--> ABSTRACT: Characterization of Niagaran Reef Reservoirs for CO2 Storage and Enhanced Oil Recovery for the Midwestern Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership, by Lydia Cumming, Mark Kelley, Joel Sminchak, and Neeraj Gupta; #90154 (2012)

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Characterization of Niagaran Reef Reservoirs for CO2 Storage and Enhanced Oil Recovery for the Midwestern Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership

Lydia Cumming, Mark Kelley, Joel Sminchak, and Neeraj Gupta
Battelle, Columbus, OH, [email protected], [email protected], [email protected], [email protected]

Several Niagaran Reef structures at various stages of development in Northern Michigan were characterized for CO2 injection and enhanced oil recovery (EOR) as part of the Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP). A primary goal of the MRCSP Development Phase effort is to execute one-million metric ton scale CO2 injection to evaluate best practices and technologies required to implement carbon sequestration on a commercial scale. In the MRCSP region the CO2 for such large-scale injection is available from Antrim-shale gas processing plants located in northern lower-peninsula of Michigan. Some of this CO2 is already being utilized for oil production in nearby pinnacle Niagaran reefs. These reef structures are in various stages of life-cycle, including pre-production reefs, reefs in primary production or tertiary EOR stage, and post-EOR reefs. The development phase MRCSP project involves a detailed assessment of CO2 injection and flow in these closed reservoirs through extended site characterization, modeling, and monitoring. Characterization of the reefs was focused on determining the structure, stratigraphy, fluid saturation, and history of nine individual reefs in the Niagaran Reef trend in northern Michigan. The testing program also includes collection of new data through advanced logs, vertical seismic profiling, saturation profiles, and microseismic monitoring. Initial findings of the characterization effort indicate that internal structure of the reefs is important consideration for combined EOR and CO2 storage, especially residual oil zones and gas caps which bracket the traditional oil reservoir. Results of the research will be used to develop monitoring in subsequent reef structures to understand CO2 migration in reservoirs, interaction with surrounding media, geochemical and geomechanical impacts, and storage capacity.

 

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90154©2012 AAPG Eastern Section Meeting, Cleveland, Ohio, 22-26 September 2012