Carbon Sequestration
Geologic Project Descriptions
Discrete Fracture Network Models for Assessment of Carbon Sequestration in Coal
Project # NT42435
Primary Performing Organization
Geological Survey of Alabama
This project will develop Discrete Fracture Network (DFN) modeling tools (programs) for evaluating technical and environmental risks associated with carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration activities in coal beds. DFN programs will be applied in the Black Warrior Coal Basin in Alabama, where coal-bearing geological strata have high potential for CO2 sequestration and enhanced coal bed methane recovery. Successful project efforts will reduce CO2, a potent greenhouse gas, and increase natural gas supplies from coal bearing formations.
Coal beds have the potential of being a major sink for the sequestration of CO2 emissions. Natural fractures provide the principal conduits for fluid flow in coal-bearing strata, and these fractures present the most tangible risks for the leakage of injected CO2 during the storage period.
DFN models have proven to be useful for measuring leakage risks associated with hydraulic fracturing and coal bed methane production. It is for this reason that DFN is expected to become an effective mechanism for developing tools for measuring the risks associated with carbon sequestration in coal beds.
Contact:
Project Manager: Karen Cohen, karen.cohen@netl.doe.gov
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