BGS has been involved in investigations to test the behaviour of carbon dioxide (CO₂) under a range of temperatures and pressures using a state-of-the-art flow rig. The experiments are designed to simulate the behaviour of CO₂ stored long-term in deep underground reservoirs.

Assessing the viability of underground CO₂ storage

With increasing pressure on government and industry to reduce emissions of CO₂ on a major scale, the sequestration of CO₂ in the subsurface is under scrutiny as a potential emerging technology. For geological storage of CO₂ to become a viable aide to the reduction of man-made emissions, the long-term surety of underground storage must first be investigated and any concerns addressed.

A typical carbon sequestration scenario involves the injection of CO₂ into a porous, permeable, reservoir rock which is overlain by a laterally-continuous caprock, or seal, of low permeability. This seal, formed for example by folding or faulting, acts as a structural trap. A combination of physical and chemical mechanisms can then sequester the CO₂ within the reservoir. Mechanisms include dissolution into pore fluid, adsorption to mineral surfaces or precipitation as new minerals.

Assessing both the short-term capability of the seal and its long-term durability are both of major importance in establishing performance for carbon storage.

Current activities

BGS is currently involved in research to:

• characterise the long-term transport behaviour of a range of lithified and unlithified reservoir seals
• investigate the mineralogy and petrology of pre- and post-test samples to identify the degree of coupling between geochemical processes and flow behaviour

Contact

Please contact Dr Jon Harrington for further information

• National GeoEnvironmental Laboratories

• Carbon capture and storage (CCS) research
• Introduction to carbon capture and storage (CCS)
• CO₂ storage Sleipner
• UK CO₂