Issued on: October 1, 2008
DOE Releases Methodology Used to Estimate Carbon Dioxide Storage Potential
Document Will Appear in Carbon Sequestration Atlas Expected in November
Washington, DC — The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) today released its Methodology for Development of Geologic Storage Estimates for Carbon Dioxide, a document that details the procedures used to produce the geologic resource estimates for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage potential in the soon-to-be-released 2008 Carbon Sequestration Atlas of the United States and Canada (Atlas II). DOE expects to release the updated version of its award-winning atlas later this year.
The methodology document outlines the procedures for estimating CO2 storage potential in three types of geologic formations found in the United States and Canada: saline formations, unmineable coal seams, and oil and gas reservoirs.
"This important document represents more than a year's worth of work by researchers at the Office of Fossil Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory and members of DOE's regional carbon sequestration partnerships to reach a consensus on the methodology," said Acting Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy James Slutz. "We believe it will provide a sound explanation for geologic resource estimates in our upcoming carbon sequestration atlas."
The methodologies presented in the document are based on widely accepted assumptions associated with fluid distribution and displacement processes commonly applied in petroleum and groundwater science. A subcommittee called the Capacity and Fairways Subgroup, which was convened by the regional partnerships' Geologic Working Group in 2006 to develop the first carbon sequestration atlas, provided leadership for this methodology document.
The methodology document will be presented as an appendix in the forthcoming Atlas II. The atlas not only serves as an invaluable tool for the carbon sequestration community, but it also recently captured a prestigious APEX Grand Award for publication excellence.
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