Tech Transfer

The Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership Phase III research has been disseminated in a number of ways and to various audiences. Technical findings presented at PCOR Partnership Annual Meetings, scientific conferences such as the International Greenhouse Gas Technology series, and industry meetings and forums provided high-level knowledge transfer. The PCOR Partnership website includes a wealth of reports, fact sheets, maps, and data, both in unrestricted and members-only sections. The Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) has worked with the PCOR Partnership Technical Advisory Board to craft key messages from program research activities for a nontechnical audience, supporting outreach materials including documentaries and a Carbon Storage Atlas.

One of the key messages from the PCOR Partnership is that an adaptive management approach (AMA) provides an effective framework for the technical assessment and operation of storage projects. To convey some of the lessons learned and recommendations derived from applied research activities, the PCOR Partnership published a series of five Best Practices Manuals (BPMs). With the primary intention of providing guidance to carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) stakeholders, including those without specialist technical expertise (e.g., regulators, operators, investors), these BPMs cover the overall AMA framework and each of the constituent technical elements: site characterization, modeling and simulation, risk assessment, and monitoring. 

PCOR Partnership Annual Meetings typically included workshops, providing technical training for partners. In 2017, the PCOR Partnership Annual Meeting in Plano, Texas, included a workshop on monitoring technology. Following presentations on technology deployment from Shell, the Petroleum Technology Research Centre (PTRC), and EERC, delegates spilt into breakout teams working on one of two theoretical scenarios in the PCOR Partnership region – involving, respectively, dedicated storage in a deep saline formation and associated storage with enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Playing cards, summarizing the benefits and relative costs of each technology, enabled the groups to devise an overall monitoring strategy for each scenario. Comparison of group deliberations provided interesting perspectives on the site-specific nature of monitoring tool selection.

Story of Interest

The Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership enjoyed the privilege of hosting the 2018 Annual Member Meeting in the Senate Office Buildings on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. In the historic and magnificent settings of the Kennedy Caucus Room on day one and the Indian Affairs Committee Room on day two, hearing-style sessions allowed witnesses from the PCOR Partnership to address questions from distinguished panelists. The Honorable John Hoeven, U.S. Senator for North Dakota, made this superb location for the meeting possible and received a PCOR Partnership Pioneer Award at the start of proceedings in recognition of his efforts to promote carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) technology and policy support.

The day one hearing session focused on how PCOR Partnership technical research results inform the readiness for CCUS deployment across the region; Energy and Environmental Research Center (EERC) staff described the outstanding regional potential for CCUS deployment and explained how an adaptive management approach (AMA) demonstrated the viability and security of commercial-scale storage. Successful approaches to public outreach and methods to measure that success provided further topics for debate.

Policies required to support CCUS deployment provided the theme for the day two hearing session, with regulatory certainty, infrastructure requirements, and business case development all topics under discussion. In particular, the financial opportunity afforded by the 45Q tax legislation brought tempered optimism to the proceedings. Both panelists and witnesses agreed on the urgent nature of the timescale for CCUS deployment to gain traction.

Regional Accomplishments

The Plains CO₂ Reduction (PCOR) Partnership developed a comprehensive understanding of the magnitude, distribution, and variability of the major stationary carbon dioxide (CO₂) sources and potential CO₂ storage targets to determine the feasibility of widespread carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) deployment. Refined CO₂ storage resource estimates for saline formations and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) opportunities provided additional context for interpreting the commercial implications of the large-scale demonstration projects.

Within the PCOR Partnership region, characterization efforts have identified significant CO₂ storage resource potential comprised of 340 to 1,100 billion metric tons of storage in currently evaluated saline formations (Figure 1), 23 billion metric tons in depleted oil field reservoirs, and 1.5 to 9 billion metric tons in selected oil fields that are candidates for CO₂-EOR.

The PCOR Partnership has identified, quantified, and categorized 458 stationary sources in the region that have an annual output of greater than 100,000 metric tons of CO₂. Many of the large point sources are located in areas that are favorable for CO₂ storage because of their concurrence with deep sedimentary basins, such as those areas in Alberta, North Dakota, Montana, and Wyoming (Figure 2).

Reconnaissance-level CO₂ storage estimates were made for selected oil fields in the Williston, Powder River, Denver–Julesberg, and Alberta Basins (Figure 3). Results of the estimates for the evaluated fields (using a volumetric method) in the four basins indicate an associated CO₂ storage potential of more than 3.2 billion metric tons and 7 billion barrels of incremental oil.

Research vs. Commercial

Phase III field projects within the Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships (RCSP) Program demonstrated safe, secure, and effective carbon dioxide (CO₂) geological storage at a large (commercial) scale. Tasked with providing scientific evidence to support this demonstration goal, and developing technology to support storage, such projects typically require a combination of governmental and industry sponsorship and support to achieve success through intensive research efforts. In contrast, commercial projects seek to operate efficiently, manage risks, and satisfy applicable regulations in accordance with established best practices and by the most cost-effective means possible.

Strategic approaches and technology selection for monitoring of storage provide a perfect example of the contrasting approaches between applied research and commercial projects. Repeat surface seismic surveys employed in major carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS) research efforts, including RCSP Phase III projects and the International Energy Agency (IEA) Greenhouse Gas R&D Programme (IEAGHG) Weyburn–Midale CO₂ Monitoring and Storage Project, have been repeatedly shown to provide the most effective geophysical technique for tracking and quantifying the migration and disposition of injected CO₂ in storage reservoirs. However, these surveys are expensive and time-consuming, with several months typically required to process and interpret data. Ultimately, the decisions for commercial projects to invest in technologies will depend on site-specific cost-benefit analysis and regulatory requirements.

Sites

• Fort Nelson Gas Plant
• Bell Creek Field

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