbide Corporation, Nuclear Division. OWI manages projects that will lead to the location, construction, and operation of repositories, including all surface and underground engineering and facility design projects and technical support projects.

Geological rock property and production problems of the underground gas storage reservoir of Ketzin

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Lange, W

1966-01-01

The purpose of the program of operation for an industrial injection of gas is briefly reviewed. It is emphasized that the works constitute the final stage of exploration. The decisive economic and extractive aspects are given. Final remarks deal with the methods of floor consolidation and tightness control. In the interest of the perspective exploration of the reservoir it is concluded and must be realized as an operating principle that the main problem, after determining the probable reservoir structure, consists in determining step-by-step (by combined theoretical, technical and economic parameters) the surface equipment needed from the geological and rock property factors, which were determined by suitable methods (hydro-exploration, gas injection). The technique and time-table of the geological exploration, and the design and construction of the installations will depend on the solution of the main problem. At the beginning, partial capacities will be sufficient for the surface installation. (12 refs.)

California Geological Survey Geologic Map Index

Data.gov (United States)

California Natural Resource Agency — All the individual maps from the Geologic Atlas of California and the Regional Geologic map series have been georeferenced for display in a GIS (and viewable online...

CO2 storage in Sweden

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Ekstroem, Clas; Andersson, Annika; Kling, Aasa; Bernstone, Christian; Carlsson, Anders; Liljemark, Stefan; Wall, Caroline; Erstedt, Thomas; Lindroth, Maria; Tengborg, Per; Edstroem, Mikael

2004-07-01

This study considers options, that could be feasible for Sweden, to transport and geologically store CO 2 , providing that technology for electricity production with CO 2 capture will be available in the future and also acceptable from cost- and reliability point of view. As a starting point, it is assumed that a new 600-1000 MW power plant, fired with coal or natural gas, will be constructed with CO 2 capture and localised to the Stockholm, Malmoe or Goeteborg areas. Of vital importance for storage of carbon dioxide in a reservoir is the possibility to monitor its distribution, i.e. its migration within the reservoir. It has been shown in the SACS-project that the distribution of carbon dioxide within the reservoir can be monitored successfully, mainly by seismic methods. Suitable geologic conditions and a large storage potential seems to exist mainly in South West Scania, where additional knowledge on geology/hydrogeology has been obtained since the year 2000 in connection to geothermal energy projects, and in the Eastern part of Denmark, bordering on South West Scania. Storage of carbon dioxide from the Stockholm area should not be excluded, but more studies are needed to clarify the storage options within this area. The possibilities to use CO 2 for enhanced oil recovery, EOR, in i.a. the North Sea should be investigated, in order to receive incomes from the CO 2 and shared costs for infrastructure, and by this also make the CO 2 regarded as a trading commodity, and thereby achieving a more favourable position concerning acceptance, legal issues and regulations. The dimensions of CO 2 -pipelines should be similar to those for natural natural gas, although regarding some aspects they have different design and construction prerequisites. To obtain cost efficiency, the transport distances should be kept short, and possibilities for co-ordinated networks with short distribution pipelines connected to common main pipelines, should be searched for. Also, synergies

Radioactive waste storage and disposal: the challenge

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Prince, A.T.

1978-03-01

Solutions to waste management problems are available. After radium is removed, tailings from uranium ores can be disposed of safely in well-designed retention areas. Work is being done on the processing of non-fuel reactor wastes through incineration, reverse osmosis, and evaporation. Spent fuels have been stored safely for years in pools; dry storage in concrete cannisters is being investigated. Ultimate disposal of high-level wastes will be in deep, stable geologic formations. (LL)

Summary Report on CO{sub 2} Geologic Sequestration & Water Resources Workshop

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Varadharajan, C.; Birkholzer, J.; Kraemer, S.; Porse, S.; Carroll, S.; Wilkin, R.; Maxwell, R.; Bachu, S.; Havorka, S.; Daley, T.; Digiulio, D.; Carey, W.; Strasizar, B.; Huerta, N.; Gasda, S.; Crow, W.

2012-02-15

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) jointly hosted a workshop on “CO{sub 2} Geologic Sequestration and Water Resources” in Berkeley, June 1–2, 2011. The focus of the workshop was to evaluate R&D needs related to geological storage of CO{sub 2} and potential impacts on water resources. The objectives were to assess the current status of R&D, to identify key knowledge gaps, and to define specific research areas with relevance to EPA’s mission. About 70 experts from EPA, the DOE National Laboratories, industry, and academia came to Berkeley for two days of intensive discussions. Participants were split into four breakout session groups organized around the following themes: Water Quality and Impact Assessment/Risk Prediction; Modeling and Mapping of Area of Potential Impact; Monitoring and Mitigation; Wells as Leakage Pathways. In each breakout group, participants identified and addressed several key science issues. All groups developed lists of specific research needs; some groups prioritized them, others developed short-term vs. long-term recommendations for research directions. Several crosscutting issues came up. Most participants agreed that the risk of CO{sub 2} leakage from sequestration sites that are properly selected and monitored is expected to be low. However, it also became clear that more work needs to be done to be able to predict and detect potential environmental impacts of CO{sub 2} storage in cases where the storage formation may not provide for perfect containment and leakage of CO{sub 2}–brine might occur.

Modelling studies for influence factors of gas bubble in compressed air energy storage in aquifers

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Guo, Chaobin; Zhang, Keni; Li, Cai; Wang, Xiaoyu

2016-01-01

CAES (Compressed air energy storage) is credited with its potential ability for large-scale energy storage. Generally, it is more convenient using deep aquifers than employing underground caverns for energy storage, because of extensive presence of aquifers. During the first stage in a typical process of CAESA (compressed air energy storage in aquifers), a large amount of compressed air is injected into the target aquifer to develop an initial space (a gas bubble) for energy storage. In this study, numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the influence of aquifer's permeability, geological structure and operation parameters on the formation of gas bubble and the sustainability for the later cycling operation. The SCT (system cycle times) was designed as a parameter to evaluate the reservoir performance and the effect of operation parameters. Simulation results for pressure and gas saturation results of basic model confirm the feasibility of compressed air energy storage in aquifers. The results of different permeability cases show that, for a certain scale of CAESA system, there is an optimum permeability range for a candidate aquifer. An aquifer within this permeability range will not only satisfy the injectivity requirement but also have the best energy efficiency. Structural impact analysis indicates that the anticline structure has the best performance to hold the bubble under the same daily cycling schedule with the same initial injected air mass. In addition, our results indicate that the SCT shows a logarithmic growth as the injected air mass increase. During the formation of gas bubble, compressed air should be injected into aquifers with moderate rate and the injection can be done in several stages with different injection rate to avoid onset pressure. - Highlights: • Impact of permeability, geological structure, operation parameters was investigated. • With certain air production rate, an optimum permeability exists for performance. �

CO2 capture and geological storage: The BRGM, sixteen years of involvement in major research projects. The contribution of technical abilities and expertise in Earth Sciences to the work of national and international authorities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2009-01-01

This press document presents the abilities and the activities of the French BRGM (Bureau de Recherches Geologiques et Minieres, Office for geological and mining researches) in developing knowledge on storage capacities and on the behaviour of deep aquifers, in contributing to the main national and European research programs, in actively participating to European and international networks, in being an expert for the MEEDDM (the French ministry of energy, ecology, sustainable development and sea) and the ADEME (the French agency for energy conservation), and as the French representative in several international authorities

Storage and disposal of radioactive waste as glass in canisters

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mendel, J.E.

