Weyburn Sequestration

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Tackling the global problem of rising atmospheric CO2 levels effectively will be no easy task. If control measures are to have a significant impact, concerted collaborative efforts will be required at an international level. 

1. Description

2. Why

3. How

4. Future Trends

5. Related Links

Description

Global electricity demand is rising, particularly in the developing world, where population and economic growth are greater than in developed countries and where the rate of migration from rural to urban areas is significantly higher. Developing and developed countries alike can be expected to continue using their abundant coal reserves.To ensure that substantial reductions in atmospheric CO2 levels can be made  during the present century and beyond, technological solutions urgently require development and application in order to control the increasing amounts of CO2 being produced.

Why

Climate change is a problem of global proportions. A number of anthropogenic gases are largely responsible for driving this process forward, the most significant contributor being carbon dioxide (CO2) produced by the burning of fossil fuels. It provides a large proportion (>85%) of the world’s commercial energy needs.The fossil fuels currently supplying the major part of the world’s energy needs will remain in abundant supply well into the 21st century. It is therefore clear that fossil fuel resource constraints will not be the driver of emissions reductions in near future.While looking for ways to mitigate the emission of greenhouse gases we have the following options.

  • One of which is the long-term storage of carbon-dioxide(CO2) underground.

  • The main options for storing CO2 underground are in ageing and depleted oil and gas reservoirs, deep saline reservoirs and unmineable coal seams.

  • In this case of oil and gas reservoirs, CO2, a by-product of hydrocarbon use, is essentially returned to formations that already contain hydrocarbons.

  • The safety of geographical storage of CO2 will rely on the application of appropriate operational practices, regulations, monitoring and materials.

The economics of geographical storage depend largely on the type of reservoir being used. When storage is combined with enhanced oil recovery value is added to the process.

How

The process of geological storage means that the injected greenhouse gas (GHG) either trapped and sealed in the reservoir or it may react chemically with the reservoir rocks and fluids to become part of the reservoir itself.

  • CO2 must remain underground for possibly thousands of years if the geological storage of CO2 is to be an effective way to avoid climate change.

  • Geological storage is thought to be safe for a number of reasons.

  • Most importantly many of these formations have retained oil, gas or water in isolation from surrounding rocks for millions of years.

In addition, there are many examples of sites that have stored large volumes of pure or almost pure CO2 for long periods of time. Widespread deployment of CO2 capture and storage technologies will depend, however, on the widespread introduction of appropriate mandatory standards or mechanisms for pricing CO2 emissions.With this concept, almost all conventional pollutants produced by the burning of fossil fuels are eliminated and CO2 is captured and stored, thus precluding its emission into the atmosphere.The capture of CO2 from commercial and industrial operations, followed by its storage in geological formations, is viewed as an important strategy for achieving substantial reductions in emissions levels. This will remain the case, in spite of anticipated cost increases, as the cheapest oil and gas reserves are depleted and transport distances increase for obtaining new supplies. 

Future Trends

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is playing a major role in addressing this problem. Continued fossil-fuel use in a CO2 emissions-constrained world will call for more efficient fossil-fuel combustion technology, CO2 capture and storage in geological formations, storage in the deep oceans and switching among fossil fuels. In a future “Hydrogen Economy”, control of CO2 will be needed as well, because hydrogen will be produced mainly from fossil fuels.Expertise and resources from a wide range of organisations need to be brought together in order to further develop and evaluate existing and innovative control strategies and techniques, so that meaningful reductions can be achieved in the levels of CO2 emitted into the atmosphere.

Keywords

International Energy Agency, Carbon Sequestration, Weyburn, greenhouse gas

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