• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.33-43
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• 2020

CO₂ geological storage is currently considered as the most stable and effective technology for greenhouse gas reduction. The saline formations for CO₂ geological storage are generally located at a depth of more than 800 m where CO₂ can be stored in a supercritical state, and an extensive impermeable cap rock that prevents CO₂ leakage to the surface should be distributed above the saline formations. Trough analysis of seismic and well data, we identified the basalt flow structure for potential CO₂ storage where saline formation is overlain by basalt cap rock around PZ-1 exploration well in the Southern Continental Shelf of Korea. To evaluate CO₂ storage capacity of the saline formation, total porosity and CO₂ density are calculated based on well logging data of PZ-1 well. We constructed a 3D geological grid model with a certain size in the x, y and z axis directions for volume estimates of the saline formation, and performed a property modeling to assign total porosity to the geological grid. The estimated average CO₂ geological storage capacity evaluated by the U.S. DOE method for the saline formation covered by the basalt cap rock is 84.17 Mt of CO₂(ranges from 42.07 to 143.79 Mt of CO₂).

• 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.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.10-18
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• 2021

CO₂ storage technology in an aquifer is one of the most effective way to decrease global warming due to a high storage capacity and economics. A demonstration-scale offshore CO₂ storage project was performed in a geological deep aquifer in the Pohang Basin, Korea for a technological development of large-scale CO₂ storage. A challenging issue in the early design stage of the project was to establish the proper injectivity during CO₂ injection. To solve this issue, injection conditions were calculated by calculating injection rate, pressure, temperature, CO₂ phase change, and thermodynamic properties. For this study, we simulated and numerically analyzed CO₂ phase change from gas to supercritical phase and flow behavior in transport piping and injection tubing using OLGA program. Our results provide the injectivity conditions of CO₂ injection system combined with a bottomhole pressure of an aquifer.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.2
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• pp.213-220
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• 2020

When CO₂ foam is injected into the saline aquifer, the relative permeability of CO₂ decreases and its viscosity increases, thereby reducing mobility in porous media and ultimately improving CO₂ storge with enhanced sweep efficiency. In general, surfactants were used to fabricate CO₂ foam. Recently, nanoparticles have been used to form stable foam than surfactant. This paper introduces CO₂ storage technology using nanoparticle stabilized CO₂ foam. If the surface of the hydrophilic nanoparticles is partially modified into a CO₂-philic portion, the particles have an affinity for CO₂ and water, thus forming a stable CO₂ foam even in deep saline aquifers under high temperature and high salinity conditions, thereby it can be stored in the pores of the rock. In terms of economics, injection method using nanopaticle-stabilized CO₂ foam is more expensive than the conventional CO₂ injection, but it is estimated that it will have price competitiveness because the injection efficiency is improved. From an environmental point of view, it is possible to inject chemical substances such as surfactants and nanomaterials into aquifers or reservoirs for specific purposes such as pollutant removal and oil production. However, some studies have shown that nanoparticles and surfactants are toxic to aquatic animals, so environmentally proven substances should be used. Therefore, further research and development will be needed to study the production and injection of nanoparticle-stabilized CO₂ foam that are environmentally safe and economically reasonable.

• Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society
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• v.39 no.11
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• pp.63-70
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• 2023

Underground carbon dioxide (CO₂) storage emerges as a pivotal strategy for mitigating atmospheric CO₂ emissions and addressing global warming concerns. This study investigates techniques to optimize storage efficiency in aquifers, which stand out for their superior capacity compared to other geological layers. The focus is on the application of nonionic and anionic surfactants to enhance CO₂ storage efficiency within confined spaces. A specialized micromodel facilitating fluid flow observation was employed for the evaluation. Experimental results revealed a noteworthy minimum 40% increase in storage efficiency at the lowest injection rate when utilizing nonionic and anionic surfactants, in comparison to pure water injection. Interestingly, no significant variations in storage efficiency were observed based on the ionicity and concentration of the surfactants under investigation. These findings have implications for guiding the selection and concentration determination of surfactants in future underground CO₂ storage endeavors.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.53 no.1
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• pp.23-32
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• 2020

