Geologic Carbon Dioxide and Energy-related Storage, Gas Resources, and Utilization
Caballos Novaculite Reservoir Outcrop
A major reservoir for naturally occurring carbon dioxide in southwestern Texas
Atop the LaBarge Platform
A major reservoir for naturally occurring carbon dioxide, helium, and hydrocarbon gases
Mud Volcanoes
Mud volcanoes at the Davis-Schrimpf Seep Field, Calipatria, California
Above-ground Infrastructure for Storing Excess Energy
Subsurface natural gas storage in the Hutchinson Salt Member in Reno County, Kansas
The objectives of this task are to conduct relevant research needed to 1) evaluate helium (He) and CO2 resources; 2) support future assessments of low-thermal gases and better understand their resources and potential for use as analogues for anthropogenic CO2 storage; 3) study the feasibility of large-scale CO2 mineralization in the United States; 4) develop pressure-limited dynamic models for regional CO2 storage assessments and economic evaluations; and 5) evaluate geologic energy storage resources.
Geologic Carbon Dioxide Utilization Topics
Utilization of other energy-related gases such as CO2, He, nitrogen (N2), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), if separated and concentrated from the produced natural gas stream, can make otherwise low-thermal (un-economic) natural gas accumulations a viable part of the national natural gas resource base. Many of these gases, including CO2, are separated and vented at the production site (H2S is typically reinjected), thereby contributing greenhouse gas to the atmosphere. Similarly, methane emissions during coal mining and after mine closure are often released to the atmosphere and contribute to greenhouse gases instead of being captured and utilized for energy production. The national electrical grid requires a balance between supply and demand across daily to annual cycles. Subsurface energy storage mechanisms including compressed air or gas, pumped hydroelectric, and geothermal require additional geologic investigations and assessments of available storage resources. To address an all-of-the-above approach, this project works to build improved geologic models needed to describe the distribution and resource-potential of these various energy options.
This task plans to complete a national assessment of He and CO2 resources found in natural gas reservoirs. New field and natural gas geochemistry data collected by task staff will be compiled and interpreted for scientific journal publications. Models of natural CO2 leakage of stored CO2 into shallow aquifers will be developed. A report describing the feasibility of large-scale CO2 mineralization in the United States was completed in 2019. In addition, engineering and economic modeling will be used to better characterize pressure-limited geologic CO2 storage resources. The task will evaluate the datasets and key process steps required to build a probabilistic assessment methodology to assess various geologic subsurface energy storage options that are available for use by the U.S. energy industry.
Subtasks:
- National Helium Resource Assessment: 01-OCT-2017 to 30-SEP-2022 -- Brennan
- Natural CO2 and Helium - Resources and Analogues for Anthropogenic CO2 Storage: 01-OCT-2017 to 30-SEP-2022 -- Brennan
- Feasibility of CO2 Mineralization in the United States: 01-OCT-2017 to 30-SEP-2022 -- Blondes
- Economics of CO2 storage: 01-OCT-2017 to 30-SEP-2020 -- Anderson, Freeman
- Geologic Energy Storage: 01-OCT-2019 to 30-SEP-2022 -- Buursink
Slideshows Associated with Project Member Talks:
- Federal lands greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration – a modified EPA methodology [.pdf]
- A Pressure-limited Model to Estimate CO2 Injection and Storage Capacity of Saline Formations: Investigating the Effects of Formation Properties, Model Variables and Presence of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- Overview of USGS Carbon Sequestration - Geologic Research and Assessments Project [.pdf] [2.1 MB]
- Status Report: Estimating greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels produced from Federal lands [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources and Associated Research [.pdf] [2.3 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources and Associated Research [.pdf] [2.6 MB]
- National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources - Results [.pdf] [2.2 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessment of the United States - 2012 Project Update [.pdf] [3.9 MB]
- Examining Salinity Restrictions for CO2 Storage: Suggestions from Basin to Reservoir Scales [.pdf] [1.9 MB]
- Using ArcGIS to Identify Environmental Risk Factors Associated with CO2 Storage [.pdf] [1.7 MB]
- A Probabilistic Assessment Methodology for the Evaluation of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage [.pdf] [1.4 MB]
- CO2 Fluid Flow Modeling to Derive the Time Scales of Lateral Fluid Migration [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessment of the United States - Project Update [.pdf] [3.3 MB]
Below are other science projects associated with this project task.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project task.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project task.
Below are publications associated with this project task.
Estimating market conditions for potential entry of new sources of anthropogenic CO2 for EOR in the Permian Basin
Preliminary GIS representation of deep coal areas for carbon dioxide storage in the contiguous United States and Alaska
Improving pressure-limited CO2 storage capacity in saline formations by means of brine extraction
Estimating the pressure-limited dynamic capacity and costs of basin-scale CO2 storage in a Saline Formation
Overview of future USGS Gulf of Mexico buoyant storage assessment project
Carbon dioxide mineralization feasibility in the United States
Simulating the evolution of fluid underpressures in the Great Plains, by incorporation of tectonic uplift and tilting, with a groundwater flow model
Estimating the potential costs of brine production to expand the pressure-limited CO2 storage capacity of the Mount Simon Sandstone
Federal lands greenhouse emissions and sequestration in the United States—Estimates for 2005–14
In January 2016, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior tasked the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) with producing a publicly available and annually updated database of estimated greenhouse gas emissions associated with the extraction and use (predominantly some form of combustion) of fossil fuels from Federal lands. In response, the USGS has produced estimates of the greenhouse gas emi
Estimating the pressure-limited CO2 injection and storage capacity of the United States saline formations: Effect of the presence of hydrocarbon reservoirs
Economics, helium, and the U.S. Federal Helium Reserve: Summary and outlook
Using mercury injection pressure analyses to estimate sealing capacity of the Tuscaloosa marine shale in Mississippi, USA: Implications for carbon dioxide sequestration
Below are data or web applications associated with this project task.
