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Report on Subsurface Characterization of the Phase III Anthropogenic Test Project Site (SECARB Phase III Work Product 4.2.1.d)

Technical Report ·
DOI:https://doi.org/10.2172/1819927· OSTI ID:1819927
 [1]
  1. Advanced Resources International (ARI), Inc., Knoxville, TN (United States); Southern States Energy Board
A test site and anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) source have been selected for a large-scale demonstration of CO2 separation, capture and sequestration in southwestern Alabama as part of the Southeastern Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership’s (SECARB) Phase III initiative. The James M. Barry Generating Plant, a major coal-fired power plant in southwestern Alabama, is the selected anthropogenic CO2 source for the project. The proposed storage test site is located in the Citronelle oil field, which lies at the crest of the Citronelle Dome. The proposed storage site is favorable for deep underground injection of CO2. Seismic activity in southwest Alabama is low and the absence of identified faulting in and near the Citronelle oil field indicates that the area provides a structurally stable environment for CO2 storage operations. The porous and permeable sands of the proposed injection zone, the Paluxy Formation, present a favorable injection reservoir in terms of areal extent and petrophysical characteristics. The proposed confining zone, the Basal Shale of the overlying Washita-Fredericksburg Formation is persistent throughout the Citronelle area and appears to possess the appropriate criteria to act as an effective CO2 seal. In addition to the Basal Washita-Fredericksburg Shale, secondary overlying confining units including the Middle (Marine) Tuscaloosa Formation, the Selma Group, and the Midway Shale, occur stratigraphically between the injection zone and the base of the lowermost underground source of drinking water (USDW). The Citronelle Dome is an ideal geometry for containment of CO2 The dome is a subtle, anticlinal structure that contains a broad salt pillow at the core and provides fourway closure. At the test site, subsurface geologic strata, including the proposed injection and confining zones, dip to the east-south-east at about 1.25 degrees. Buoyant CO2 is expected to migrate up dip towards the crest of the dome, where it will be contained within the structure of the dome. No faulting or significant fracture zones occur within the Dome. A vertical interval of over 8,000 feet with numerous low permeability barriers occurs between the proposed injection zone and the base of the lowermost USDW.
Research Organization:
Southern States Energy Board, Peachtree Corners, GA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
DOE Contract Number:
FC26-05NT42590
OSTI ID:
1819927
Report Number(s):
DOE-SSEB-42590-146
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English