• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.217-246
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• 2018

During the selection and characterization of target formations in the Small-scale Offshore $CO_2$ Storage Demonstration Project in the Pohang Basin, we have carefully investigated the possibility of induced earthquakes and leakage of $CO_2$ during the injection, and have designed the storage processes to minimize these effects. However, people in Pohang city have a great concern on $CO_2$-injection-intrigued seismicity, since they have greatly suffered from the 5.4 magnitude earthquake on Nov. 15, 2017. The research team of the project performed an extensive self-investigation on the safety issues, especially on the possible $CO_2$ leakage from the target formation and induced earthquakes. The target formation is 10 km apart from the epicenter of the Pohang earthquake and the depth is also quite shallow, only 750 to 800 m from the sea bottom. The project performed a pilot injection in the target formation from Jan. 12 to Mar. 12, 2017, which implies that there are no direct correlation of the Pohang earthquake on Nov. 15, 2017. In addition, the $CO_2$ injection of the storage project does not fracture rock formations, instead, the supercritical $CO_2$ fluid replaces formation water in the pore space gradually. The self-investigation results show that there is almost no chance for the injection to induce significant earthquakes unless injection lasts for a very long time to build a very high pore pressure, which can be easily monitored. The amount of injected $CO_2$ in the project was around 100 metric-tonne that is irrelevant to the Pohang earthquake. The investigation result on long-term safety also shows that the induced earthquakes or the reactivation of existing faults can be prevented successfully when the injection pressure is controlled not to demage cap-rock formation nor exceed Coulomb stresses of existing faults. The project has been performing extensive studies on critical stress for fracturing neighboring formations, reactivation stress of existing faults, well-completion processes to minimize possible leakage, transport/leakage monitoring of injected $CO_2$, and operation procedures for ensuring the storage safety. These extensive studies showed that there will be little chance in $CO_2$ leakage that affects human life. In conclusion, the Small-scale Offshore $CO_2$ Storage Demonstration Project in the Pohang Basin would not cause any induced earthquakes nor signifiant $CO_2$ leakage that people can sense. The research team will give every effort to secure the safety of the storage site.

• KEPCO Journal on Electric Power and Energy
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.167-185
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• 2016

$CO_2$ 지중저장 기술은 가장 유력한 대용량 온실가스 감축기술의 하나이다. 이 기술을 적용하여 국제적으로 노르웨이, 알제리, 캐나다, 미국 등에서 이미 대규모 실증 및 상용화 사업이 수행되고 있으며, 호주, 일본, 네덜란드, 독일 등 그 밖의 여러 나라에서 다양한 내용과 규모를 갖는 중소규모 실증사업이 진행되고 있다. 한국도 소규모 육상 파일럿 저장 프로젝트와 중규모 해상 저장실증 프로젝트가 추진되어 착실하게 기술개발과 경험확보를 위해 노력하고 있다. $CO_2$ 지중저장 사업은 화석연료의 사용이 다른 에너지원으로 대체되기 전까지 지속적으로 확장될 것으로 예측되고 있으나, 온실가스 감축시장의 불안전성, 사업의 수익구조와 관련된 경제성, 누출에 대한 안전성 등의 위협요소를 갖고 있다. 따라서 이러한 위협을 극복하기 위해 많은 국가와 기업들이 저비용-고효율 지중저장 기술과 안전한 지중저장 기술의 확보를 목표로 연구개발 및 실증사업을 추진하고 있다. 한국의 경우에 저장소가 주요 포집원으로부터 상당한 거리를 갖고 있는 해저에 발달하고 있기 때문에 지중저장 사업의 경제성 확보가 매우 불리한 조건이다. 따라서 정부나 기업이 CCS 기술을 주요 온실가스 감축수단으로 채택하여 대규모 지중저장 사업을 본격적으로 착수하는 것을 주저하고 있다. 한국과 같은 불리한 조건을 갖는 국가의 경우에 특히 대규모 저장소의 확보를 포함한 저비용-고효율 지중저장 기술의 실용화가 절실하게 필요하다. 결론적으로 한국의 $CO_2$ 지중저장 사업의 성공적인 추진을 위해서는 대규모 저장소의 확보, 저비용-고효율 지중저장 기술의 개발과 실증을 통한 실용화, 중소규모 지중저장 실증사업으로 축적한 기술과 경험으로 대규모 지중저장 사업의 효율화 달성이 요구된다. 이를 위한 실천적인 로드맵과 프로그램의 작성과 착실한 이행 역시 중요하다. 이러한 기반이 착실하게 다져질 경우에 한국에서 대규모 CCS 통합실증과 $CO_2$ 지중저장 사업이 본격적으로 개시될 수 있을 것이다.

