GEOLOGICAL SURVEY OF ALABAMA
CARBON SEQUESTRATION RESEARCH
Southeastern Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership
(SECARB Phase I)
A study sponsored by the
National Energy
Technology Laboratory
through the
Project start date: 2/11/04
Completed: 3/1/05
Overview
The southeastern United
States accounts for about 40 percent of the nationŐs carbon dioxide emissions, and
reducing those emissions will help offset the effects of global warming.
Geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide has been identified as a viable
approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and the U.S.
Department of Energy has established seven regional
partnerships to identify and test the best prospects for carbon sequestration
throughout the United States.
Phase I of the regional
partnership program focused on identification and characterization of potential
geologic sinks. Phase
II of this program began on October 1, 2005. Phase II activities include
continued characterization of promising geologic sinks and feature scaled field
tests and monitoring programs to verify sequestration capacity and sink
integrity.
The Geological Survey of Alabama is a member
of the Southeastern Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (SECARB) and has completed a Phase I
investigation of potential geologic carbon sinks in Alabama, Mississippi, and
the Florida panhandle. Activities included compilation of a database and
geographic information system (GIS) containing a broad range of information on
potential geologic sinks and CO2 emission sources, which can be
downloaded from the Technology Transfer section of
this web page.
Potential Geologic Carbon Sinks
Three major classes of
geologic carbon sinks were identified in Alabama, Mississippi, and the Florida
panhandle: conventional oil and gas reservoirs, coalbed methane reservoirs, and
saline aquifers. Basic data collected during Phase I of the SECARB program
include geographic information, geologic information, engineering data, fluid
production data, and geochemical data.
Each class of sink is described briefly in the following paragraphs, and
the database and GIS can be downloaded from the Technology
Transfer section of this web page.
Conventional Oil and
Gas Reservoirs
Injection of carbon
dioxide into mature hydrocarbon reservoirs can enhance the recovery of oil and
gas, thus providing economic incentive for geologic sequestration. Oil and gas
fields in the Black Warrior and Gulf of Mexico basins that have produced more
than 100,000 barrels of oil or 10 billion cubic feet of gas were analyzed. In
the Black Warrior basin, oil reservoirs in Upper Mississippian sandstone units
provide the most promising targets for carbon sequestration. The Gulf of Mexico
basin contains numerous sequestration targets in sandstone and carbonate of
Jurassic through Tertiary age, and some of the most attractive targets are in
Cretaceous sandstone. Vertical stacking of multiple oil and gas pools
facilitates diverse sequestration opportunities in the eastern Gulf of Mexico
basin, where CO2-enhanced oil recovery has already been proven to be
economically viable.
Coalbed Methane
Reservoirs
Coalbed methane is
produced from Pennsylvanian-age strata of the Pottsville Formation in the Black
Warrior basin of Alabama, and injection of carbon dioxide can be used to
enhance coalbed methane recovery. Pottsville coal beds are of bituminous rank,
are typically between 0.3 and 3.0 meters thick, and are distributed through 700
to 1,500 meters of section. A recent assessment by the
Geological Survey of Alabama indicates that more than 5.9 trillion cubic feet
of carbon dioxide can be sequestered in the established coalbed methane fields
and that enhanced recovery operations has potential to increase coalbed methane
reserves by more than 20 percent. Additional sequestration potential exists in
low-rank coal in Tertiary-age strata (Midway and Wilcox Groups) of the Gulf of
Mexico basin, but little information exists on the distribution, thickness, and
reservoir quality of coal in this area.
Saline Aquifers
Exceptional sequestration
capacity exists in saline aquifers, although the prospects for economic benefit
associated with enhanced resource recovery are limited. Major saline aquifers
exist in the Black Warrior and Gulf of Mexico basins. In general, high
potential for saline aquifer storage of carbon dioxide exists in the same
formations that have produced conventional oil and gas. Drilling in saline
aquifers is limited outside of major oil and gas production fairways, and most
of the geologic and geochemical data given in the database are from oil and gas
fields. Importantly, saline aquifers offer extensive sequestration capacity in
areas where mature oil and gas reservoirs may not be available for enhanced
recovery operations. In addition, saline aquifers may be stacked above or below
oil and gas reservoirs and thus can provide sequestration capacity to augment
storage associated with enhanced hydrocarbon recovery.
This project included a vigorous technology transfer program designed to support the demonstration and commercialization of carbon sequestration technology. Results have been and are being presented at technical meetings and workshops and have been incorporated into the national carbon sequestration database and GIS (NATCARB). A link to download the final ArcView GIS product for Alabama, Mississippi, and the Florida panhandle is given below:
Pashin, J. C., and Payton, J. W., 2005, Geological sinks for carbon sequestration in Alabama, Mississippi, and the Florida panhandle: Alabama Geological Survey, Final Report to Southern States Energy Board, Subgrant SSEB-NT41980-997-GSA-2004-00 (.zip archive; 62.4 Mb; requires ArcView 3.2 or better).
Screenshot 1: Data coverage for conventional oil and gas reservoirs, coalbed methane reservoirs, saline aquifers, and coal-fired power plants.
Screenshot 2: Data coverage for conventional oil and gas reservoirs.
Screenshot 3: Sample data table for a conventional oil reservoir.
Project Team
Jack C. Pashin, Geological Survey of Alabama (Principal investigator; coal and petroleum geology)
J. Wayne Payton, Geological Survey of Alabama (Petroleum geology)
Marty G. Gates, Geological Survey of Alabama (Geographic information systems)
Contracting Officer Representatives
Karen Cohen, National Energy Technology Laboratory
Jerry Hill, Southern States Energy Board
Acknowledgment
This material is based upon work supported by the Department of Energy, under Award No. DE-FG26-03NT41980. However, any findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the DOE.
The Geological Survey of Alabama (GSA) makes every effort to collect, provide, and maintain accurate and complete information. However, data acquisition and research are ongoing activities of GSA, and interpretations may be revised as new data are acquired. Therefore, all information made available to the public by GSA should be viewed in that context. Neither the GSA nor any employee thereof makes any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed in this report. Conclusions drawn or actions taken on the basis of these data and information are the sole responsibility of the user.