Developing and validating pressure management and plume control strategies

The U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Fossil Energy (FE) plays a key role in advancing transformative and innovative Carbon Capture Utilization and Storage (CCUS) technologies. In its efforts to ensure safe and secure storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) in a variety of geologic depositional environments, FE is investing in the development of systems for reservoir pressure management in terms of optimizing storage safety and performance. DOE supports a unique set of projects that are exploring brine extraction strategies as an approach to manage reservoir pressure and storage efficiency for CO2 storage sites that may call for such measures. These Brine Extraction Storage Test (BEST) projects have followed a two-phased research approach. Five Phase I projects (completed) carried out modeling and other analyses to support development of pressure management strategies for potential field projects, focusing on five areas/formations representing important potential geologic storage opportunities in the United States. The modeling studies showed how the reservoir characteristics of the various potential storage formations would impact pressure reduction achieved for various injection/extraction scenarios. Life cycle analysis (LCA) studies performed by the projects highlighted the likelihood of encountering very high total dissolved solids (TDS) brines in many saline formation storage projects, as well as the challenges of handling these brines. Two projects have advanced to Phase II (ongoing) to validate brine extraction strategies through injection/extraction of brine and monitoring of differential pressures at active wastewater disposal facilities. Both Phase II projects also host facilities for testing emerging enhanced water recovery (EWR) technologies.