Active CO 2 reservoir management for sustainable geothermal energy extraction and reduced leakage

Thomas R. Elliot, Thomas A. Buscheck and Michael Celia

Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, 2013, vol. 3, issue 1, 50-65

Abstract: Subsurface storage space is gaining recognition as a commodity for industrial and energy recovery operations. Geologic carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) sequestration (GCS), wherein supercritical CO 2 is injected into subsurface storage space, is under broad development in sedimentary reservoirs – particularly for hydrocarbon production, which uses supercritical CO 2 as part of a carbon capture utilization and sequestration (CCUS) scheme. A novel CCUS operation is presented whereby we investigate the staged deployment of a coupled geothermal energy extraction (GEE)‐GCS operation in geothermal sedimentary reservoirs that re‐circulates extracted fluids. We identify sedimentary resources of the continental USA that have significant temperature at depths suitable for GCS. To predict the impact of a GEE‐GCS operation, a reservoir‐scale semi‐analytical model is used to simulate brine and CO 2 migration through existing leakage pathways. With the goal of integrating GEE and GCS, a well‐site design exercise is undertaken, where we develop an idealized configuration for CO 2 and brine production/reinjection wells. Results show potential geothermal sedimentary reservoirs suitable for GEE deployment exist in the continental USA; however the characteristics of each site should be investigated through a first stage GEE‐operation to determine GCS capacity. Our active CO 2 reservoir management simulations demonstrate a decrease in injection and reservoir overpressures, a reduced migration of CO 2 within the reservoir during active injection/extraction, and a reduced risk of brine and CO 2 migration. With the use of the developed concentric‐ring well pattern, we demonstrate the longevity of thermal productivity from an ideal GEE site, while providing sufficient CO 2 storage volume and trapping to act as a sequestration operation. © 2013 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd

Date: 2013
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