Office of Research and Development Geological and

September 18, 2009

Overview of Selected NETL Research

National Energy Technology Laboratory

www.netl.doe.gov

Office of Fossil Energy

Office of Research and Development

Geological and Environmental Systems

Dustin L. McIntyre, PhD

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Outline

• Brief Overview of NETL and ongoing research efforts

• X-ray CT scanning – CO2 sequestration research

• Recent Work – GeoX2010 model optimization

• Recent Work – ARMA Powder River Basin Coal

• Current Work – Carbonated brine flow in fractures

• Future Work – CO2 soluble surfactants, EOR

• New Industrial CT scanner facility

• Opportunities at NETL

Paper # FEDSM2009 – 78118

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Secretary of Energy Visit 2005


Secretary of Energy Sam Bodman

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Secretary of Energy Visit 2010


West Virginia Senator

Jay Rockefeller

Secretary of Energy

Steven Chu

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NETL’s Office of Research & Development

• Tackling important national energy problems –

– CO2 management, energy security, advanced fuels

development, hydrogen technology, hybrid cycles,

mercury capture, hydrates

• Capitalizing on unique facilities and capabilities

– History dates to early 1900’s

• Achieving breakthrough science-

– Computational science and application, hydrogen

technologies, combustion science and engineering,

sequestration mechanisms

• Achieving technology successes –

– R&D 100 awards, technology transfer awards,

publications, licenses, etc.

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Research and Development Focus Areas

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X-ray CT Scanning

• Nondestructive

• Experiments at Temperature and Pressure

• Identification of Areas of Interest

– Post Mortem

• Confocal Laser Microscope

• Scanning Electron Microscope

• Thin Sectioning

• Proximate Analysis

• Visualization

– Segmentation

– Time Studies

– Surfaces and Videos

• Digitization for Numerical Analysis


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X-ray CT Scanning

• Carbon Sequestration

– Unmineable Coal Seams

– Combined Coalbed Methane

– Combined EOR

– Brine Reservoirs

– Natural Seal Integrity

– Wellbore Seal Integrity


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Production from coal can be a complex

process.

• Flow through coal is defined in

large part by the cleat network.

• Methane sorbed on the coal is

released by decreasing

pressure.

• Water needs to be moved out of

cleats before gas can flow.

• CO2 injection causes reverse

process (adsorption instead of

desorption.

SORPTION DIFFUSION ADVECTION

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How much CO2 can be stored (and methane

removed)?• Sorption is typically

considered to follow a

Langmuir isotherm.

• The gas pressure in the

coal seam determines

how much is sorbed to the

coal.

• CO2 is preferentially

sorbed to coal, compared

to methane.

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Computed Tomography Scanning of Coal

• Computed Tomography

– 2D X-ray images reconstructed to

generate 3D volumes.

– Porosity, Permeability, Swelling

– Preferential Sorption

CT slices show density variations of coal core

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Changes due to confining pressure

• Visualization

– Fractures

– Density Variations

– Saturation

– Deformation

• Most important effect is

on permeability

• Most important coal

properties for

shrinkage and swelling:

– Porosity (f)

– Young’s modulus (E)

– Poisson’s ratio (n)

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Visualize Flow within Sandstone

• Visualization

– Preferential Flow

– Saturation

– Porosity

– Permeability

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Image Processing of Marcellus Shale

Grey scale CT slices

CT slices with false coloring

Three-dimensional

reconstruction

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Multi-scale & Multi-phase

CT Scanning

Image

Processing and

Micro-Scale CFD

Develop Flow

Relationships

Reservoir-Scale

Implementation

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• GeoX 2010, 3rd International Workshop on X-ray CT

for Geomaterials, March 1-3, 2010, New Orleans

• Vary Roughness by Resampling

• Vary Aperture by Resizing

• Model Refinement

– Model Minimization and Optimization

– Computational Complexity

– Time

– Cost


CT Scanning and Flow Simulations

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• JRC provides a more linear relationship than the

Fractal Dimension

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• T follows cubic relationship fairly well above 0.7mm

aperture

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44th U.S. Rock Mechanics Symposium