Below are news stories associated with this project task.
Below are FAQ associated with this project task.
Below are partners associated with this project task.
The objectives of this task are to conduct relevant research needed to 1) evaluate helium (He) and CO2 resources; 2) support future assessments of low-thermal gases and better understand their resources and potential for use as analogues for anthropogenic CO2 storage; 3) study the feasibility of large-scale CO2 mineralization in the United States; 4) develop pressure-limited dynamic models for regional CO2 storage assessments and economic evaluations; and 5) evaluate geologic energy storage resources.
Geologic Carbon Dioxide Utilization Topics
Utilization of other energy-related gases such as CO2, He, nitrogen (N2), and hydrogen sulfide (H2S), if separated and concentrated from the produced natural gas stream, can make otherwise low-thermal (un-economic) natural gas accumulations a viable part of the national natural gas resource base. Many of these gases, including CO2, are separated and vented at the production site (H2S is typically reinjected), thereby contributing greenhouse gas to the atmosphere. Similarly, methane emissions during coal mining and after mine closure are often released to the atmosphere and contribute to greenhouse gases instead of being captured and utilized for energy production. The national electrical grid requires a balance between supply and demand across daily to annual cycles. Subsurface energy storage mechanisms including compressed air or gas, pumped hydroelectric, and geothermal require additional geologic investigations and assessments of available storage resources. To address an all-of-the-above approach, this project works to build improved geologic models needed to describe the distribution and resource-potential of these various energy options.
This task plans to complete a national assessment of He and CO2 resources found in natural gas reservoirs. New field and natural gas geochemistry data collected by task staff will be compiled and interpreted for scientific journal publications. Models of natural CO2 leakage of stored CO2 into shallow aquifers will be developed. A report describing the feasibility of large-scale CO2 mineralization in the United States was completed in 2019. In addition, engineering and economic modeling will be used to better characterize pressure-limited geologic CO2 storage resources. The task will evaluate the datasets and key process steps required to build a probabilistic assessment methodology to assess various geologic subsurface energy storage options that are available for use by the U.S. energy industry.
Subtasks:
- National Helium Resource Assessment: 01-OCT-2017 to 30-SEP-2022 -- Brennan
- Natural CO2 and Helium - Resources and Analogues for Anthropogenic CO2 Storage: 01-OCT-2017 to 30-SEP-2022 -- Brennan
- Feasibility of CO2 Mineralization in the United States: 01-OCT-2017 to 30-SEP-2022 -- Blondes
- Economics of CO2 storage: 01-OCT-2017 to 30-SEP-2020 -- Anderson, Freeman
- Geologic Energy Storage: 01-OCT-2019 to 30-SEP-2022 -- Buursink
Slideshows Associated with Project Member Talks:
- Federal lands greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration – a modified EPA methodology [.pdf]
- A Pressure-limited Model to Estimate CO2 Injection and Storage Capacity of Saline Formations: Investigating the Effects of Formation Properties, Model Variables and Presence of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- Overview of USGS Carbon Sequestration - Geologic Research and Assessments Project [.pdf] [2.1 MB]
- Status Report: Estimating greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels produced from Federal lands [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources and Associated Research [.pdf] [2.3 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources and Associated Research [.pdf] [2.6 MB]
- National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources - Results [.pdf] [2.2 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessment of the United States - 2012 Project Update [.pdf] [3.9 MB]
- Examining Salinity Restrictions for CO2 Storage: Suggestions from Basin to Reservoir Scales [.pdf] [1.9 MB]
- Using ArcGIS to Identify Environmental Risk Factors Associated with CO2 Storage [.pdf] [1.7 MB]
- A Probabilistic Assessment Methodology for the Evaluation of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage [.pdf] [1.4 MB]
- CO2 Fluid Flow Modeling to Derive the Time Scales of Lateral Fluid Migration [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessment of the United States - Project Update [.pdf] [3.3 MB]
Below are other science projects associated with this project task.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project task.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project task.
Below are publications associated with this project task.
Estimating market conditions for potential entry of new sources of anthropogenic CO2 for EOR in the Permian Basin
Preliminary GIS representation of deep coal areas for carbon dioxide storage in the contiguous United States and Alaska
Improving pressure-limited CO2 storage capacity in saline formations by means of brine extraction
Estimating the pressure-limited dynamic capacity and costs of basin-scale CO2 storage in a Saline Formation
Overview of future USGS Gulf of Mexico buoyant storage assessment project
Carbon dioxide mineralization feasibility in the United States
Simulating the evolution of fluid underpressures in the Great Plains, by incorporation of tectonic uplift and tilting, with a groundwater flow model
Estimating the potential costs of brine production to expand the pressure-limited CO2 storage capacity of the Mount Simon Sandstone
Federal lands greenhouse emissions and sequestration in the United States—Estimates for 2005–14
In January 2016, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior tasked the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) with producing a publicly available and annually updated database of estimated greenhouse gas emissions associated with the extraction and use (predominantly some form of combustion) of fossil fuels from Federal lands. In response, the USGS has produced estimates of the greenhouse gas emi
Estimating the pressure-limited CO2 injection and storage capacity of the United States saline formations: Effect of the presence of hydrocarbon reservoirs
Economics, helium, and the U.S. Federal Helium Reserve: Summary and outlook
Using mercury injection pressure analyses to estimate sealing capacity of the Tuscaloosa marine shale in Mississippi, USA: Implications for carbon dioxide sequestration
Below are data or web applications associated with this project task.
Below are news stories associated with this project task.
Below are FAQ associated with this project task.
Below are partners associated with this project task.