1978-12-01

A review of the use of waste glass for the immobilization of high-level radioactive waste glass is presented. Typical properties of the canisters used to contain the glass, and the waste glass, are described. Those properties are used to project the stability of canisterized waste glass through interim storage, transportation, and geologic disposal

Radioactive waste disposal process geological structure for the waste disposal

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Courtois, G.; Jaouen, C.

1983-01-01

The process described here consists to carry out the two phases of storage operation (intermediate and definitive) of radioactive wastes (especially the vitrified ones) in a geological dispositif (horizontal shafts) at an adequate deepness but suitable for a natural convection ventilation with fresh air from the land surface and moved only with the calorific heat released by the burried radioactive wastes when the radioactive decay has reached the adequate level, the shafts are totally and definitely occluded [fr

Storage is absolutely necessary to balance supply and demand

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Anon.

2009-01-01

Before liberalization, gas storage was built to balance supply and demand (on a seasonal basis), as well as for broader security of supply concerns. With liberalization, companies started to use storage in a more flexible way as they were no longer obliged to prioritize security of supply. The decline in swing production in the North Sea should have triggered an increase in storage capacity. However, in the UK, investment in storage was neglected until too late. The major points of interest in continental Europe are as follows: due to geological constraints, Latvia is the only Baltic state to have underground storage; storage capacity represents 49% of annual Austria demand; Germany has the biggest European storage facility; in Belgium, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland and Portugal, just one company in each country has all the storage capacity; in Romania, Romgaz has 92% of storage capacity; in the Czech Republic, RWE owns 75% of the storage; in Slovakia, GDF SUEZ and E.ON have most of the capacity; and storage in Ukraine represents a huge opportunity with a capacity of 34 bcm (billion cubic meters). In oil, strategic stocks are a reality and have been used but in gas, strategic stocks do not exist except 5.1 bcm in Italy, 1 bcm in Spain and 1.2 bcm are being built in Hungary. Some possible EU changes could have an impact on the entire European gas market. Just outside EU-27, Ukraine has a form of strategic storage which represents 10% of its suppliers' annual supplies

The Ohio River Valley CO2 Storage Project AEP Mountaineer Plant, West Virginia Numerical Simulation and Risk Assessment Report

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Neeraj Gupta

2008-03-31

A series of numerical simulations of carbon dioxide (CO{sub 2}) injection were conducted as part of a program to assess the potential for geologic sequestration in deep geologic reservoirs (the Rose Run and Copper Ridge formations), at the American Electric Power (AEP) Mountaineer Power Plant outside of New Haven, West Virginia. The simulations were executed using the H{sub 2}O-CO{sub 2}-NaCl operational mode of the Subsurface Transport Over Multiple Phases (STOMP) simulator (White and Oostrom, 2006). The objective of the Rose Run formation modeling was to predict CO{sub 2} injection rates using data from the core analysis conducted on the samples. A systematic screening procedure was applied to the Ohio River Valley CO{sub 2} storage site utilizing the Features, Elements, and Processes (FEP) database for geological storage of CO{sub 2} (Savage et al., 2004). The objective of the screening was to identify potential risk categories for the long-term geological storage of CO{sub 2} at the Mountaineer Power Plant in New Haven, West Virginia. Over 130 FEPs in seven main classes were assessed for the project based on site characterization information gathered in a geological background study, testing in a deep well drilled on the site, and general site conditions. In evaluating the database, it was apparent that many of the items were not applicable to the Mountaineer site based its geologic framework and environmental setting. Nine FEPs were identified for further consideration for the site. These FEPs generally fell into categories related to variations in subsurface geology, well completion materials, and the behavior of CO{sub 2} in the subsurface. Results from the screening were used to provide guidance on injection system design, developing a monitoring program, performing reservoir simulations, and other risk assessment efforts. Initial work indicates that the significant FEPs may be accounted for by focusing the storage program on these potential issues. The

Dissolution of carbon dioxide in aqueous electrolyte solutions, in the context of geological storage: A thermodynamic approach

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Liborio, Barbara

2017-01-01

This thesis studies the enthalpy of solution of carbon dioxide in electrolyte aqueous solutions. To develop theoretical models describing the systems (CO 2 -water-salt) under the geological storage conditions of carbon dioxide, it is necessary to have experimental data, namely solubility and enthalpy. In this study, a customized flow mixing unit was adapted to a SETARAM C-80 calorimeter to measure the enthalpy of CO 2 solution in aqueous electrolyte solutions (NaCl, CaCl 2 and Na 2 SO 4 ) at the ionic strengths between 2 and 6 and at temperatures between 323.1 K and 372.9 K and pressures ranging from 2 to 16 MPa. Data from the literature were used to adjust the thermodynamic phase equilibrium model in the Y-φ approach. The thermodynamic model reproduces the experimental enthalpies to plus or minus 10%. The calculation of the enthalpy in the rigorous model is strongly dependent on the data of the literature. An experimental device has been set up for the determination of the molar volume of CO 2 at infinite dilution, which is necessary for thermodynamic modeling. The carbon dioxide to be stored may contain impurities such as annexes (O 2 , N 2 , SO x , H 2 S, N y O x , H 2 , CO and Ar). Under the objective of studying the influence of these impurities, an experimental apparatus has been set up for the measurement of enthalpies of solution of SO 2 in water and aqueous solutions of NaCl and the first results are promising. (author)

Proceedings of the 1982 National Waste Terminal Storage Program information meeting

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-12-01

The substantial progress made during fiscal year 1982 in the programmatic work directed toward providing the nation with at least one licensed, fully operational mined geologic repository as early as 1998 is given in these papers at the 1982 National Waste Terminal Storage (NWTS) information meeting. Individual papers are indexed. (DP)

Numerical simulation of radon migration from a uranium ore storage facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vasil'ev, I.A.; Politov, V.Yu.; Chernov, V.V.; Shestakov, A.A.

2007-01-01

Data on geologic structure and radiation environment in the vicinity of the tailings storage facility (TSF) of Kara-Balta uranium hydrometallurgical factory in Kyrgyzstan were used to design a mathematical model of radon migration from the surface of TSF. Numerical calculations have been performed to describe prevalence of radon contamination [ru

Bibliography of geologic studies: Columbia Plateau (Columbia River Basalt) and adjacent areas in Idaho

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Strowd, W.