• “Mechanical Properties, Flow Properties, and

Heterogeneous CO2 Sorption in Confined Powder

River Coal Cores” Salt Lake City Utah, June 27-30,

2010

• Sorption as a function of confining stress

• Long term sorption

• Permeability as a function of confining stress

• Mechanical Strength as a function of sorption

• Model manipulation and optimization


September 18, 2009

Computed Tomography Analysis of Alterations

in Fractured Caprock Resulting from CO2-

acidified Brine

Brian R. Ellis

NETL Seal Integrity Group Meeting

August 10, 2010

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Motivation

• Predict impact on seal integrity due to vertical

leakage of CO2-acidified brine

• Better understand conditions that will lead to self-

sealing or continued dissolution

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Secondary Seal: Fine-grained LS/DS

Primary Seal: Cherty Dolostone

CO2 inj.

well

Injection

Formation

Site Selection – Michigan MRCSP Injection

Well

Amherstburg

Bois BlancBass Island

Injection Formation: Dolostone

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Sample Preparation

• 1” diameter, vertical core subsample

taken from injection well core

• Core fracture was artificially induced

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EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN

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ISCO

Pump

ISC

O

Pum

p

H2O

or

Oil

CO

2

Gas/Liqui

d

Separator

CO2 vent

pH probe

Check valve

Thermocouple

Brine

Pressure transducer

Pressure gauge

2-way shut-off valve

BP

R

1450 psi

15 psi

Experimental Design

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BPR, L/G

separator and

union cross for pH

probes

Mixing Vessel

at 30° angle to

increase surface

area contact

Core holder

inlet side

Confining

pressure and

injection pumps

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CT Scanner

CT scanning during

active flow-through at

temperature and

pressure

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Starting Brine Composition

Species [mol/L]

Na 1.00 x 100

Ca 4.63 x 10-2

Mg 1.86 x 10-2

Cl 1.00 x 100

SO4 2.36 x 10-2

Sr 1.00 x 10-4

CO2(aq) 1.07 x 100

pH 4.86

Representative of 1 M NaCl

brine having previously

reacted with injection

formation minerals under

CO2-saturated conditions –

near equilibrium with

Calcite, Dolomite, and

Anhydrite

• Temperature = 40°C

• CO2 pressure = 1450 psi

• Confining pressure = 2000 psi

• Flow rate = 10 ml min-1

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CT Scanning Results

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Day 2

Day 7

Medical Scanner CT Resolution = 250 μm

Outlet end of core

Inlet end of core

Top 1/3

Middle 1/3

Bottom 1/3

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Micro-CT Imaging2-D slice of top 1/3 of core – Prior to CO2-brine flow

Micro CT Resolution = 27 μm

2-D slice of top 1/3 of core – After 1 week of CO2-brine

flow

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2-D slice of middle 1/3 of core – Prior to CO2-brine flow

2-D slice of middle 1/3 of core – After 1 week of CO2-

brine flow

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1 mm

2 mm

2-D slice of bottom 1/3 of core – After 1 week of CO2-

brine flow

2-D slice of bottom 1/3 of core – Prior to CO2-brine flow

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Continued Analysis

• SEM/EDS analysis of sectioned core

– Sr-substitued calcite precipication?

– Investigate extent and location of mineral dissolution

along fracture pathway

• ICP-AES analysis of brine effluent

• Estimation of aperture change over time and the

corresponding change in fracture volume

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Acknowledgements

• Dr. Catherine A. Peters

• Dr. Grant Brohmal

• Dr. Dustin McIntyre

• Dr. Hema Siriwardane

• Dr. Jinesh Jain

• Dr. Bob Warzinski

• Dr. Dustin Crandell

• Eilis Rosenbaum

• Bryan Tennant

• Karl Jarvis

Funding Support

• ORISE

• Department of

Energy Under

Award Number DE-

FE0000749

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Future Facilities and Work

• Microfocus X-ray CT facility

– 30” x 48” Scanning Envelope

– 5 micron Resolution (small samples)

– 225 kV and 320 kV Sources

• Carbon Sequestration

– Seal Interaction with Carbonated Brine

• Natural and Wellbore (Cement) Seals

• Strength

• Mineralization

• Open/Close Pathways


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Custom Industrial CT Scanner


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Visualization of Coal


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Future High Resolution Industrial CT Facility


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NETL Opportunities

• Proposal Solicitations through Project Management

Center

• Federal Employee

• URS Contractor Employee

• ORISE Student

• Regional University Alliance (RUA)

– CMU, PSU, WVU, Pitt, VT

• Minority Mentoring Internship Program (MMIP)

• Student Career Experience Program (SCEP)

• Mickey Leyland Internship Program


Documents

Office of Research and Development Geological and