Ingo Möller

October 17-19, 2011Maria Laach, Germany

2nd CGS Europe Knowledge Sharing WorkshopNatural Analogues

The Lake Laach region as

monitoring test site

Acknowledgements

Many thanks to

Kai SpickenbomChristian SeegerDave Jones

BGR: Eckhard Faber, Martin Krüger, Dietmar Laszinski, Franz May, Jürgen Poggenburg, Nicole Rann, Stefan Schlömer, Christian WöhrlBGS: Tom Barlow, Patricia Coombs, Kay Green, Bob Lister, Jonathan Pearce, Richard Shaw,  Michael Strutt, Julian Trick, Ian Webster, Julie WestLUWG (Mainz): Olaf PrawittNIAH: Volker Böder, Harro Lütjens, Arne SauerInst. Geosciences (Univ. Mainz): Frank Sirocko & staffURS: Giorgio Caramanna, Salvatore Lombardiothers: Michael Uhlenbruch, Ansgar Hehenkamp, Benedictine Abbey of Maria Laach, SGD Nord (Koblenz)

Rationale

Deployment of geological CO2 storage implies the capability to detect possible leakage from reservoirs and eventual effects on the environment, especially the biosphere including human health

Monitoring as essential system component within the planning, selection, installation and operation of geological CO2 storage sites

Monitoring performance must ensure different methodological components:

Detection

Verification & characterization of spots suspicious to leakage

Long-term-Monitoring in case of confirmed releases

Only a selected combination of different methods and technologies can fulfill these necessities

Regional settingLake Laach is one of thevolcanic centres of the East Eifel volcanic fieldLocated in the upliftingPaleozoic Rhenish Massifwhich represents theDevonian basementIts eruption at about 12900 yr bp is the only known large explosive eruption in Central Europe during lateQuaternary

Neighbouring quarternaryvolcanic centres are atRieden and WehrLike at Lake Laach, theireruptions (Rieden: ~430-380 ka, Wehr: ~300-150 ka) have formed calderasOther dominant features:cinder cones and relatedlava flows, ignimbrites & volcanic ash and tuff

Precondition: Presence of CO2

There, magnesium rich magmas, which are formed by partial melting of peridotite, take up CO2 and release it during ascent in the lower earth crust (due to pressure release and cooling of the magma)

Dissolved carbon species and free CO2 reach the surface at many places in the East Eifel volcanic field (and other regions of the Rhenish Massif)

Isotope analyses (noble gases and carbon) show a geogenic origin of the CO2

It is linked to the magma source of the volcanic fields which is located in the upper earth mantle, in an area of reduced seismic velocities, known as “Eifel Plume”

In the fractured upper earth crust, CO2 migrates along the margins of basement blocks and faults, where it comes in contact with groundwaters. Water-rock interactions consume some of the CO2 (transformation into dissolved bicarbonates and solid carbonates)

Sketch of the Analogue Inventory

Mofettes

Dry mofettes

Carbonic and othermineral springs

Environmental leakageindicators

CO2-influenced lifecommunities

Deep CO2 „reservoirs“ & industrial analogues

Surface survey

Sketch of the Analogue Inventory

Mofettes

Underwater ROV surveyUnderwater ROV surveyUnderwater ROV survey

10m

Large-area sidescan sonar survey

Sketch of the Analogue Inventory

Mofettes

Long-term gas flux monitoring experiment Lake Laach 2011

April 5, 2011

September 19, 2011

water depth: 7.8 m

Sketch of the Analogue Inventory

Mofettes

Long-term gas flux monitoring experiment Lake Laach 2011

Gas flow rate (running hourly mean) vs.water temperature, air pressure (not corr.) & wind speed

r = 0

.3r =

-0.6

3r =

0.6

5

Sketch of the Analogue Inventory

MofettesDry mofettes „Vent 1“

CO

2(V

ol%

)

δ13C values δ13C values

CO

2(V

ol%

)

