--> Abstract: The Carbon Sequestration Potential of Oil and Gas Fields in the Denver-Julesburg Basin of Colorado, by J. W. Deardorff, J. E. McCray, G. Young, and D. Nummedal; #90092 (2009)

Datapages, Inc.Print this page

The Carbon Sequestration Potential of Oil and Gas Fields in the Denver-Julesburg Basin of Colorado

Jason W. Deardorff1, John E. McCray2, Genevieve Young3, and Dag Nummedal1
1Colorado Energy Research Institute, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO
2Division of Environmental Science and Engineering, Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO
3Colorado Geological Survey, Denver, CO

Carbon sequestration, or the storing of carbon dioxide (CO2) created by human activities, is an emerging technology of national and international importance due to its potential to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Geologic carbon sequestration involves the capture of CO2 generated from point sources such as coal-burning power plants and petroleum refineries, and its subsequent injection into subsurface geologic formations such as depleted oil and gas reservoirs, uneconomic coal seams, and deep saline aquifers.

GIS technology holds great potential for assessing options for geologic carbon sequestration by allowing the rapid screening of subsurface sequestration targets (sinks) and spatially relating CO2 sources and sinks. The Colorado Energy Research Institute at the Colorado School of Mines has created a geodatabase to assess the geologic sequestration options for specific CO2 sources in the Denver-Julesburg Basin of Colorado. Data parameters such as depth, distance from source, reservoir size, and production history were aggregated for 965 known oil and gas reservoirs, which were then screened for criteria necessary for CO2 injection and long-term storage. 64 oil reservoirs were identified as potentially amenable to CO2-enhanced oil recovery and 38 oil and gas reservoirs were identified as potential large volume sinks for CO2. The geodatabase was used to identify the most promising oil and gas fields for carbon sequestration from a specific CO2 source and narrow the focus of further assessment of the suitability of these reservoirs for long-term carbon storage. Future research will expand the assessment to Enhanced Methane Recovery potential and the results will be presented.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90092©2009 AAPG Rocky Mountain Section, July 9-11, 2008, Denver, Colorado