Energy and the Environment:Tapping the Potential for Large

Volume Storage of Carbon in the Gulf Coast

Susan HovorkaBureau of Economic Geology

Jackson School of Geosciences

The University of Texas at Austin

What is Geologic Sequestration?

Waste CO2 from combustion of fossil fuel is now released to the atmosphere

Rather than releasing the CO2, it can be injected underground below and separated from potablewater and isolated or sequesteredfrom the atmosphere for thousands of years

Brine Aquifers >1000mCoal (USGS)Oil and Gas (USGS)

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Early sources (IEA data)

U.S. Geologic Storage Potential

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Vision for the Future in Texas#

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Sources (dot size =release) Refineries and chemical

plants Electric power plants

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Selected oil fieldthat could benefit from EOR

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Existing CO2

pipeline

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Future CO2 pipeline

Field Pilot Project in the Houston Area

• Inject and closely monitor CO2 injection and sequestration under ideal conditions

• $3 million federal funding DOE

• Test date: fall 2003

• 3,000 metric tons CO2 from BP’s Texas City refinery

• Injected in a non-productive sandstone of the Frio Formation,

• Research team: BEG, Texas American Resources, Sandia Technologies, Transpetco, Schlumberger, Geo-Seq (3 national labs), NETL

An new well will be drilled near an existing well

3000 tons of food-grade carbon dioxide (CO2) will be truckedfrom the BP Texas City refinery and be injected 5000 feet deep into the Frio formation over period of a few weeks

Closelymonitor the movement of the carbon dioxide undergroundand at the surface to seehow well the actual movementmatches the computer model

Crosswell Seismic and VSP Will Image Interwell Region

100% CO20% CO2

Top FrioB SandC Sand

Downgoing

From. L. Myer, Lawrence Berkeley National Lab

More Information:

www.beg.utexas.edu/co2