1978-11-01

The objective of this compilation is to present a comprehensive listing of published, unpublished, and open-file references pertaining to the geology of the Columbia Plateau and adjacent areas in the State of Idaho. The bibliography was compiled in support of Rockwell's Basalt Waste Isolation Program that is evaluating the feasibility of nuclear waste storage in the Columbia River Basalt Group. The emphasis is on stratigraphy, structural geology, seismicity, and tectonics, although the nature of Columbia River Basalt distribution in Idaho has necessitated the inclusion of a sizeable collection of references on geology marginal to the Columbia Plateau and associated mineral resources. The bibliography is divided into two major sections, the alphabetical listing of all references and the subject index. The subject index is divided into 19 categories to facilitate locating a specific reference in the user's field of interest

Separation, storage and disposal of krypton-85

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1980-01-01

Technical means available for the retention of 85 Kr and its immobilization, storage and disposal are reviewed. Cryogenic processes for the separation of krypton and xenon from diluting gases are discussed in more detail. Besides the cryogenic processes, a liquid adsorption process for reprocessing off-gases and charcoal adsorption and membrane processes for reactor off-gases are also dealt with. The retained krypton can be stored in pressurized containers with air or water cooling. The containers can be kept in engineered storage facilities for an intermediate period or until the 85 Kr has decayed. Alternatively, the krypton may be encapsulated in a solid. The injection of gases containing krypton into suitable geologic strata may also be possible. Much of the equipment required for the separation and storage of krypton, well known from ordinary technology, often needs some adaptation. Further R and D work is, however, needed to solve some problems which are specific to highly concentrated fission krypton. The subject is reviewed under the following headings: methods available for the separation of krypton from off-gases; separation of krypton from reactor off-gas; separation of krypton from reprocessing off-gas; conditioning methods; engineering storage; transportation; disposal

Handling of spent nuclear fuel and final storage of vitrified high level reprocessing waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-01-01

The report gives a general summary of the Swedish KBS-project on management and disposal of vitrified reprocessed waste. Its final aim is to demostrate that the means of processing and managing power reactor waste in an absolutely safe way, as stipulated in the Swedish so called Conditions Act, already exist. Chapters on Storage facility for spent fuel, Intermidiate storage of reprocessed waste, Geology, Final repository, Transportation, Protection, and Siting. (L.E.)

Interfacial Interactions and Wettability Evaluation of Rock Surfaces for CO2 Storage

NARCIS (Netherlands)

Shojai Kaveh, N.

2014-01-01

To reduce CO2 emissions into the atmosphere, different scenarios are proposed to capture and store carbon dioxide (CO2) in geological formations (CCS). Storage strategies include CO2 injection into deep saline aquifers, depleted gas and oil reservoirs, and unmineable coal seams. To identify a secure

Screening and ranking framework (SRF) for geologic CO2 storagesite selection on the basis of HSE risk

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Oldenburg, Curtis M.

2006-11-27

A screening and ranking framework (SRF) has been developedto evaluate potential geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) storage sites on thebasis of health, safety, and environmental (HSE) risk arising from CO2leakage. The approach is based on the assumption that CO2 leakage risk isdependent on three basic characteristics of a geologic CO2 storage site:(1) the potential for primary containment by the target formation; (2)the potential for secondary containment if the primary formation leaks;and (3) the potential for attenuation and dispersion of leaking CO2 ifthe primary formation leaks and secondary containment fails. Theframework is implemented in a spreadsheet in which users enter numericalscores representing expert opinions or published information along withestimates of uncertainty. Applications to three sites in Californiademonstrate the approach. Refinements and extensions are possible throughthe use of more detailed data or model results in place of propertyproxies.

Social stakes of the reversibility in the deep storage of high level radioactive wastes

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Heriard-Dubreuil, G.; Schieber, C.; Schneider, T.

1998-06-01

This document proposes a study of the conditions which surrounded the reversibility introduction in high activity wastes deep storage at an international scale, as well as a reflexion on the social stakes associated there. In France, the law of december 30, 1991 concerning the research on the radioactive wastes prescribes '' the study of possibilities retrieval or non retrieval storage in deep geological deposits''. The analysis of the reversibility associated social stakes emphasizes the necessity to prevent irreversible consequences, to take care to the choices reversibility, to preserve the future generations autonomy. Thus to elaborate a more satisfactory solution between deep disposal and surface storage, a deep storage, capable of gradually evolution, concept is defined. (A.L.B.)

NAGRADATA. Code key. Geology

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Mueller, W.H.; Schneider, B.; Staeuble, J.

1984-01-01

This reference manual provides users of the NAGRADATA system with comprehensive keys to the coding/decoding of geological and technical information to be stored in or retreaved from the databank. Emphasis has been placed on input data coding. When data is retreaved the translation into plain language of stored coded information is done automatically by computer. Three keys each, list the complete set of currently defined codes for the NAGRADATA system, namely codes with appropriate definitions, arranged: 1. according to subject matter (thematically) 2. the codes listed alphabetically and 3. the definitions listed alphabetically. Additional explanation is provided for the proper application of the codes and the logic behind the creation of new codes to be used within the NAGRADATA system. NAGRADATA makes use of codes instead of plain language for data storage; this offers the following advantages: speed of data processing, mainly data retrieval, economies of storage memory requirements, the standardisation of terminology. The nature of this thesaurian type 'key to codes' makes it impossible to either establish a final form or to cover the entire spectrum of requirements. Therefore, this first issue of codes to NAGRADATA must be considered to represent the current state of progress of a living system and future editions will be issued in a loose leave ringbook system which can be updated by an organised (updating) service. (author)

National Waste Terminal Storage Program information meeting, December 7-8, 1976. [Slides only, no text

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

1976-12-06

Volume II of the report comprises copies of the slides from the talks presented at the second session of the National Waste Terminal Storage Program information meeting. This session was devoted to geologic studies. (LK)

Study of microorganisms present in deep geologic formations

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Camus, H.; Lion, R.; Bianchi, A.; Garcin, J.

1987-01-01

This work has been executed in the scope of the studies on high activity radioactive wastes storage in deep geological environments. The authors make reference to an as complete as possible literature on the existence of microorganisms in those environments or under similar conditions. Then they describe the equipment and methods they have implemented to perform their study of the populations present in three deep-reaching drill-holes in Auriat (France), Mol (Belgique) and Troon (Great Britain). The results of the study exhibit the presence of a certain biological activity, well adapted to that particular life environment. Strains appear to be very varied from the taxonomic point of view and seemingly show an important potential of mineral alteration when provided with an adequate source of energy. Complementary studies, using advanced techniques such as those employed during the work forming the basis of this paper, seem necessary for a more accurate evaluation of long-term risks of perturbation of a deep storage site [fr

Regional assessment of aquifers for thermal-energy storage. Volume 2: Regions 7 through 12

Science.gov (United States)

1981-06-01

The geologic and hydrologic framework, major aquifers, aquifers which are suitable and unsuitable for annual thermal energy storage (ATES) and the ATES potential of the unglaciated central region, glaciated Appalachians, unglaciated Appalachians, coastal plain, Hawaii, and Alaska are discussed.

Spent fuel behaviour during dry storage - a review

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Shivakumar, V.; Anantharaman, K.

1997-09-01

One of the strategies employed for management of spent fuel prior to their final disposal/reprocessing is their dry storage in casks, after they have been sufficiently cooled in spent fuel pools. In this interim storage, one of the main consideration is that the fuel should retain its integrity to ensure (a) radiological health hazard remains minimal and (b) the fuel is retrievable for down steam fuel management processes such as geological disposal or reprocessing. For dry storage of spent fuel in air, oxidation of the exposed UO 2 is the most severe of phenomena affecting the integrity of fuel. This is kept within acceptable limits for desired storage time by limiting the fuel temperature in the storage cask. The limit on the fuel temperature is met by having suitable limits on maximum burn-up of fuel, minimum cooling period in storage pool and optimum arrangement of fuel bundles in the storage cask from heat removal considerations. The oxidation of UO 2 by moist air has more deleterious effects on the integrity of fuel than that by dry air. The removal of moisture from the storage cask is therefore a very important aspect in dry storage practice. The kinetics of the oxidation phenomena at temperatures expected during dry storage in air is very slow and therefore the majority of the existing data is based on extrapolation of data obtained at higher fuel temperatures. This and the complex effects of factors like fission products in fuel, radiolysis of storage medium etc. has necessitated in having a conservative limiting criteria. The data generated by various experimental programmes and results from the on going programmes have shown that dry storage is a safe and economical practice. (author)

Synthetic geology - Exploring the "what if?" in geology

Science.gov (United States)

Klump, J. F.; Robertson, J.