Geological CO₂ sequestration is a global warming response technology to limit atmospheric emissions by injecting CO₂ captured on a large scale into deep geological formations. The presented results concern mineralogical and hydrogeological investigations (FE-SEM, XRD, XRF, and MICP) of mudstone samples from drilling cores of the Pohang basin, which is the research area for the first demonstration-scale CO₂ storage project in Korea. They aim to identify the mineral properties of the mudstone constituting the caprock and to quantitatively evaluate the hydrogeologic sealing capacity that directly affects the stability and reliability of geological CO₂ storage. Mineralogical analysis showed that the mudstone samples are mainly composed of quartz, K-feldspar, plagioclase and a small amount of pyrite, calcite, clay minerals, etc. Mercury intrusion capillary pressure analysis also showed that the samples generally had uniform particle configurations and pore distribution and there was no distinct correlation between the estimated porosity and air permeability. The allowable CO₂ column heights based on the estimated pore-entry pressures and breakthrough pressures were found to be significantly higher than the thickness of the targeting CO₂ injection layer. These results showed that the mudstone layers in the Yeongil group, Pohang basin, Korea have sufficient sealing capacity to suppress the leakage of CO₂ injected during the demonstration-scale CO₂ storage project. It should be noticed, however, that the applicability of results and analyses in this study is limited by the lack of available samples. For rigorous assessment of the sealing efficiency for geological CO₂ storage operations, significant efforts on collection and multi-aspect evaluation for core samples over entire caprock formations should be accompanied.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.9-17
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• 2022

This paper is the continuation of our previous paper, which we refer to as numerical analysis of phase behavior and flow properties in an injection tubing during gas phase CO₂ injection. Our study in this paper show the results during supercritcal CO₂ injection under the same project. Geological CO₂ storage technology is one of the most effective method to decrease climate change due to high injectivity and storage capacity and economics. A demonstration-scale CO₂ storage project was performed in a deep aquifer in the Pohang basin, Korea for a technological development in a large-scale CO₂ storage project. A problem to consider in the early stage design of the project was to analyze CO₂ phase change and flow characteristics during CO₂ injection. To solve this problem, injection conditions were decided by calculating injection rate, pressure, temperature, and thermodynamic properties. For this research, we simulated and numerically analyzed CO₂ phase change from liquid to supercritical phase and flow characteristics in injection tubing using OLGA program. Our results provide discharge pressure and temperature conditions of CO₂ injection combined with a pressure of an aquifer.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.59-71
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• 2023

Carbon capture, and storage (CCS) is important for the reduction of greenhouse gases and achieving carbon neutrality. CCS focuses on storing captured CO₂ permanently in underground reservoirs. CO₂-enhanced oil recovery (CO₂-EOR) is one form of CCS, where CO₂ is injected into the underground to enhance oil recovery. CO₂-EOR not only aids in the extraction of residual oil but also contributes to carbon neutrality by storing CO₂ underground continuously. CO₂-EOR can be classified into miscible and immiscible methods, with the CO₂-water alternating gas (CO₂-WAG) technique being a representative approach within the miscible method. In CO₂-WAG, water and CO₂ are alternately injected into the reservoir, enabling oil production and CO₂ storage. The WAG method allows for controlling the breakthrough of injection fluids, providing advantages in oil recovery. It also induces hysteresis in relative permeability during the injection and production process, expanding the amount of trapped CO₂. In this study, the effects of enhancing oil recovery and storing CO₂ underground during CO₂-EOR were presented. Additionally, cases of CO₂-EOR application in relation to CCS were introduced.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.33 no.5
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• pp.399-413
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• 2023

The present study conducted a numerical modeling of CO₂ injection at the Janggi Basin using the TOUGH-FLAC simulator, and examined the hydro-mechanical stability of the aquifer and the fault. Based on the site investigations and a 3D geological model of the target area, we simulated the injection of 32,850 tons of CO₂ over a 3-year period. The analysis of CO₂ plume with different values of the aquifer permeability revealed that assuming a permeability of 10^-14 m² the CO₂ plume exhibited a radial flow and reached the fault after 2 years and 9 months. Conversely, a higher permeability of 10^-13 m² resulted in predominant westward flow along the reservoir, with negligible impact on the fault. The pressure changes around the injection well remained below 0.6 MPa over the period, and the influence on the hydro-mechanical stability of the reservoir and fault was found to be insignificant.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.161-174
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• 2018

$CO_2$ storage site for small-scale demonstration has been investigated in Yeongil Bay, Pohang, SE Korea, using seismic survey and exploration well data. We found a potential storage formation consisting mainly of conglomerate and sandstone. The storage formation unconformably overlies volcanic basement rocks that are located in a depth from 650 to 950 m (below sea level). The depth of the storage formation is suitable for injecting supercritical $CO_2$ in the Pohang Basin. The average thickness of the storage formation is about 123 m, which possibly provides sufficient capacity at the level of small-scale storage demonstration. The overlying fine-grained deposits consist mainly of marine hemipelagic muds and interlayered turbidite sands. The overlying formation is considered as a good seal rock that is over 600 m thick and widely distributed in the onshore and offshore portions of the basin. NNE-trending faults found in the study area likely formed at basement level, probably not continue to seafloor. Such faults are interpreted as syndepositional faults involved to the basin initiation. This study reveals that the offshore area of the Pohang Basin contains deep geological formations suitable for small-scale $CO_2$ storage demonstration.