In the next issueCarbon Capture Journal news & articles Visit our social network site
Editorial Calendar RSS news feed Buy a subscription
Sign up to EMail newsletter Download past issues About Carbon Capture Journal Who reads Carbon Capture Journal
Advertise in the magazine Links to carbon capture and storage websites Events Diary Contact Us Sister magazine - The Hydrogen Journal Sister magazine - Digital Energy Journal Write for us
DOE demonstrates viability of CO2 storage with EOR
Storage, July 14 2010 (Carbon Capture Journal)
- A field test conducted by a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) team of regional partners has demonstrated that simultaneous CO2 storage combined with enhanced oil recovery (EOR) is viable in carbonate reservoirs.
The Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership, one of seven in DOE’s Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership program, collaborated with Eagle Operating Inc. to complete the test in the Northwest McGregor Oil Field in Williams County, N.D.
The test used the 'huff-and-puff' method of enhanced oil recovery which proceeds in three phases: injection (the huff stage), "soaking" for a short period of time, and production (the puff stage). Compared to other huff-and-puff operations, the PCOR Partnership test was unique for several reasons:
- The depth (approximately 8,050 feet), was among the greatest.
- Pressure (3,000 pounds per square inch) and temperature (180 degrees Fahrenheit) were among the highest.
- The formation was a carbonate rather than clastic reservoir.
The test was conducted using a producing oil well in the Mission Canyon Formation, part of the Madison Group of Mississippian-age carbonate rocks in the western United States. During the test, 440 tons of liquid CO2 were injected into the well to a depth at which CO2 is miscible and blends with residual in-place oil. Following 2 weeks of "soaking," the well was placed back into production.
Production more than doubled over the course of a 3-month period, increasing from a baseline rate of 1.5 stock tank barrels (STB) per day to 3-7 STB per day. The percentage of oil in the produced fluid, commonly referred to as the "oil cut," also increased, more than doubling from less than 3 percent to 6 percent.
In addition to demonstrating the feasibility of combining CO2 storage along with enhanced oil recovery in carbonate rocks deeper than 8,000 feet, the test determined that two Schlumberger technologies, a reservoir saturation tool (RST) and vertical seismic profiling (VSP), may be effective tools for detecting and monitoring small-volume CO2 plumes in deep carbonate reservoirs to ensure safe and permanent sequestration. Project outcomes may be applicable to many other sites in the PCOR Partnership region and in similar settings globally.
