Potential for Carbon Dioxide Sequestration in Five Fields along the Mississippi River Industrial Corridor in Louisiana

C. J. John, B. J. Harder, B. L. Jones, R. J. Bourgeois, and W. Schulingkamp
Louisiana Geological Survey – Louisiana State University, 3079 Energy, Coast and Environment Bldg., Baton Rouge, Louisiana 70803–0001

Government agencies and environmental groups around the world have been increasingly concerned about global climate and increased emissions of greenhouse gases have been attributed to be a major cause. Carbon dioxide (CO2) is the main greenhouse gas released to the atmosphere by the burning of fossil fuels in industrial operations. Geosequestration requires a porous and permeable reservoir bounded by impermeable layers of rock. Suitable subsurface reservoirs include depleted oil and gas fields, saline formations, coal seams, and salt domes. CO2 is also used for enhanced oil and coalbed methane recovery. This study only deals with the potential for CO2 sequestration in depleted oil and gas fields. The focus area for this study is five depleted oil and gas fields (Bayou Bleu, Bayou Choctaw, Bayou Sorrel, Fordoche, and Livonia) located in three parishes (Pointe Coupee, Iberville, and West Baton Rouge) in south-central Louisiana along the Mississippi River Industrial Corridor. This area has a concentration of power plants and petrochemical industries that generate large volumes of CO2. Available data on each potential reservoir for geosequestration in each field were compiled: data on production, acreage, depth, thickness, porosity, permeability, and residual pore volumes in barrels equivalent.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90158©2012 GCAGS and GC-SEPM 6nd Annual Convention, Austin, Texas, 21-24 October 2012