2015-12-01

The spatial and temporal extent of geological phenomena makes experiments in geology difficult to conduct, if not entirely impossible and collection of data is laborious and expensive - so expensive that most of the time we cannot test a hypothesis. The aim, in many cases, is to gather enough data to build a predictive geological model. Even in a mine, where data are abundant, a model remains incomplete because the information at the level of a blasting block is two orders of magnitude larger than the sample from a drill core, and we have to take measurement errors into account. So, what confidence can we have in a model based on sparse data, uncertainties and measurement error? Synthetic geology does not attempt to model the real world in terms of geological processes with all their uncertainties, rather it offers an artificial geological data source with fully known properties. On the basis of this artificial geology, we can simulate geological sampling by established or future technologies to study the resulting dataset. Conducting these experiments in silico removes the constraints of testing in the field or in production, and provides us with a known ground-truth against which the steps in a data analysis and integration workflow can be validated.Real-time simulation of data sources can be used to investigate crucial questions such as the potential information gain from future sensing capabilities, or from new sampling strategies, or the combination of both, and it enables us to test many "what if?" questions, both in geology and in data engineering. What would we be able to see if we could obtain data at higher resolution? How would real-time data analysis change sampling strategies? Does our data infrastructure handle many new real-time data streams? What feature engineering can be deducted for machine learning approaches? By providing a 'data sandbox' able to scale to realistic geological scenarios we hope to start answering some of these questions.

SiteChar – Methodology for a Fit-for-Purpose Assessment of CO2 Storage Sites in Europe

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Delprat-Jannaud F.

2015-04-01

Full Text Available The FP7-funded SiteChar project examined the entire CO2 geological storage site characterisation process, from the initial feasibility studies through to the final stage of application for a CO2 storage permit based on criteria defined by the relevant European legislation. The SiteChar workflow for CO2 geological storage site characterisation provides a description of all elements of a site characterisation study, as well as guidance to streamline the site characterisation process and make sure that the output covers the aspects mentioned in the European Community (EC Storage Directive. Five potential European storage sites, representative of prospective geological contexts, were considered as test sites for the research work: a North Sea multi-store site (hydrocarbon field and aquifer offshore Scotland; an onshore aquifer in Denmark; an onshore gas field in Poland; an aquifer offshore in Norway; and an aquifer in the Southern Adriatic Sea. This portfolio combines complementary sites that allowed to encompass the different steps of the characterisation workflow. A key innovation was the development of internal ‘dry-run’ permit applications at the Danish and Scottish sites and their review by relevant regulatory authorities. This process helped to refine the site characterisation workflow, and aimed to identify remaining gaps in site-specific characterisation, needed to secure storage permits under the EC Storage Directive as implemented in ‘host’ Member States. SiteChar considered the important aspect of the public awareness and public opinions of these new technologies, in parallel to technical issues, on the onshore Polish and offshore Scottish sites. A new format to assist public opinion-forming processes was tested involving a small sample of local communities. Generic as well as site-specific information was made available to the general and local public via the internet and at information meetings. These exercises provide insight

Long-Time Data Storage: Relevant Time Scales

Directory of Open Access Journals (Sweden)

Miko C. Elwenspoek

2011-02-01

Full Text Available Dynamic processes relevant for long-time storage of information about human kind are discussed, ranging from biological and geological processes to the lifecycle of stars and the expansion of the universe. Major results are that life will end ultimately and the remaining time that the earth is habitable for complex life is about half a billion years. A system retrieved within the next million years will be read by beings very closely related to Homo sapiens. During this time the surface of the earth will change making it risky to place a small number of large memory systems on earth; the option to place it on the moon might be more favorable. For much longer timescales both options do not seem feasible because of geological processes on the earth and the flux of small meteorites to the moon.

Medium Deep High Temperature Heat Storage

Science.gov (United States)

Bär, Kristian; Rühaak, Wolfram; Schulte, Daniel; Welsch, Bastian; Chauhan, Swarup; Homuth, Sebastian; Sass, Ingo

2015-04-01

Heating of buildings requires more than 25 % of the total end energy consumption in Germany. Shallow geothermal systems for indirect use as well as shallow geothermal heat storage systems like aquifer thermal energy storage (ATES) or borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) typically provide low exergy heat. The temperature levels and ranges typically require a coupling with heat pumps. By storing hot water from solar panels or thermal power stations with temperatures of up to 110 °C a medium deep high temperature heat storage (MDHTS) can be operated on relatively high temperature levels of more than 45 °C. Storage depths of 500 m to 1,500 m below surface avoid conflicts with groundwater use for drinking water or other purposes. Permeability is typically also decreasing with greater depth; especially in the crystalline basement therefore conduction becomes the dominant heat transport process. Solar-thermal charging of a MDHTS is a very beneficial option for supplying heat in urban and rural systems. Feasibility and design criteria of different system configurations (depth, distance and number of BHE) are discussed. One system is designed to store and supply heat (300 kW) for an office building. The required boreholes are located in granodioritic bedrock. Resulting from this setup several challenges have to be addressed. The drilling and completion has to be planned carefully under consideration of the geological and tectonical situation at the specific site.

Final version dry cask storage study

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1989-02-01

This report was prepared in response to Section 5064 of the Nuclear Waste Policy Amendments Act of 1987 (the Amendments Act--Public Law 100-203), which directs the Secretary of Energy to conduct a study of the use of dry-cask-storage technology for storing spent fuel at the sites of civilian nuclear reactors until a geologic repository is available. In conducting this study, whose results are being reported to the Congress, the Secretary was to consider such factors as costs, effects on human health and the environment, and the extent to which the Nuclear Waste Fund can and should be used to provide funds for at-reactor storage. In addition, the Secretary was to consult with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), include NRC comments in the report, and solicit the views of State and local governments and the public. The study performed in response to these requirements was based largely on data published by the DOE or the NRC or included in documents issued by the DOE. Among the DOE documents are the 1987 MRS proposal to the Congress and a subsequent report, prepared to supply the Congress with additional information on the MRS facility. Because in evaluating dry storage at reactor sites it is necessary to take into account other options for meeting storage needs, this study covered all forms of at-reactor storage. 107 refs., 15 figs., 10 tabs

Offshore Storage Resource Assessment - FINAL SCIENTIFIC/TECHNICAL REPORT

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Savage, Bill [NITEC LLC; Ozgen, Chet [NITEC LLC