• 한국지구물리탐사학회:학술대회논문집
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• 2009.10a
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• pp.16-19
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• 2009

Recently, CO2 geologic storage (geologic sequestration) has been concerned as one of methodologies for reducing greenhouse gas. We expect that geophysical approach plays an important role in the site selection, characterization, and monitoring during CO2 injection or post-injection. Especially we believe that monitoring and verification technologies such as surface and borehole geophysical methods are an important part of making CO2 geologic storage an acceptable method.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.133-160
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• 2018

$CO_2$ storage is a very important technology for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and has been considered as almost the only viable and effective option for immediate large-scale $CO_2$ sequestration. Small-scale demonstration project for offshore $CO_2$ storage in the Pohang Basin is the transitional stage R&D program for technological preparation of large-scale $CO_2$ storage project in Korea. Through the extensive exploration research for prospective $CO_2$ storage sites, the offshore strata in the Pohang Basin was recommended for the storage formation of the small-scale demonstration project. The Pohang Offshore Storage Project launched at 2013, and has accomplished the technical demonstration and technological independence in a wide range of $CO_2$ storage technology, such as geophysical exploration, storage site characterization, storage design, offshore platform construction, injection-well drilling and completion, deployment of injection facility, operation of $CO_2$ injection, and $CO_2$ monitoring. The project successfully carried out $CO_2$ test injection in early 2017, and achieved its final goal for technical development and demonstration of $CO_2$ storage in Korea. The realization of $CO_2$ injection in this project is the measurable result and has been recorded as the first success in Korea. The Pohang Offshore Storage Project has a future plan for the continuous operation of $CO_2$ injection and completion of $CO_2$ monitoring system. The project has provided in-house technical and practical expertises, which will be a solid foundation for the commercial-scale $CO_2$ storage business in Korea. Additionally, the project will help to secure national technical competitiveness in growing international technology market for $CO_2$ storage.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.311-330
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• 2023

Development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technique is becoming increasingly important as a method to mitigate the strengthening effects of global warming, generated from the unprecedented increase in released anthropogenic CO₂. In the recent years, the characteristics of basaltic rocks (i.e., large volume, high reactivity and surplus of cation components) have been recognized to be potentially favorable in facilitation of CCS; based on this, research on utilization of basaltic formations for underground CO₂ storage is currently ongoing in various fields. This study investigated the feasibility of underground storage of CO₂ in basalt, based on the examination of the CO₂ storage mechanisms in subsurface, assessment of basalt characteristics, and review of the global research on basaltic CO₂ storage. The global research examined were classified into experimental/modeling/field demonstration, based on the methods utilized. Experimental conditions used in research demonstrated temperatures ranging from 20 to 250 ℃, pressure ranging from 0.1 to 30 MPa, and the rock-fluid reaction time ranging from several hours to four years. Modeling research on basalt involved construction of models similar to the potential storage sites, with examination of changes in fluid dynamics and geochemical factors before and after CO₂-fluid injection. The investigation demonstrated that basalt has large potential for CO₂ storage, along with capacity for rapid mineralization reactions; these factors lessens the environmental constraints (i.e., temperature, pressure, and geological structures) generally required for CO₂ storage. The success of major field demonstration projects, the CarbFix project and the Wallula project, indicate that basalt is promising geological formation to facilitate CCS. However, usage of basalt as storage formation requires additional conditions which must be carefully considered - mineralization mechanism can vary significantly depending on factors such as the basalt composition and injection zone properties: for instance, precipitation of carbonate and silicate minerals can reduce the injectivity into the formation. In addition, there is a risk of polluting the subsurface environment due to the combination of pressure increase and induced rock-CO₂-fluid reactions upon injection. As dissolution of CO₂ into fluids is required prior to injection, monitoring techniques different from conventional methods are needed. Hence, in order to facilitate efficient and stable underground storage of CO₂ in basalt, it is necessary to select a suitable storage formation, accumulate various database of the field, and conduct systematic research utilizing experiments/modeling/field studies to develop comprehensive understanding of the potential storage site.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.49 no.6
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• pp.469-477
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• 2016

