Jun 2008 - OPEC

OPEC bulletin 6/08 Carbon Capture & Storage
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Groundwater monitoring
continuously checks quality of
drinking water from shallow
multiaquifer systems
Accumulation chambers
measures soil CO 2 flux
The above
illustration
shows elements
of a typical CCS
process.
Crosswell electromagnetic
measurement displays
images of CO 2 saturation
distribution
Wellhead monitoring
delivers data on CO 2
composition, injection pressure
and temperature
Passive seismic
monitoring map
hydrofractures and
monitor caprock
integrity
High-resolution
time-lapse seismic
imaging tracks CO 2
plume and estimates
volume in place
Downhole
monitoring
provides pressure
and temperature
profiling
control the risks associated with all phases of a project.
He even explains how decommissioning occurs when a
geologic repository reaches capacity, or injection ends.
And it is not just talk. Rohner has a multitude of examples
of where Schlumberger has already employed such
practices, or is doing so right now.
But, according to Rohner, a number of obstacles to
the large-scale adoption of CCS still remain. High up on
the list is the public acceptance issue.
“It is very important that if you want to inject CO2, you’re going to have to have the consent of the people
that you’re going to inject it under,” he explains. “This
kind of ‘not in my backyard thing’ is very acute.”
To illustrate what’s at stake, Rohner shows a slide
of Lake Nyos — a crater lake in Cameroon that contains
potentially lethal levels of CO2 as a result of a pocket of
magma beneath. Back in 1986, possibly triggered by a
landslide, the lake suddenly emitted a large cloud of CO2, reportedly suffocating 1,700 people and more than 3,000
livestock in local villages.
Data acquisition and
management
for integrated data
interpretation
Advanced well
services optimize
CO 2 injection into the
reservoir
Thankfully, Rohner predicts nothing like this sort
of future calamity for CCS. Judging by what he says,
Schlumberger’s detailed site assessment, characterization,
design and construction and monitoring programmes
are comprehensive and have all eventualities
sewn up.
“We put heavy emphasis on what we call performance
and risk management,” he explains. However,
he is well aware that good science will not always be
enough to soothe a nervous community that is about
to have millions of tonnes of CO2 injected underneath
it. “Containment — well, I said before — it is kind of an
emotional thing,” he affirms.
Risky business
Well integrity
monitoring verifies
integrity of casing and
cement and zonal
isolation
Cased hole logging
profiles CO 2 saturation
in reservoir
Passive seismic
monitoring provides
continual measurements
of fault activities
Source: Schlumberger
Issues surrounding liability have the potential to be
similarly — if not more — obstructive to large-scale CCS
projects. “I would not inject one kilo of CO2 if I did not
have my risks mitigated,” admits Rohner frankly.
Eddy
correlation
tower
measures
surface CO 2 flux