2017-12-13

The DOE developed volumetric equation for estimating Prospective Resources (CO2 storage) in oil and gas reservoirs was utilized on each depleted field in the Federal GOM. This required assessment of the in-situ hydrocarbon fluid volumes for the fields under evaluation in order to apply the DOE equation. This project utilized public data from the U.S. Department of the Interior, Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) Reserves database and from a well reputed, large database (250,000+ wells) of GOM well and production data marketed by IHS, Inc. IHS interpreted structure map files were also accessed for a limited number of fields. The databases were used along with geological and petrophysical software to identify depleted oil and gas fields in the Federal GOM region. BOEM arranged for access by the project team to proprietary reservoir level maps under an NDA. Review of the BOEM’s Reserves database as of December 31, 2013 indicated that 675 fields in the region were depleted. NITEC identified and rank these 675 fields containing 3,514 individual reservoirs based on BOEM’s estimated OOIP or OGIP values available in the Reserves database. The estimated BOEM OOIP or OGIP values for five fields were validated by an independent evaluation using available petrophysical, geologic and engineering data in the databases. Once this validation was successfully completed, the BOEM ranked list was used to calculate the estimated CO2 storage volume for each field/reservoir using the DOE CO2 Resource Estimate Equation. This calculation assumed a range for the CO2 efficiency factor in the equation, as it was not known at that point in time. NITEC then utilize reservoir simulation to further enhance and refine the DOE equation estimated range of CO2 storage volumes. NITEC used a purpose built, publically available, 4-component, compositional reservoir simulator developed under funding from DOE (DE-FE0006015) to assess CO2-EOR and CO2 storage in 73 fields/461 reservoirs. This

Admissible thermal loading in geological formations. Consequences on radioactive waste disposal methods

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1982-01-01

The thermal loading in salt formation is studied for the disposal of high-level radioactive waste embedded in glass. Temperature effect on glass leaching, stability of gel layer on glass surface, quantity of leaching solution available in the borehole and corrosion resistance of materials used for containers are examined. The geological storage medium must satisfy particularly complex requirements: stratigraphy, brine migration, permeability, fissuring, mechanical strength, creep, thermal expansion, cavity structure ..

Analysis of geological condition of uranium mineralization in the Xiangshan northern uranium orefield in central region of Jiangxi Province

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Zhou Yulong; Liu Yunlang; Gao Yan

2013-01-01

According to the basic conditions of 'source, guide, transportation, storage' for uranium mineralization in strata and different types of geological structure, departure from the condition, the coupling effect of stratigraphy, lithology and structure are studied in the process of uranium mineralization in northern Xiangshan volcanic basin. Studies show that the northern ore field are of good metallogenic geological conditions and the uranium rich ancient land mass and uranium rich magma generated by the melting of deep metamorphic rocks. The main geologic events are volcanic eruptions, accompanied by repeated subvolcanic magma intrusion and strong faults and nappe tectonics which result in volcanic collapse and volcanic ring structures. These ore-forming geological condition control the structural frame for the formation of main uranium deposit type-subvolcanic rocks in northern Xiangshan ore field. (authors)

Nuclear waste and a deep geological disposal facility

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Vokal, A.; Laciok, A.; Vasa, I.

2005-01-01

The paper presents a systematic analysis of the individual areas of research into nuclear waste and deep geological disposal with emphasis on the contribution of Nuclear Research Institute Rez plc to such efforts within international projects, specifically the EURATOM 6th Framework Programme. Research in the area of new advanced fuel cycles with focus on waste minimisation is based on EU's REDIMPACT project. The individual fuel cycles, which are currently studied within the EU, are briefly described. Special attention is paid to fast breeders and accelerator-driven reactor concepts associated with new spent fuel reprocessing technologies. Results obtained so far show that none even of the most advanced fuel cycles, currently under consideration, would eliminate the necessity to have a deep geological repository for a safe storage of residual radioactive waste. As regards deep geological repository barriers, the fact is highlighted that the safety of a repository is assured by complementary engineered and natural barriers. In order to demonstrate the safety of a repository, a deep insight must be gained into any and all of the individual processes that occur inside the repository and thus may affect radioactivity releases beyond the repository boundaries. The final section of the paper describes methods of radioactive waste conditioning for its disposal in a repository. Research into waste matrices used for radionuclide immobilisation is also highlighted. (author)

Technical support for GEIS: radioactive waste isolation in geologic formations. Volume 16. Repository preconceptual design studies: BPNL waste forms in salt

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

1978-04-01

This volume, Volume 16, ''Repository Preconceptual Design Studies: BPNL Waste Forms in Salt,'' is one of a 23 volume series, ''Technical Support for GEIS: Radioactive Waste Isolation in Geologic Formations,'' Y/OWI/TM-36, which supplements the ''Contribution to Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement on Commercial Waste Management: Radioactive Waste Isolation in Geologic Formations,'' Y/OWI/TM-44. The series provide a more complete technical basis for the preconceptual designs, resource requirements, and environmental source terms associated with isolating commercial LWR wastes in underground repositories in salt, granite, shale and basalt. Wastes are considered from three fuel cycles: uranium and plutonium recycling, no recycling of spent fuel and uranium-only recycling. This document describes a preconceptual design for a nuclear waste storage facility in salt. The waste forms assumed to arrive at the repository were supplied by Battelle Pacific Northwest Laboratories (BPNL). The facility design consists of several chambers excavated deep within a geologic formation together with access shafts and supportive surface structures. The facility design provides for: receiving and unloading waste containers; lowering them down shafts to the mine level; transporting them to the proper storage area and emplacing them in mined storage rooms. Drawings of the facility design are contained in TM-36/17, ''Drawings for Repository Preconceptual Design Studies: BPNL Waste Forms in Salt.''

Commercial potential of natural gas storage in lined rock caverns (LRC)

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

NONE

1999-11-01

The geologic conditions in many regions of the United States will not permit the development of economical high-deliverability gas storage in salt caverns. These regions include the entire Eastern Seaboard; several northern states, notably Minnesota and Wisconsin; many of the Rocky Mountain States; and most of the Pacific Northwest. In late 1997, the United States Department of Energy (USDOE) Federal Energy Technology Center engaged Sofregaz US to investigate the commercialization potential of natural gas storage in Lined Rock Caverns (LRC). Sofregaz US teamed with Gaz de France and Sydkraft, who had formed a consortium, called LRC, to perform the study for the USDOE. Underground storage of natural gas is generally achieved in depleted oil and gas fields, aquifers, and solution-mined salt caverns. These storage technologies require specific geologic conditions. Unlined rock caverns have been used for decades to store hydrocarbons - mostly liquids such as crude oil, butane, and propane. The maximum operating pressure in unlined rock caverns is limited, since the host rock is never entirely impervious. The LRC technology allows a significant increase in the maximum operating pressure over the unlined storage cavern concept, since the gas in storage is completely contained with an impervious liner. The LRC technology has been under development in Sweden by Sydkraft since 1987. The development process has included extensive technical studies, laboratory testing, field tests, and most recently includes a storage facility being constructed in southern Sweden (Skallen). The LRC development effort has shown that the concept is technically and economically viable. The Skallen storage facility will have a rock cover of 115 meters (375 feet), a storage volume of 40,000 cubic meters (250,000 petroleum barrels), and a maximum operating pressure of 20 MPa (2,900 psi). There is a potential for commercialization of the LRC technology in the United States. Two regions were studied

Investigating the Fundamental Scientific Issues Affecting the Long-term Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Spangler, Lee [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Cunningham, Alfred [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Barnhart, Elliot [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Lageson, David [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Nall, Anita [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Dobeck, Laura [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Repasky, Kevin [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Shaw, Joseph [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Nugent, Paul [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Johnson, Jennifer [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Hogan, Justin [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Codd, Sarah [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Bray, Joshua [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); Prather, Cody [Montana State Univ., Bozeman, MT (United States); McGrail, B. [Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States); Oldenburg, Curtis [Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States); Wagoner, Jeff [Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States); Pawar, Rajesh [Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)

2014-12-19

The Zero Emissions Research and Technology (ZERT) collaborative was formed to address basic science and engineering knowledge gaps relevant to geologic carbon sequestration. The original funding round of ZERT (ZERT I) identified and addressed many of these gaps. ZERT II has focused on specific science and technology areas identified in ZERT I that showed strong promise and needed greater effort to fully develop.

