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Gravitational trapping of carbon dioxide in deep sea sediments: Permeability, buoyancy, and geomechanical analysis

Gravitational trapping of carbon dioxide in deep sea sediments: Permeability, buoyancy, and geomechanical analysis
Gravitational trapping of carbon dioxide in deep sea sediments: Permeability, buoyancy, and geomechanical analysis
Liquid carbon dioxide injected in deep-sea sediments at km depths and near freezing temperatures is denser than surrounding pore water and will be trapped by gravitational forces. Storage capacity for CO2 in such formations below the ocean floor is shown to vary with seafloor depth, geothermal gradient, porosity, and pore water salinity. The formation permeability, or the successful engineering of such permeability through hydraulic fracturing, will determine the capacity for gravitational trapping in deep-sea geological formations. We conclude that most ocean sediments at appropriate depth will lack the required permeability and that conventional hydraulic fracturing would only be possible in carefully selected sites.
CO2 separations
0094-8276
Levine, J.S.
dd2b4490-978f-45db-82c3-ac24e6200075
Matter, J.M.
abb60c24-b6cb-4d1a-a108-6fc51ee20395
Goldberg, D.
c02ac60f-1414-492c-8d4c-4f5a7670c8fe
Cook, A.
33202006-e56a-44ee-9f85-dfacb9c7602e
Lackner, K.S.
f26951ef-b9d0-4ff5-9a70-3c1cd0213e85
Levine, J.S.
dd2b4490-978f-45db-82c3-ac24e6200075
Matter, J.M.
abb60c24-b6cb-4d1a-a108-6fc51ee20395
Goldberg, D.
c02ac60f-1414-492c-8d4c-4f5a7670c8fe
Cook, A.
33202006-e56a-44ee-9f85-dfacb9c7602e
Lackner, K.S.
f26951ef-b9d0-4ff5-9a70-3c1cd0213e85

Levine, J.S., Matter, J.M., Goldberg, D., Cook, A. and Lackner, K.S. (2007) Gravitational trapping of carbon dioxide in deep sea sediments: Permeability, buoyancy, and geomechanical analysis. Geophysical Research Letters, 34 (24). (doi:10.1029/2007GL031560).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Liquid carbon dioxide injected in deep-sea sediments at km depths and near freezing temperatures is denser than surrounding pore water and will be trapped by gravitational forces. Storage capacity for CO2 in such formations below the ocean floor is shown to vary with seafloor depth, geothermal gradient, porosity, and pore water salinity. The formation permeability, or the successful engineering of such permeability through hydraulic fracturing, will determine the capacity for gravitational trapping in deep-sea geological formations. We conclude that most ocean sediments at appropriate depth will lack the required permeability and that conventional hydraulic fracturing would only be possible in carefully selected sites.

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More information

Published date: December 2007
Keywords: CO2 separations
Organisations: Geochemistry

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 354713
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/354713
ISSN: 0094-8276
PURE UUID: 9810b126-d2de-4c1b-a3f0-3ed9a74b5139
ORCID for J.M. Matter: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0002-1070-7371

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Date deposited: 17 Jul 2013 15:59
Last modified: 15 Mar 2024 03:45

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Contributors

Author: J.S. Levine
Author: J.M. Matter ORCID iD
Author: D. Goldberg
Author: A. Cook
Author: K.S. Lackner

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