To evaluate the $CO_2$ storage capacity for the reservoir rock, the laboratory scale technique to measure the amount of $scCO_2$, replacing pore water of the reservior rock after the $CO_2$ injection was developed in this study. Laboratory experiments were performed to measure the $scCO_2$ displacement efficiency of the conglomerate and the sandstone in Janggi basin, which are classified as available $CO_2$ storage rocks in Korea. The high pressurized stainless steel cell containing two different walls was designed and undisturbed rock cores acquired from the deep drilling site around Janggi basin were used for the experiments. From the lab experiments, the average $scCO_2$ displacement efficiency of the conglomerate and the sandstone in Janggi basin was measured at 31.2% and 14.4%, respectively, which can be used to evaluate the feasibility of the Janggi basin as a $scCO_2$ storage site in Korea. Assuming that the effective radius of the $CO_2$ storage formations is 250 m and the average thickness of the conglomerate and the sandstone formation under 800 m in depth is 50 m each (from data of the drilling profile and the geophysical survey), the $scCO_2$ storage capacity of the reservoir rocks around the probable $scCO_2$ injection site in Janggi basin was calculated at 264,592 metric ton, demonstrating that the conglomerate and the sandstone formations in Janggi basin have a great potential for use as a pilot scale test site for the $CO_2$ storage in Korea.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.175-184
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• 2008

In this study, state-of-the-art of $CO_2$ geological sequestration as a method of greenhouse gas reduction was reviewed. Thermal-Hydraulic-Mechanically(THM) coupled simulation technology and its application to a stability analysis of geological formation due to $CO_2$ injection as well as a leakage path analysis were investigated and introduced.

• Geophysics and Geophysical Exploration
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.78-88
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• 2021

Owing to the abnormal weather conditions due to global warming, carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology has attracted global attention as a countermeasure to reduce CO₂ emissions. In the Pohang CCS demonstration project in South Korea, 100 tons of CO₂ were successfully injected into the subsurface CO₂ storage in early 2017. However, after the 2017 Pohang earthquake, the Pohang CCS demonstration project was suspended due to an increase in social concerns about the safety of the CCS project. In this study, to reconfirm the structural suitability of the CO₂ storage site in the Pohang Basin, we employed seismic imaging based on reverse-time migration (RTM) to analyze small-scale ocean-bottom seismic data, which have not been utilized in previous studies. Compared with seismic images using marine streamer data, the continuity of subsurface layers in the RTM image using the ocean-bottom seismic data is improved. Based on the obtained subsurface image, we discuss the structural suitability of the Pohang CO₂ storage site.

• Journal of Korean Society of Environmental Engineers
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• v.33 no.4
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• pp.251-257
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• 2011

In the present study, a 3-dimensional (3D) numerical model was developed to mimic the micro porous structure of a geological $CO_2$ storage reservoir. Especially, 3D modeling technique assigning random pore size to a 3D micro porous structure was devised. Numerical method using CFD (computational fluid dynamics) was applied for the 3D micro porous structure to calculate supercritical $CO_2$ flow field. The three different configurations of 3D micro porous model were designed and their flow fields were calculated. For the physical conditions of $CO_2$ flow, temperature and pressure were set up equivalent to geological underground condition where $CO_2$ fluid was stored. From the results, the characteristics of the supercritical $CO_2$ flow fields were scrutinized and the influence of the micro pore configuration on the flow field was investigated. In particular, the pressure difference and consequent $CO_2$ permeability were calculated and compared with increasing $CO_2$ flow rate.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.359-370
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• 2010

$CO_2$ leakage from a geological formation utilized for $CO_2$ storage could result in failure of the facility and threaten the environment, as well as human safety and health. A reactive transport model of a $CO_2-H_2O$-cement reaction was constructed to understand chemical changes in the case of $CO_2$ leakage through a cement crack in an injection well, which is the most probable leakage pathway during geological storage. The model results showed the dissolution of portlandite and CSH (calcium silicate hydrate) within the cement paste, and the precipitation of secondary CSH and calcite as the $CO_2$ plume migrated along the crack. Calcite occupied most of the crack after 3 year of reaction, which could be maintained until 30 years after crack development. The present results could be applied in the development of technology to prevent $CO_2$ leakage and to enhance the integrity of wells constructed for $CO_2$ geological storage.