Radioactive wastes. Safety of storage facilities

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Devillers, Ch.

2001-01-01

A radioactive waste storage facility is designed in a way that ensures the isolation of wastes with respect to the biosphere. This function comprises the damping of the gamma and neutron radiations from the wastes, and the confinement of the radionuclides content of the wastes. The safety approach is based on two time scales: the safety of the insulation system during the main phase of radioactive decay, and the assessment of the radiological risks following this phase. The safety of a surface storage facility is based on a three-barrier concept (container, storage structures, site). The confidence in the safety of the facility is based on the quality assurance of the barriers and on their surveillance and maintenance. The safety of a deep repository will be based on the site quality, on the design and construction of structures and on the quality of the safety demonstration. This article deals with the safety approach and principles of storage facilities: 1 - recall of the different types of storage facilities; 2 - different phases of the life of a storage facility and regulatory steps; 3 - safety and radiation protection goals (time scales, radiation protection goals); 4 - safety approach and principles of storage facilities: safety of the isolation system (confinement system, safety analysis, scenarios, radiological consequences, safety principles), assessment of the radiation risks after the main phase of decay; 5 - safety of surface storage facilities: safety analysis of the confinement system of the Aube plant (barriers, scenarios, modeling, efficiency), evaluation of radiological risks after the main phase of decay; experience feedback of the Manche plant; variants of surface storage facilities in France and abroad (very low activity wastes, mine wastes, short living wastes with low and average activity); 6 - safety of deep geological disposal facilities: legal framework of the French research; international context; safety analysis of the confinement system

Regional assessment of aquifers for thermal energy storage. Volume 1: Regions 1 through 6

Science.gov (United States)

1981-06-01

The geologic and hydrologic framework, major aquifers, aquifers which are suitable and unsuitable for annual thermal energy storage (ATES) and the ATES potential of the western mountains, alluvial basins, Columbia LAVA plateau, Colorado plateau, high plains, and glaciated central region are discussed.

Numerical simulation methods applied to injection and storage of CO{sub 2} in saline aquifers; Metodos de simulacion numerica aplicados a la inyeccion y almacenamiento de CO{sub 2} en formaciones salinas

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Arjona Garcia-Borreguero, J.; Rodriguez Pons-Esparver, R.; Iglesias Lopez, A.

2015-07-01

One of the Climate Change mitigation proposals suggested by the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) in its Synthesis Report 2007 involves the launch of applications for capturing and storing carbon dioxide, existing three different geological structures suitable for gas storage: oil and gas depleted reservoirs, useless coal layers and deep saline structures. In case of deep saline structures, the main problem to prepare a study of CO{sub 2} storage is the difficulty of obtaining geological data for some selected structure with characteristics that could be suitable for injection and gas storage. According to this situation, the solution to analyze the feasibility of a storage project in a geological structure will need numerical simulation from a 3D terrain model. Numerical methods allow the simulation of the carbon dioxide filling in saline structures from a well, used to inject gas with a particular flow. This paper presents a methodology to address the modeling and simulation process of CO{sub 2} injection into deep saline aquifers. (Author)

CO2 point sources and subsurface storage capacities for CO2 in aquifers in Norway

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Boee, Reidulv; Magnus, Christian; Osmundsen, Per Terje; Rindstad, Bjoern Ivar

2002-01-01

The GESTCO project comprises a study of the distribution and coincidence of thermal CO 2 emission sources and location/quality of geological storage capacity in Europe. Four of the most promising types of geological storage are being studied. 1. Onshore/offshore saline aquifers with or without lateral seal. 2. Low entalpy geothermal reservoirs. 3. Deep methane-bearing coal beds and abandoned coal and salt mines. 4. Exhausted or near exhausted hydrocarbon structures. In this report we present an inventory of CO 2 point sources in Norway (1999) and the results of the work within Study Area C: Deep saline aquifers offshore/near shore Northern and Central Norway. Also offshore/near shore Southern Norway has been included while the Barents Sea is not described in any detail. The most detailed studies are on the Tilje and Aare Formations on the Troendelag Platform off Mid-Norway and on the Sognefjord, Fensfjord and Krossfjord Formations, southeast of the Troll Field off Western Norway. The Tilje Formation has been chosen as one of the cases to be studied in greater detail (numerical modelling) in the project. This report shows that offshore Norway, there are concentrations of large CO 2 point sources in the Haltenbanken, the Viking Graben/Tampen Spur area, the Southern Viking Graben and the central Trough, while onshore Norway there are concentrations of point sources in the Oslofjord/Porsgrund area, along the coast of western Norway and in the Troendelag. A number of aquifers with large theoretical CO 2 storage potential are pointed out in the North Sea, the Norwegian Sea and in the Southern Barents Sea. The storage capacity in the depth interval 0.8 - 4 km below sea level is estimated to be ca. 13 Gt (13000000000 tonnes) CO 2 in geological traps (outside hydrocarbon fields), while the storage capacity in aquifers not confined to traps is estimated to be at least 280 Gt CO 2 . (Author)

Cigeo storage project - Examination of the Safety options file. Meeting of the Experts Permanent Groups for wastes and for laboratories and plants on the 18-19 May 2017

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2017-01-01

This document contains a report in two volumes and several appendices with documents issues by other bodies than the IRSN (notably the ASN). The two volumes report a study made on the request of the ASN regarding safety options for the Cigeo project of deep geological storage of nuclear wastes. The first volume proposes a description of the Cigeo project (site, storage architecture, parcels, Cigeo timescale, storage closure, processes implemented within the installations, Cigeo adaptability to inventory evolution, safety functions), addresses the waste parcel inventory (parcel inventory, reference radiological and chemical inventories, storage planning, reserve wastes, spent fuels), presents elements related to the site itself (geological context, natural resources, geo-dynamic characterisation, host rock, hydro-geology of aquifer layers), discusses the evolution of storage components (parcel behaviour after storage closure, evolution of steels, of concretes and of clayey materials). The second volume proposes a detailed overview of the safety approach for the different phases (exploitation, and after closure), proposes an assessment of safety during the exploitation phase (internal risks from nuclear origin, internal aggressions like fire, flooding or explosion, or related to parcel transport and handling, external aggressions like earthquakes, external flooding, and issues related to exploitation effluents and wastes), and proposes a safety assessment after closure (risk analysis for underground installations, and assessment of the global confinement capacity)

75 FR 78986 - East Cheyenne Gas Storage, LLC; Notice of Intent To Prepare an Environmental Assessment for the...

Science.gov (United States)

2010-12-17

..., East Cheyenne planned to do enhanced oil recovery (EOR) of petroleum reserves remaining in the storage... proposed project amendment under these general headings: Geology and soils; Land use; Water resources...

