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Title: Comparison of the Wymark CO2 Reservoir with the Midale Beds at the Weyburn CO2 Injection Project

Abstract

The Devonian carbonates of the Duperow Formation on the western flank of the Williston Basin in southwest Saskatchewan contain natural accumulations of CO{sub 2}, and may have done so for as long as 50 m.y. in the views of some investigations. These carbonate sediments are characterized by a succession of carbonate cycles capped by anhydrite-rich evaporites that are thought to act as seals to fluid migration. The Weyburn CO{sub 2} injection site lies 400 km to the east in a series of Mississippian carbonates that were deposited in a similar depositional environment. That natural CO{sub 2} can be stored long-term within carbonate strata has motivated the investigation of the Duperow rocks as a potential natural analogue to storage of anthropogenic CO{sub 2} that may ultimately provide additional confidence for CO{sub 2} sequestration in carbonate lithologies. For the Duperow strata to represent a legitimate analog for Midale injection and storage, the similarity in lithofacies, whole rock compositions, mineral compositions and porosity with the Midale Beds must be established. Previous workers have demonstrated the similarity of the lithofacies at both sites. Here we compare the whole rock compositions, mineralogy and mineral compositions. The major mineral phases at both locales are calcite, dolomitemore » and anhydrite. In addition, accessory pyrite, fluorite and celestine are also observed. The distribution of porosity in the Midale Vuggy units is virtually identical to that of the Duperow Formation, but the Marly units of the Midale have significantly higher porosity. The Duperow Formation is topped by the Dinesmore evaporite that is particularly rich in anhydrite, and often contains authigenic K-feldspar. The chemistry of dolomite and calcite from the two localities also overlaps. Silicate minerals are in low abundance within the analyzed Duperow samples, < 3 wt% on a normative basis, with quartz the only phase identifiable in x-ray diffraction patterns. The Midale Beds contain significantly higher silica/silicate concentrations, but the silicate minerals observed, K-feldspar and quartz, are unlikely to participate in carbonate mineral precipitation due to the absence of alkaline earths. Hence, physical and solution trapping are likely to be the primary trapping mechanisms at both sites. Given the similarity of mineral constituents, whole rock and mineral chemistry, reactive transport models developed for the Weyburn site should also be applicable to the Duperow lithologies.« less

Authors:
;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE
OSTI Identifier:
1016981
Report Number(s):
LLNL-TR-463137
TRN: US1103197
DOE Contract Number:  
W-7405-ENG-48
Resource Type:
Technical Report
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
58 GEOSCIENCES; ABUNDANCE; ANHYDRITE; CALCITE; CARBONATE MINERALS; CARBONATES; CHEMISTRY; DOLOMITE; EVAPORITES; FLUORITE; MINERALOGY; NATURAL ANALOGUE; POROSITY; PRECIPITATION; PYRITE; QUARTZ; SASKATCHEWAN; SEDIMENTS; SILICATE MINERALS; STORAGE; TRAPPING; WILLISTON BASIN; X-RAY DIFFRACTION

Citation Formats

Ryerson, F, and Johnson, J. Comparison of the Wymark CO2 Reservoir with the Midale Beds at the Weyburn CO2 Injection Project. United States: N. p., 2010. Web. doi:10.2172/1016981.
Ryerson, F, & Johnson, J. Comparison of the Wymark CO2 Reservoir with the Midale Beds at the Weyburn CO2 Injection Project. United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1016981
Ryerson, F, and Johnson, J. 2010. "Comparison of the Wymark CO2 Reservoir with the Midale Beds at the Weyburn CO2 Injection Project". United States. https://doi.org/10.2172/1016981. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1016981.
@article{osti_1016981,
title = {Comparison of the Wymark CO2 Reservoir with the Midale Beds at the Weyburn CO2 Injection Project},
author = {Ryerson, F and Johnson, J},
abstractNote = {The Devonian carbonates of the Duperow Formation on the western flank of the Williston Basin in southwest Saskatchewan contain natural accumulations of CO{sub 2}, and may have done so for as long as 50 m.y. in the views of some investigations. These carbonate sediments are characterized by a succession of carbonate cycles capped by anhydrite-rich evaporites that are thought to act as seals to fluid migration. The Weyburn CO{sub 2} injection site lies 400 km to the east in a series of Mississippian carbonates that were deposited in a similar depositional environment. That natural CO{sub 2} can be stored long-term within carbonate strata has motivated the investigation of the Duperow rocks as a potential natural analogue to storage of anthropogenic CO{sub 2} that may ultimately provide additional confidence for CO{sub 2} sequestration in carbonate lithologies. For the Duperow strata to represent a legitimate analog for Midale injection and storage, the similarity in lithofacies, whole rock compositions, mineral compositions and porosity with the Midale Beds must be established. Previous workers have demonstrated the similarity of the lithofacies at both sites. Here we compare the whole rock compositions, mineralogy and mineral compositions. The major mineral phases at both locales are calcite, dolomite and anhydrite. In addition, accessory pyrite, fluorite and celestine are also observed. The distribution of porosity in the Midale Vuggy units is virtually identical to that of the Duperow Formation, but the Marly units of the Midale have significantly higher porosity. The Duperow Formation is topped by the Dinesmore evaporite that is particularly rich in anhydrite, and often contains authigenic K-feldspar. The chemistry of dolomite and calcite from the two localities also overlaps. Silicate minerals are in low abundance within the analyzed Duperow samples, < 3 wt% on a normative basis, with quartz the only phase identifiable in x-ray diffraction patterns. The Midale Beds contain significantly higher silica/silicate concentrations, but the silicate minerals observed, K-feldspar and quartz, are unlikely to participate in carbonate mineral precipitation due to the absence of alkaline earths. Hence, physical and solution trapping are likely to be the primary trapping mechanisms at both sites. Given the similarity of mineral constituents, whole rock and mineral chemistry, reactive transport models developed for the Weyburn site should also be applicable to the Duperow lithologies.},
doi = {10.2172/1016981},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1016981}, journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Mon Nov 22 00:00:00 EST 2010},
month = {Mon Nov 22 00:00:00 EST 2010}
}