δ13C values

Lake Laach,western side

Large-scaleperspective

Sketch of the Analogue Inventory

MofettesDry mofettes

Small-scaleperspective

Langer (1988)

MofettesDry mofettesCarbonic and other mineral springs

e.g. cold water geysirs

Sketch of the Analogue Inventory

Sketch of the Analogue Inventory

„Pferdebrunnen“CO2 gas : 94.7 – 97.8 Vol-%δ13CCO2 : -4.7 to -3.8 ‰HCO3

- : 1010 mg/lpH : 5.78Conductivity: 1265 µS/cmOxygen saturation: 0.4 - 2.6 mg/lRedox potential: 35 - 40 mV

„Römerbrunnen“CO2 gas : 89 – 96 Vol-%δ13CCO2 : -4.6 to -5.1 ‰HCO3

- : 1820 mg/lpH : 6.39Conductivity: 2480 µS/cmOxygen saturation: 5.6 mg/lRedox potential: 35 mV

e.g. captured springs

Sketch of the Analogue Inventory

MofettesDry mofettesCarbonic and other mineral springsEnvironmental leakageindicators

Wehr

Small-scaleperspective

Sketch of the Analogue Inventory

MofettesDry mofettesCarbonic and other mineral springsEnvironmental leakage indicators

Stands of Carex sp.in dry, terrestrial habitats

Fe(III)-oxides

Sketch of the Analogue Inventory

MofettesDry mofettesCarbonic and other mineral springsEnvironmental leakage indicatorsCO2-influenced life communities

Large-scaleperspective

Sketch of the Analogue Inventory

MofettesDry mofettesCarbonic and other mineral springsEnvironmental leakage indicatorsCO2-influenced life communitiesDeep CO2 „reservoirs“ & industrial analogues

Results of the CCS-related R&D work

Clear isotopic distinction between deep, inorganic CO2 and shallow, biological CO2 (though atmospheric influence, mixture & fractionation)

Normally, CO2 generated from burning fossil fuels have isotopic signature well differentiated from “environmental” C isotope values. However, some CO2 species might have an isotopic signature which is similar to that of shallow biogenic CO2

„onshore“ „offshore“

Example: Stable carbon isotopes from CO2 gas

Results, continued

A good number of established and reliable methods and toolsexist for the near surface monitoring at CO2 storage sitesregarding

gas monitoring

bio monitoring (micro and makro cosmos)

eco monitoring (populations and systems)

They represent a huge toolboxfor confidence building; confidence in technologywith regard to markets andthe public(confidence acceptance)

Development & evaluation of suites of techniques enabling

small-scale surveys to detect eventual leakage pathways on a regional level (and to contribute to baselines)

a rapid surveying of relatively large areas and the derivation of essential results in short time (and even real time)

detailed large-scale verification and characterization procedures for selected study sites

the use of local knowledge to target possible sites of gas migration and/or release

continuous monitoring and discrete measurements

Results, continued

Definition of a flexible multi-level approach for the (near surface) monitoring at CO2 storage sites ofdifferent types:

Detection Verification Characterization Long-term monitoring

Lessons-learnt

Reliable techniques exist that can distinguishdeep, geogenic CO2 from shallow, biogenic CO2

Leakage, if it occurs, can be quantified by detailed flux measurements

Permanent gas monitoring stations are able to observe short-term variations and to differentiate anomalies from the background

The detection of CO2 gas is able to resolve even low levels

Once detected, the quantification accuracy is still orders of magnitude higher; less than 0.001 – 0.003 t per year, i.e.less than 5 – 10 g per day

Lessons-learnt, continued

What we need is:

Baseline monitoring (besides monitoring during operation) that

reveals natural (e.g. seasonal) variations for relevant objects

explains the determining factors of these variations

seems to be specific for individual storage sites

starts well before the first CO2 injection just to have sufficient time for the interpretation of recorded data

Systematical link between (the results of)

near surface and subsurface monitoring efforts