A simulation study of carbon storage with active reservoir management

As part of the Integrated Midcontinent Stacked Carbon Storage Hub (IMSCS‐Hub) project led by Battelle Memorial Institute, a study was conducted to determine the feasibility of storing carbon dioxide (CO2) in the stacked saline rock formations of the Sleepy Hollow Field (SHF), located in Red Willow County, southern Nebraska. A series of CO2 injection simulation scenarios, with and without active reservoir management (ARM; brine extraction), were evaluated to investigate the feasibility of storing 50+ million tonnes (Mt) of CO2. The results indicated CO2 injection combined with ARM may enable permanent storage of 50+ Mt of CO2. The area of review (AOR), the area in which underground sources of drinking water (USDWs) might be endangered during CO2 injection, was assessed for the simulation scenarios. In comparison to a case without ARM, brine extraction resulted in a much smaller AOR, covering an area of 42 square miles (108.8 km2), roughly one‐fourth the size of an AOR resulting from CO2 injection without ARM. The findings presented in this paper indicate that CO2 injection with ARM can improve the CO2 storage capacity of a geologic storage complex up to 100% while also reduce the rate of pressure buildup in the subsurface, resulting in a 75% reduction in AOR. This may help in lowering carbon capture and storage project costs, risks, and effort needed to meet monitoring requirements for a storage project. © 2021 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.