Greenhouse gas sequestration in abandoned oil reservoirs: The International Energy Agency Weyburn pilot project

Abstract

ABSTRACTCarbon dioxide sequestration in geo-logical reservoirs is being evaluated internationally as a viable means of long-term CO 2 storage. The International Energy Agency Weyburn CO 2 Monitoring and Storage Project is designed to inves-tigate the technical and economic fea-sibility of CO 2 storage in a partially de-pleted oil reservoir in conjunction with enhanced oil recovery operations. Two key elements of the project are (1) the establishment of a regional geoscience framework as a means for prediction of the long-term fate of injected CO 2 , and (2) development and application of geophysical/geochemical monitoring and verification methods to track the spread of CO 2 within the reservoir. To date, 1.90 billion m 3 of CO 2 have been injected into the reservoir, the effects of which are imaged by the various moni-toring methods. INTRODUCTIONCarbon dioxide is the primary anthro-pogenic greenhouse gas in the modern-day atmosphere and is a critical compo-nent in models of global climate change (IPCC, 2001). It is estimated that ~6 gi-gatons of carbon enters the environment annually as a result of global energy-re-lated CO