The role of the underground for massive storage of energy: a preliminary glance of the French case

Science.gov (United States)

Audigane, Pascal; Gentier, Sylvie; Bader, Anne-Gaelle; Beccaletto, Laurent; Bellenfant, Gael

2014-05-01

naturally in the underground and which increases with depth. However, the move to an interesting efficiency requires that the heat generated during compression can be stored and used during expansion. This storage can be also underground. H2 underground storage is part of the "Power to gas" concept which allows for converting electricity into a gas available for either electrical or gas grid. Each of these techniques requires the selection of appropriate geological formations which contains specific characteristics in agreement with several criteria under consideration when choosing electric energy storage methods for application (lifetime, life cycle, discharge rate, environmental impact, public acceptance …). We propose in this paper a preliminary review of the potential massive electric energy storage capacities in France of using specific geological formations (salt, basement) and the various physical phenomena linked to the couple geology/technology. Several approaches and methodologies developed formerly with other applications (geothermal, CO2 storage, heat storage …) will be used to investigate mechanical integrity and environmental impacts associated to these innovative technologies.

United States National Waste Terminal Storage argillaceous rock studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brunton, G.D.

1981-01-01

The past and present argillaceous rock studies for the US National Waste Terminal Storage Program consist of: (1) evaluation of the geological characteristics of several widespread argillaceous formations in the United States; (2) laboratory studies of the physical and chemical properties of selected argillaceous rock samples; and (3) two full-scale in situ surface heater experiments that simulate the emplacement of heat-generating radioactive waste in argillaceous rock

United States National Waste Terminal Storage argillaceous rock studies

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Brunton, G.D.

1979-01-01

The past and present argillaceous rock studies for the US National Waste Terminal Storage Program consist of: (1) evaluation of the geological characteristics of several widespread argillaceous formations in the United States; (2) laboratory studies of the physical and chemical properties of selected argillaceous rock samples; and (3) two full-scale in-situ surface heater experiments that simulate the emplacement of heat-generating radioactive waste in argillaceous rock

Advantages on dry interim storage for spent nuclear fuel

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Romanato, L.S.; Rzyski, B.M.

2006-01-01

When the nuclear fuel lose its ability to efficiently create energy it is removed from the core reactor and moved to a storage unit waiting for a final destination. Generally, the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) remains inside concrete basins with water within the reactors facility for the radioactive activity decay. Water cools the generated heat and shields radioactivity emissions. After some period of time in water basins the SNF can be sent to a definitive deposition in a geological repository and handled as radioactive waste or to reprocessing installations, or still wait for a future solution. Meanwhile, SNF remains stored for a period of time in dry or wet installations, depending on the method adopted by the nuclear power plant or other plans of the country. In many SNF wet storage sites the capacity can be fulfilled very quickly. If so, additional area or other alternative storage system should be given. There are many options to provide capacity increase in the wet storage area, but dry storages are worldwide preferred since it reduces corrosion concerns. In the wet storage the temperature and water purity should be constantly controlled whereas in the dry storage the SNF stands protected in specially designed canisters. Dry interim storages are practical and approved in many countries especially that have the 'wait and see' philosophy (wait to see new technologies development). This paper shows the advantages of dry interim storages sites in comparison with the wet ones and the nowadays problems as terrorism. (Author)

Advantages on dry interim storage for spent nuclear fuel

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Romanato, L.S. [Centro Tecnologico da Marinha em Sao Paulo, Av. Professor Lineu Prestes 2468, 05508-900 Sao Paulo (Brazil); Rzyski, B.M. [IPEN/ CNEN-SP, 05508-000 Sao Paulo (Brazil)]. e-mail: romanato@ctmsp.mar.mil.br

2006-07-01

When the nuclear fuel lose its ability to efficiently create energy it is removed from the core reactor and moved to a storage unit waiting for a final destination. Generally, the spent nuclear fuel (SNF) remains inside concrete basins with water within the reactors facility for the radioactive activity decay. Water cools the generated heat and shields radioactivity emissions. After some period of time in water basins the SNF can be sent to a definitive deposition in a geological repository and handled as radioactive waste or to reprocessing installations, or still wait for a future solution. Meanwhile, SNF remains stored for a period of time in dry or wet installations, depending on the method adopted by the nuclear power plant or other plans of the country. In many SNF wet storage sites the capacity can be fulfilled very quickly. If so, additional area or other alternative storage system should be given. There are many options to provide capacity increase in the wet storage area, but dry storages are worldwide preferred since it reduces corrosion concerns. In the wet storage the temperature and water purity should be constantly controlled whereas in the dry storage the SNF stands protected in specially designed canisters. Dry interim storages are practical and approved in many countries especially that have the 'wait and see' philosophy (wait to see new technologies development). This paper shows the advantages of dry interim storages sites in comparison with the wet ones and the nowadays problems as terrorism. (Author)

Should the U.S. proceed to consider licensing deep geological disposal of high-level nuclear waste

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Curtiss, J.R.

1993-01-01

The United States, as well as other countries facing the question of how to handle high-level nuclear waste, has decided that the most appropriate means of disposal is in a deep geologic repository. In recent years, the Radioactive Waste Management Committee of the Nuclear Energy Agency has developed several position papers on the technical achievability of deep geologic disposal, thus demonstrating the serious consideration of deep geologic disposal in the international community. The Committee has not, as yet, formally endorsed disposal in a deep geologic repository as the preferred method of handling high-level nuclear waste. The United States, on the other hand, has studied the various methods of disposing of high-level nuclear waste, and has determined that deep geologic disposal is the method that should be developed. The purpose of this paper is to present a review of the United States' decision on selecting deep geologic disposal as the preferred method of addressing the high-level waste problem. It presents a short history of the steps taken by the U.S. in determining what method to use, discusses the NRC's waste Confidence Decision, and provides information on other issues in the U.S. program such as reconsideration of the final disposal standard and the growing inventory of spent fuel in storage

Grid scale energy storage in salt caverns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crotogino, F.; Donadei, S.

