Geological Storage of CO2: Technology Overview and Reservoir Engineering Applications

---

Disciplines: Reservoir

Course Description

This course will equip petroleum engineers and geoscientists with an overview of various aspects of carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) projects in saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas fields. It will also help them understand how reservoir engineering practices and technologies developed in oil and gas exploration and production and underground natural gas storage can be adapted for CCS applications.

CCS is the process of: (a) capturing CO2 before it is emitted into the atmosphere, (b) compressing and transporting the CO2 to a geologic storage site, and (c) injecting it into the site for long-term sequestration. The geologic storage site could be a deep saline formation, a depleted oil field, or an active oil field conducting CO2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The subsurface operations part of CCS also provides a mechanism for CO2 sources to monetize their emissions through tax credits for long-term geologic storage and/or revenue from incremental oil production due to EOR operations.
CCS is considered a potentially effective technology for the reduction of CO2 emissions from large stationary sources such as power generation units or chemical processing plants. Widespread adoption of carbon capture and storage technology is needed to meet the Paris Agreement’s goal of limiting the rise in the global temperature to well below 2°C. 

Course Content
Day 1 – Overview of Carbon Capture and Storage

• Session 1 (830-1000): Climate-energy nexus (45 min); Basics of carbon capture, pipeline transport and geological storage (45 min)
• Session 2 (1015-1200): Capacity, injectivity and containment concepts (3x30 min each)
• Session 3 (115-300): CO2 EOR and storage in depleted oil fields (60 min); Assessment of various risk factors (30 min)
• Session 4 (315-500): Project economics (30 min); Permitting process for CCS (30 min); Current status and future outlook for CCS worldwide (30 min)

 
Day 2 – Reservoir engineering applications

• Session 1 (830-1000): CO2-brine PVT properties (15 min); Saline aquifer characteristics (15 min); Storage capacity estimation (30 min); Single-phase pressure propagation (30 min)
• Session 2 (1015-1200): Two-phase immiscible displacement; Relative permeability & capillary pressure (30 min); Pressure and CO2 plume propagation estimation in saline aquifers with simplified models (60 min)
• Session 3 (115-300): Class exercise – performance assessment for CCS project (90 min)
• Session 4 (315-500): Discussion of class exercise (30 min); Role of numerical models in CCS projects (45 min); Wrap-up (15 min)

Class Exercise: Participants will use a case study based on an existing US EPA Class VI permit application (for CO2 geologic sequestration wells) to: (1) develop a simplified model of the geologic storage complex, (2) predict the evolution of the CO2 plume and the Area of Review (pressurized region of influence), and (3) compare these against available detailed numerical modeling results.  A modeling template in Excel will be provided.
 

Learning Level

Introductory

Course Length

This is a 2-day classroom course comprising a mixture of lectures, discussion, and class exercise.

Why Attend

Participants will learn to:
1. Articulate the case for CCS
2. Understand basic CO2 capture, transport and geological storage concepts
3. Perform capacity and injectivity estimates for suitable geologic formations
4. Outline monitoring, risk and economic analysis, and permitting needs for CCS
5. Analyze CO2-EOR vis-à-vis saline storage opportunities
6. Participate in a class exercise to assess the performance of a CCS project

Who Attends

This foundation-level course is designed for petroleum engineers and geoscientists interested in learning about the basics of CCS as an emerging technology for emissions reduction with a significant subsurface operations component.  It is also suitable for researchers working in the area of CCS who may not have a reservoir engineering background.

CEUs

1.6 CEUs (Continuing Education Units) are awarded for the 2-day course.

Cancellation Policy

All cancellations must be received no later than 14 days prior to the course start date. Cancellations made after the 14-day window will not be refunded. Refunds will not be given due to no show situations.

Training sessions attached to SPE conferences and workshops follow the cancellation policies stated on the event information page. Please check that page for specific cancellation information.

SPE reserves the right to cancel or re-schedule courses at will. Notification of changes will be made as quickly as possible; please keep this in mind when arranging travel, as SPE is not responsible for any fees charged for cancelling or changing travel arrangements.

We reserve the right to substitute course instructors as necessary.

Instructor

Other courses by this instructor