About This Item

Share This Item

The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database

AAPG Bulletin

Abstract

DOI: 10.1306/07062221120

The critical evaluation of carbon dioxide subsurface storage sites: Geological challenges in the depleted fields of Liverpool Bay

Lauren Chedburn,1 John R. Underhill,2 Sam Head,3 and Rachel Jamieson4

1Centre for Exploration Geoscience, Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Campus, Riccarton, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; [email protected]
2Centre for Exploration Geoscience, Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Campus, Riccarton, Edinburgh, United Kingdom; present address: Interdisciplinary Centre for Energy Transition, School of Geosciences, King’s College, Aberdeen University, Aberdeen, United Kingdom; [email protected]
3Centre for Exploration Geoscience, Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure and Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Campus, Riccarton, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
4Centre for Exploration Geoscience, Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, School of Energy, Geoscience, Infrastructure & Society, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh Campus, Riccarton, Edinburgh, United Kingdom

ABSTRACT

Depleted hydrocarbon fields in the Liverpool Bay area of the United Kingdom East Irish Sea have been earmarked as sites for the geological storage of CO2. Cessation of production at the Hamilton field means that it will soon be available for storage and has led to its inclusion in the United Kingdom’s first (track 1) carbon capture, utilization, and storage cluster sequencing that underpins efforts to decarbonize onshore emitters (HyNet project). The interpretation of well-calibrated, proprietary three-dimensional seismic data has enabled critical assessment of the geological controls on CO2 storage in the area. Our mapping demonstrates that significant portions of the fields lie shallower than the 800-m depth threshold, above which lower pressures and temperatures prevent CO2 from being stored in the most efficient supercritical phase, significantly reducing storage capacity during the early phases of injection. Furthermore, an assessment of the Mercia Mudstone Group seal highlights the presence of a gas-bearing basal Ansdell Mudstone Member to the Ormskirk Sandstone Formation reservoirs forming a waste zone that extends the reservoir section to even shallower levels. The mapping of faults to near seabed and progressive younging and shallowing of the ultimate top seal resulting from a progressive pinch-out of halite horizons in the Mercia Mudstone Group raise additional questions about the integrity of the top seal in southern parts of the basin. Taken together, our results flag a number of technical issues, cast some geological doubt on, and highlight a need to understand the impacts of using fields in Liverpool Bay for carbon storage upon which the HyNet project depends.

Pay-Per-View Purchase Options

The article is available through a document delivery service. Explain these Purchase Options.

Watermarked PDF Document: $14
Open PDF Document: $24

AAPG Member?

Please login with your Member username and password.

Members of AAPG receive access to the full AAPG Bulletin Archives as part of their membership. For more information, contact the AAPG Membership Department at [email protected].