2011-05-15

Fossil energy sources require some 20% of the annual consumption to be stored to secure emergency cover, cold winter supply, peak shaving, seasonal swing, load management and energy trading. Today the electric power industry benefits from the extreme high energy density of fossil and nuclear fuels. This is one important reason why e.g. the German utilities are able to provide highly reliable grid operation at a electric power storage capacity at their pumped hydro power stations of less then 1 hour (40 GWh) related to the total load in the grid - i.e. only 0,06% compared to 20% for natural gas. Along with the changeover to renewable wind-and to a lesser extent PV-based electricity production this 'outsourcing' of storage services to fossil and nuclear fuels will decline. One important way out will be grid scale energy storage in geological formations. The present discussion, research projects and plans for balancing short term wind and solar power fluctuations focus primarily on the installation of Compressed Air Energy Storages (CAES) if the capacity of existing pumped hydro plants cannot be expanded, e.g. because of environmental issues or lack of suitable topography. Because of their small energy density, these storage options are, however, generally less suitable for balancing for longer term fluctuations in case of larger amounts of excess wind power, wind flaws or even seasonal fluctuations. One important way out are large underground hydrogen storages which provide a much higher energy density because of chemical energy bond. Underground hydrogen storage is state of the art since many years in Great Britain and in the USA for the (petro-) chemical industry. (Author)

Grid scale energy storage in salt caverns

Energy Technology Data Exchange (ETDEWEB)

Crotogino, Fritz; Donadei, Sabine [KBB Underground Technologies GmbH, Hannover (Germany)

2009-07-01

Fossil energy sources require some 20% of the annual consumption to be stored to secure emergency cover, peak shaving, seasonal balancing, etc. Today the electric power industry benefits from the extreme high energy density of fossil fuels. This is one important reason why the German utilities are able to provide highly reliable grid operation at a electric power storage capacity at their pumped hydro power stations of less then 1 hour (40 GWh) related to the total load in the grid - i.e. only 0,06% related to natural gas. Along with the changeover to renewable wind based electricity production this ''outsourcing'' of storage services to fossil fuels will decline. One important way out will be grid scale energy storage. The present discussion for balancing short term wind and solar power fluctuations focuses primarily on the installation of Compressed Air Energy Storages (CAES) in addition to existing pumped hydro plants. Because of their small energy density, these storage options are, however, generally not suitable for balancing for longer term fluctuations in case of larger amounts of excess wind power or even seasonal fluctuations. Underground hydrogen storages, however, provide a much higher energy density because of chemical energy bond - standard practice since many years. The first part of the article describes the present status and performance of grid scale energy storages in geological formations, mainly salt caverns. It is followed by a compilation of generally suitable locations in Europe and particularly Germany. The second part deals with first results of preliminary investigations in possibilities and limits of offshore CAES power stations. (orig.)

Simple dielectric mixing model in the monitoring of CO2 leakage from geological storage aquifer

Science.gov (United States)

Abidoye, L. K.; Bello, A. A.

2017-03-01

The principle of the dielectric mixing for multiphase systems in porous media has been employed to investigate CO2-water-porous media system and monitor the leakage of CO2, in analogy to scenarios that can be encountered in geological carbon sequestration. A dielectric mixing model was used to relate the relative permittivity for different subsurface materials connected with the geological carbon sequestration. The model was used to assess CO2 leakage and its upward migration, under the influences of the depth-dependent characteristics of the subsurface media as well as the fault-connected aquifers. The results showed that for the upward migration of CO2 in the subsurface, the change in the bulk relative permittivity (εb) of the CO2-water-porous media system clearly depicts the leakage and movement of CO2, especially at depth shallower than 800 m. At higher depth, with higher pressure and temperature, the relative permittivity of CO2 increases with pressure, while that of water decreases with temperature. These characteristics of water and supercritical CO2, combine to limit the change in the εb, at higher depth. Furthermore, it was noted that if the pore water was not displaced by the migrating CO2, the presence of CO2 in the system increases the εb. But, with the displacement of pore water by the migrating CO2, it was shown how the εb profile decreases with time. Owing to its relative simplicity, composite dielectric behaviour of multiphase materials can be effectively deployed for monitoring and enhancement of control of CO2 movement in the geological carbon sequestration.

Refraction and reflection seismic investigations for geological energy-storage site characterization: Dalby (Tornquist Zone), southwest Sweden

Science.gov (United States)

Malehmir, Alireza; Bergman, Bo; Andersson, Benjamin; Sturk, Robert; Johansson, Mattis

2017-04-01

Three high-resolution, 5 m shot and receiver spacing using 141-172 receivers, refraction and reflection seismic profiles for the planning of a major underground energy-storage site near the town of Dalby-Lund within the Scania Tornquist suture zone in southwest of Sweden were acquired during August 2015. The site is situated ca. 1 km north of the RFZ (Romeleåsen fault and flexure zone) with a complex geologic and tectonic history. Near vertical dikes are observed from several quarries in the area crosscutting granitic-gneissic-amphibiotic rocks and form clear magnetic lineaments. These dikes likely have also acted as surfaces on which further faulting have occurred. Although a major high-speed and traffic road runs in the middle of the study area, the seismic data show excellent quality particularly for the data along two profiles (profiles 2 and 3) perpendicular to the road, and slightly noisy, due to high wind, for the data along a profile (profile 4) parallel to the road. A bobcat-mounted drop hammer (500 kg) was used to generate the seismic signal. To provide continuity from one side of the road to another, 51 wireless recorders connected to 10 Hz geophones and operating in an autonomous mode were used. GPS times of the source impacts were used to extract the data from the wireless recorders and then merged with the data from the cabled recorders (also 10 Hz geophones). Three shot records per source position were generated and vertically stacked to improve the signal-to-noise ratio. First arrivals are clear in most shot gathers allowing them to be used for traditional refraction seismic data analysis and also for more advanced traveltime tomography. The velocity models obtained through traveltime tomography clearly depict bedrock surface and its undulations and in many places show good correlation with the boreholes recently drilled in the area. At places where bedrock is intersected at greater depths than usual, for example 25 m at one place, depression

Assessment of Ademe's R and D actions for the CO2 capture and storage sector

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

2015-05-01

This publication presents research actions and projects supported by the ADEME in the field of CO 2 capture and storage. This programme aims at promoting the emergence of significant innovations, at developing the national technology portfolio, at identifying and reducing uncertainties related to exploitation, and at developing and strengthening its technological integration in manufacturing industry and energy sectors. While indicating the invested amount, research demonstrator projects are mentioned. Results obtained between 2007 and 2013 in different fields are briefly described: technical-economic studies or pre-feasibility studies, CO 2 capture (capture in post-combustion or in oxy-combustion), CO 2 geological storage (site selection, knowledge development on storage site sustainability, safety of CO 2 storage sites, monitoring of CO 2 storage sites, environmental impacts of storage sites), and issue of social feasibility of CO 2 capture and storage

Principles of geological substantiation for toxic waste disposal facilities sites selection

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Khrushchov, D. P.; Matorin, Eu. M.; Shekhunova, S. B.

2002-01-01

Industrial, domestic and military activities result in accumulation of toxic and hazardous waste. Disposal of these waste comprises two main approaches: technological processing (utilization and destruction) and landfill. According to concepts and programs of advanced countries technological solutions are preferable, but in fact over 70 % of waste are buried in storages, prevailingly of near surface type. The target of this paper is to present principles of geological substantiation of sites selection for toxic and hazardous waste isolation facilities location. (author)

The geological attitude

International Nuclear Information System (INIS)

Fuller, J.G.C.M.

1992-01-01

This paper discusses geological activity which takes place mainly in response to industrial and social pressures. Past geological reaction to these pressures profoundly altered popular conceptions of time, the Church, man, and the balance of nature. The present-day circumstances of geology are not essentially different from those of the past. Petroleum geology in North American illustrates the role of technology in determining the style and scope of geological work. Peaks of activity cluster obviously on the introduction from time to time of new instrumental capabilities (geophysical apparatus, for example), although not infrequently such activity is testing concepts or relationships perceived long before. Organic metamorphism and continental drift provide two examples. The petroleum industry now faces the dilemma of satisfying predicted demands for fuel, without doing irreparable injury to its environment of operation. Awareness of man's place in nature, which is a fundamental perception of geology, governs the geological attitude