Science of Geological Carbon Sequestration: Integration of Experimentation and Simulation.
This LDRD-DR will develop and enhance the science and technology needed to safely and effectively sequester carbon dioxide (CO[sub 2]) in geologic formations for the long term. There is consensus in the scientific community that increased levels of greenhouse gases such as CO[sub 2] are adversely affecting the global environment as evidenced by recent trends in global warming and dramatic changes in weather patterns. Geologic sequestration represents an immediately available, low-cost option for mitigating the global environmental impact of C0[sub 2] by removing large amounts of the gas from the atmosphere. The main limitation of this approach is the limited knowledge of the fundamental science that governs the physical and chemical behavior of (supercritical) CO[sub 2] during and after injection into the host geologic environment. Key scientific issues revolve around determination of the ultimate fate of injected CO[sub 2] which is governed by permeability/porosity relations in the multi-phase CO[sub 2]-brine(-oil) systems as well as the reactivity and integrity of the host rock. We propose a combined experimental and theoretical investigation to determine key parameters and incorporate them into coupled microscopic and macroscopic numerical CO[sub 2] flow and reaction models. This problem provides an excellent opportunity to utilize unique LANL resources including the Supercritical Fluids Facility (SCRUB) for dynamic (flow-through) studies of supercritical CO[sub 2] (scCO[sub 2]); LANSCE for microscale investigation of pore structure and reaction products; and hydrothermal reaction laboratories for long-term flow and reaction studies. These facilities will allow us to obtain crucial experimental data that could not be easily obtained at any other research facility in the world. The experimental data will be used to develop and validate coupled flow and reaction models that build on existing state-of-the-art modeling capabilities in EES, T and D Divisions. Carbon sequestration is an emerging research area in which federal funding has grown significantly over past years. Together with existing applied, small carbon sequestration projects funded by DOE, this proposed LDRD project, focusing on fundamental issues of long-term geological carbon sequestration, will put the laboratory at the forefront of carbon sequestration science/engineering and in a unique and advantageous position to develop future major programs in this area.
- Research Organization:
- Los Alamos National Lab. (LANL), Los Alamos, NM (United States)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE
- DOE Contract Number:
- W-7405-ENG-36
- OSTI ID:
- 819753
- Report Number(s):
- LA-UR-03-5725
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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