Multifluid geo-energy systems: Using geologic CO2 storage for geothermal energy production and grid-scale energy storage in sedimentary basins
Abstract
We present an approach that uses the huge fluid and thermal storage capacity of the subsurface, together with geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) storage, to harvest, store, and dispatch energy from subsurface (geothermal) and surface (solar, nuclear, fossil) thermal resources, as well as excess energy on electric grids. Captured CO2 is injected into saline aquifers to store pressure, generate artesian flow of brine, and provide a supplemental working fluid for efficient heat extraction and power conversion. Concentric rings of injection and production wells create a hydraulic mound to store pressure, CO2, and thermal energy. This energy storage can take excess power from the grid and excess/waste thermal energy, and dispatch that energy when it is demanded and thus enable higher penetration of variable renewable energy technologies (e.g., wind, solar). CO2 stored in the subsurface functions as a cushion gas to provide enormous pressure-storage capacity and displace large quantities of brine, some of which can be treated for a variety of beneficial uses. Geothermal power and energy-storage applications may generate enough revenues to compensate for CO2 capture costs. While our approach can use nitrogen (N2), in addition to CO2, as a supplemental fluid, and store thermal energy, this study focuses using CO2more »
- Authors:
-
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States). Atmospheric, Earth, and Energy Division
- The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States). Dept. of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering; The Ohio State Univ., Columbus, OH (United States). John Glenn College of Public Affairs
- Univ. of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN (United States). Dept. of Earth Sciences
- Federal Inst. of Technology, Zurich (Switzerland). Inst. of Geophysics, Dept. of Earth Sciences
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), Renewable Power Office. Geothermal Technologies Office; National Science Foundation (NSF)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1376020
- Report Number(s):
- LLNL-JRNL-671958
Journal ID: ISSN 1553-040X
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC52-07NA27344; NSF-SEP 1230691
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Geosphere
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 12; Journal Issue: 3; Journal ID: ISSN 1553-040X
- Publisher:
- Geological Society of America
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY; 25 ENERGY STORAGE
Citation Formats
Buscheck, Thomas A., Bielicki, Jeffrey M., Edmunds, Thomas A., Hao, Yue, Sun, Yunwei, Randolph, Jimmy B., and Saar, Martin O. Multifluid geo-energy systems: Using geologic CO2 storage for geothermal energy production and grid-scale energy storage in sedimentary basins. United States: N. p., 2016.
Web. doi:10.1130/GES01207.1.
Buscheck, Thomas A., Bielicki, Jeffrey M., Edmunds, Thomas A., Hao, Yue, Sun, Yunwei, Randolph, Jimmy B., & Saar, Martin O. Multifluid geo-energy systems: Using geologic CO2 storage for geothermal energy production and grid-scale energy storage in sedimentary basins. United States. https://doi.org/10.1130/GES01207.1
Buscheck, Thomas A., Bielicki, Jeffrey M., Edmunds, Thomas A., Hao, Yue, Sun, Yunwei, Randolph, Jimmy B., and Saar, Martin O. Thu .
"Multifluid geo-energy systems: Using geologic CO2 storage for geothermal energy production and grid-scale energy storage in sedimentary basins". United States. https://doi.org/10.1130/GES01207.1. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1376020.
@article{osti_1376020,
title = {Multifluid geo-energy systems: Using geologic CO2 storage for geothermal energy production and grid-scale energy storage in sedimentary basins},
author = {Buscheck, Thomas A. and Bielicki, Jeffrey M. and Edmunds, Thomas A. and Hao, Yue and Sun, Yunwei and Randolph, Jimmy B. and Saar, Martin O.},
abstractNote = {We present an approach that uses the huge fluid and thermal storage capacity of the subsurface, together with geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) storage, to harvest, store, and dispatch energy from subsurface (geothermal) and surface (solar, nuclear, fossil) thermal resources, as well as excess energy on electric grids. Captured CO2 is injected into saline aquifers to store pressure, generate artesian flow of brine, and provide a supplemental working fluid for efficient heat extraction and power conversion. Concentric rings of injection and production wells create a hydraulic mound to store pressure, CO2, and thermal energy. This energy storage can take excess power from the grid and excess/waste thermal energy, and dispatch that energy when it is demanded and thus enable higher penetration of variable renewable energy technologies (e.g., wind, solar). CO2 stored in the subsurface functions as a cushion gas to provide enormous pressure-storage capacity and displace large quantities of brine, some of which can be treated for a variety of beneficial uses. Geothermal power and energy-storage applications may generate enough revenues to compensate for CO2 capture costs. While our approach can use nitrogen (N2), in addition to CO2, as a supplemental fluid, and store thermal energy, this study focuses using CO2 for geothermal energy production and grid-scale energy storage. We conduct a techno-economic assessment to determine the levelized cost of electricity of using this approach to generate geothermal power. We present a reservoir pressure-management strategy that diverts a small portion of the produced brine for beneficial consumptive use to reduce the pumping cost of fluid recirculation, while reducing the risk of seismicity, caprock fracture, and CO2 leakage.},
doi = {10.1130/GES01207.1},
journal = {Geosphere},
number = 3,
volume = 12,
place = {United States},
year = {Thu May 05 00:00:00 EDT 2016},
month = {Thu May 05 00:00:00 EDT 2016}
}
Web of Science
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