Geological Sequestration of CO₂:  The GEO-SEQ Project
Project # FWP-G204, FEAA045, FEW0086

Primary Performing Organizations:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; Oak Ridge National Laboratory; Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

The overall goal of the GEO-SEQ project is to gain knowledge of geologic CO₂ storage processes and mechanisms, in addition to monitoring and simulating CO₂ injection operations.  Project results are made available to potential CO₂ storage operators and other interested stakeholders.  The project has two primary objectives: (1) to develop ways to improve predictions of injectivity and capacity of saline formations and depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs, and (2) to develop and test innovative high-resolution field-based methods for monitoring CO₂.  Field demonstrations provide the project with opportunities to develop and test methodologies in situ, and lab experiments and modeling are used to support field predictions and observations.

The GEO-SEQ project team participates in three world-class CO₂ storage projects to complete these research objectives in distinct geologic environments that span a wide range of formation types relevant to geological storage in the United States.   Project expertise and resources are leveraged with investments made by the collaborators conducting the storage projects that include the Frio Brine Formation Pilot Tests, South Liberty Field, Texas; Otway Basin Pilot Project, Australia; and InSalah Gas Field, Algeria Commercial-Scale CO₂ Storage Project.

For these CO₂ storage projects, GEO-SEQ’s three primary performing organizations contribute expertise and perform tasks in areas that include but are not limited to the following:

• Reservoir simulations of CO₂ migration
• Design, fabrication, and deployment of  innovative downhole instrumentation based on temperature, pressure, and other properties for high-resolution monitoring
• Downhole fluid and gas sampling using the novel U-tube sampling system developed in the project
• Design and deployment of geophysical monitoring techniques using active and passive seismic methods
• Isotopic, tracer, and reservoir geochemistry techniques to establish pre-injection baseline conditions and monitor spatial/temporal changes with CO₂ injection
• Reactive chemical transport experiments and simulations to predict rock-fluid-cement-CO₂ interactions to address issues such as integrity of caprock and engineered barriers and permanence of storage

Otway, Australia Naylor-1 monitoring well assembly and testing, LBNL (l to r):U-tube geochemical sampling system; bow spring anchors for holdinggeophone to borehole wall; seismic cable string testing; and seismic recording system for testing geophone string

These multi-disciplinary data are integrated to address the overall project goals of developing reliable methods for predicting injectivity and storage capacity, and developing innovative high-resolution methods for monitoring CO₂ in storage operations.

Contact:
Project Manager:  Karen Cohen, karen.cohen@netl.doe.gov

Related Papers and Publications:

• GEO-SEQ Project Fact Sheet [PDF]