Effects of in situ stress measurement uncertainties on assessment of predicted seismic activity and risk associated with a hypothetical industrial-scale geologic CO_2 sequestration operation

Carbon capture and storage(CCS) in geologic formations has been recognized as a promising option for reducing carbon dioxide(CO) emissions from large stationary sources.However,the pressure buildup inside the storage formation can potentially induce slip along preexisting faults,which could lead to felt seismic ground motion and also provide pathways for brine/COleakage into shallow drinking water aquifers.To assess the geomechanical stability of faults,it is of crucial importance to know the in situ state of stress.In situ stress measurements can provide some information on the stresses acting on faults but with considerable uncertainties.In this paper,we investigate how such uncertainties,as defined by the variation of stress measurements obtained within the study area,could influence the assessment of the geomechanical stability of faults and the characteristics of potential injection-induced seismic events.Our modeling study is based on a hypothetical industrial-scale carbon sequestration project assumed to be located in the Southern San Joaquin Basin in California,USA.We assess the stability on the major(25 km long) fault that bounds the sequestration site and is subjected to significant reservoir pressure changes as a result of 50 years of COinjection.We present a series of geomechanical simulations in which the resolved stresses on the fault were varied over ranges of values corresponding to various stress measurements performed around the study area.The simulation results are analyzed by a statistical approach.Our main results are that the variations in resolved stresses as defined by the range of stress measurements had a negligible effect on the prediction of the seismic risk(maximum magnitude),but an important effect on the timing,the seismicity rate(number of seismic events) and the location of seismic activity.

CO_(2) sequestration through direct aqueous mineral carbonation of red gypsum

In this study,the physical and chemical characteristics and direct aqueous mineral carbonation of red gypsum have been investigated.The characterization studies showed that red gypsum is a very potential feedstock for mineral carbonation.It is mainly consisted of CaO,Fe2O3 and SO3 along with some impurities.On the other hand,the carbonation results showed that direct aqueous carbonation of red gypsum resulted in CaCO3 and FeCO3 production,however,the carbonates purity and carbonation efficiency are still very low.

The influences of composition and pore structure on the adsorption behavior of CH_(4) and CO_(2) on shale

CO_(2) enhanced shale gas recovery(CO_(2)-ESGR)has attracted extensive attention as it can improve the shale gas recovery efficiency and sequestrate CO_(2) simultaneously.In this study,the relationship between mineral composition,pore structure,CH_(4) and CO_(2) adsorption behavior as well as selective adsorption coefficient of CO_(2) over CH_(4)(αCO_(2)/CH_(4))in marine and continental shales at different temperatures was investigated.The results illustrated that shale with higher total organic carbon(TOC),higher clay minerals and lower brittle mineral contents has a larger micropores and mesopores volume and specific surface area.TOC content was positively correlated with fractal dimension Df.Both CH_(4) and CO_(2) adsorption capacity in shale have positive correlations with TOC and clay mineral content.CO_(2) adsorption capacity of the all the tested shale samples were greater than CH_(4),and theαCO_(2)/CH_(4) of shale were larger than 1.00,which indicated that using CO_(2)-ESGR technology to improve the gas recovery is feasible in these shale gas reservoirs.A higher TOC content and in shale corresponding to a lowerαCO_(2)/CH_(4) due to the organic matters show stronger affinity on CH_(4) than that on CO_(2).Shale with a higher brittle mineral content corresponding to a higherαCO_(2)/CH_(4),and no obvious correlation betweenαCO_(2)/CH_(4) and clay mineral content in shale was observed due to the complexity of the clay minerals.TheαCO_(2)/CH_(4) of shale were decreased with increasing temperature for most cases,which indicated that a lower temperature is more favorable for the application of CO_(2)-ESGR technique.

Particuology and climate change

The global concern over the greenhouse gas emissions and its effect on global warming and climate change has focused attention on the necessity of carbon dioxide capture and sequestration. There are many processes proposed to capture carbon either before or after combustion and these processes invariably involve investigation and application of traditional particuology. The solids employed are of different sizes, densities, morphologies, and strengths. Their handling, transportation, recirculation, and reactor applications are the essence of ＇particuology＇. Particuology can play an important and vital role in achieving cost-effective removal of carbon and minimize emissions of greenhouse gases. In this paper, the existing and developing carbon capture processes are briefly reviewed and the opportunities for application of particuology are identified. The review was not intended to be exhaustive. It is only in sufficient detail to make connection between particuology and climate change. For immediate and future challenges of reducing global warming and carbon capture and sequestration, innovative reactor design and application of parricuology is imperative. Expertise and innovation in particuology can greatly enhance the speed of development of those technologies and help to achieve cost-effective implementation. Particuology is indeed intimately related to the climate change and global warming.