Improving the knowledge of carbon storageand coal bed methane production
by in situ underground tests
HUNOSA: N. CANTO ([email protected]), A. GONZÁLEZ, G. GONZÁLEZ, L. M. LARA, E. G. ONGALLOAITEMIN: J. L. FUENTES-CANTILLANA ([email protected]), H. L. ABÓS, J. L. GARCÍA-SIÑERIZBRGM: A. LEYNET ([email protected]), B. BOURGEOIS, P. DÉFOSSEZ, É. C. GAUCHER, V. NAUDET, É. PROUST, J. ROHMERINERIS: S. LAFORTUNE ([email protected]), C. DIDIER, F. LAHAIE, Z. POKRYSZKAGIG: J. SKIBA ([email protected]), B. JURA, P. KRZYSTOLIKTOTAL: S. VIDAL-GILBERT ([email protected])
6/ Long term safety
2/ Test area preparation
3/ Laboratory tests
4/ Injection & monitoring
5/ Modelling
S2
S1
66 cm
The Carbolab is located in the Montsacro mine, Asturias, Spain
1/ Site characterization
CARBOLAB
In the prospect of climate change mitigation, greenhouse gas emissions could be reduced by the geological storage of CO2.One of the promising variants of this technique is the injection of CO2 in deep unmineable coal seams.There, anthropogenic CO2 can be stored mostly by adsorption, this releasing CH4 that can be used for energy production.This method is been tested worldwide, but European coal deposits have received few interest (excepted the RECOPOL project).The processes generated during and after CO2 injection are still not well understood, nor are the opportunities in Europe.
The Carbolab project is supported by the European Fund for Coal and Steel, and involves 6 partners from three European countries, research centers as well as private companies.Its aim is to inject a significant (though not pilot-related) quantity of CO2 into a coal seam that will be pre-equipped for continuous monitoring.Putting devices in the near vicinity of the CO2 plume, only a few metres away, will allow data of much higher quality and density to be collected than in the case of injection from the surface, and to adapt the injected flow and the monitoring protocol to the evolution of the CO2 plume.
Analysis of the long-term safety of the CO2 storage in coal seams:•Simulation of behaviour, sizing of parameters for monitoring norms, risk assessment•Criteria and standards for ECBM site certification; recommendations for monitoring.
Characterization of the initial state of the site:•Synthesis of existing geological, sorption-desorption processes, and geomechanical data•Acquisition of complementary data from geology, geophysics, geochemistry, coal and gas characterization, hydrodynamics
The project started 1st July 2009 for 4 years
www.carbolab.eu
↓ in-situ permeability test Sampling for laboratory analyses ↓
↑ borehole drilling
Preparation of mine gallery to receive the future Carbolab underground laboratory test site.•Design & preparation of the test area•Injection tests•Installation of the scientific equipment•Safety matters
Measurement of intrinsic parameters on coal core samples:•In-situ coal and gas sampling•Characterization of coal and gas•Characterisation of relation between phases•Hydro-thermomechanic-chemistry experiment
Implementation of underground injection tests & monitoring:•Physical gas measurements•Seismic tests•Microseismicity•Cross-hole electrical imaging•Chemical and isotopic measurements•Atmospheric measurements & outgoing gas assessments
Modelling of the phenomena induced by the injection of the CO2:•Hydro-thermo-mechanics, core scale•Transport-chemistry, core scale•Hydro-thermo-mechanical coupling at the site scale
Reception
Transmission
Gallery
T3
T2
T1
50m
Gallery
R3
R2
R1
July 2009
Jan.2010
Nov.2010
April2011
July2011
P1
P2
Injection well ( 30 m)≃
Fan of closer wells ( 50 m)≃
Couple of farther wells ( 50 m)≃×2
north
east
20 m
5 m
coal seam
×2
×1
×3
×3
2 m
Geochemical wells ( 40 m)≃
galle
ry
↙ Proposition for injection & monitoring wells
↖ Electric monitoring
Characterization boreholes:1) permeability2) Characterization of coal and rock3) Test in-situ stress
July2013