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Results for “Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology”

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6 recordsLinked to original sources
USGS2017

3D Pressure‐limited approach to model and estimate CO2 injection and storage capacity: saline Mount Simon Formation

To estimate the carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) injection and storage capacity of saline formations, we used Tough2‐ECO2N simulation software to develop a pressure‐limited (dynamic) simulation approach based on applying three‐dimensional (3D) numerical simulation only on the effective injection area (A eff ) surrounding each injection well. A statistical analysis was performed to account for existing reservoir heterogeneity and property variations. The accuracy of the model simulation results (such as CO 2 plume extension and induced injection well bottomhole pressure values) were tested and verified against the data obtained from the Decatur CO 2 injection study of the Mount Simon Formation. Next, we designed a full‐field CO 2 injection pattern by populating the core sections of this formation with a series of the simulated effective injection areas such that each simulated A eff acts as a closed domain. The results of this analysis were used to estimate the optimum number and location of the required CO 2 injection wells, along with the dynamic annual CO 2 injection rate and overall pressure‐limited storage capacity of this formation. This approach enabled us to model separate CO 2 injection activities independently at different sections of the same saline formation and to model and simulate faults and natural barriers by considering them as boundary conditions for each simulated A eff without constructing full‐field models. Using this approach, a series of modeled A eff with relevant properties may be redesigned to model any other saline formation with a similar structure.

Mount Simon Formation↗
USGS2022

Dynamic estimates of geologic CO2 storage resources in the Illinois Basin constrained by reinjectivity of brine extracted for pressure management

Geologic carbon storage (GCS) is likely to be an important part of global efforts to decarbonize the energy industry. Widespread deployment of GCS relies on strategies to maximize CO 2 injection rates while minimizing reservoir pressurization that could induce seismicity and/or fluid leakage into groundwater resources. Brine extraction from CO 2 storage formations with subsurface reinjection elsewhere could mitigate pressure buildup associated with GCS. Therefore, evaluation of CO 2 storage resources should consider the injectivity of produced brine in geologic layers above or below the CO 2 storage formation. For this study, a methodology was developed to estimate brine injectivity from formation depth and thickness using flow modeling and optimization techniques. The methodology was demonstrated in the Illinois Basin, where GCS in the Mt. Simon Sandstone is ongoing. Based on pressure constraints and considering only regions of the shallower units where salinity and sealing conditions were met, maximum brine injection rates were estimated within the Mt. Simon and three overlying hydrostratigraphic layers. Results indicate that a large area exists where CO 2 injectivity could be optimized by brine extraction and reinjection.

Illinois, Indiana↗
USGS2024

Best practices for incorporating climate change science into Department of the Interior analyses, consultations, and decision making

The purpose of this document is to provide technical guidance, practical application examples, and resource lists for those who conduct, manage, and/or interpret technical workflows within the Department of the Interior. This document is intended to support implementation of Department of the Interior policy 526 DM 1 and establish best practices for using climate change science to inform analysis, consultation, and decision making. The Earth’s climate is an interconnected system that distributes energy, heat, and water around the planet. Due to human-driven increases in long-lived greenhouse gases, the Earth’s climate is now changing. For Departmental decision-making purposes, assuming a static, unchanging baseline climate is no longer consistent with current knowledge about the climate system. There are uncertainties about future climate and how resources or assets (RoAs) will respond to new conditions. To depict the possibilities, the global climate science community develops scenarios and models to explore how future climate may respond to socioeconomic and technological development in the world. Principles for informing policy development, planning and decisions, and regulatory processes using climate change science must: 1) consider the effects of future climate change, 2) characterize the risks, and 3) characterize the uncertainties. Best practices include: Use multiple scenarios to assess risks from a range of plausible societal pathways. When constraints prevent the use of multiple scenarios or if decision makers are risk averse, ensure that the chosen scenario considers higher risk outcomes. This is particularly important for large investments or irreversible decisions and reduces the chances of overconfident decision making. Use multiple climate models within each scenario to account for the range of outcomes due to model uncertainty. Do not rely solely on a single model or an ensemble average. Use relevant climate data . Use a time-period for model projections of the future climate change consistent with the relevant timeframe of the policy, action, or decision being considered. Historical observations are useful for understanding past conditions and climate trends for the next several years, but not beyond the next decade. Consult with climate data and modeling experts to assess which data and model resources are most appropriate for any given application. Clearly describe key analysis uncertainties (including with any climate observations, models, and scenarios used), and how they were addressed in the analysis and/or decision process. This ensures transparency and learning among analysts and decision makers.

Report↗
USGS2006

Investigating ebullition in a sand column using dissolved gas analysis and reactive transport modeling

Ebullition of gas bubbles through saturated sediments can enhance the migration of gases through the subsurface, affect the rate of biogeochemical processes, and potentially enhance the emission of important greenhouse gases to the atmosphere. To better understand the parameters controlling ebullition, methanogenic conditions were produced in a column experiment and ebullition through the column was monitored and quantified through dissolved gas analysis and reactive transport modeling. Dissolved gas analysis showed rapid transport of CH 4 vertically through the column at rates several times faster than the bromide tracer and the more soluble gas CO 2 , indicating that ebullition was the main transport mechanism for CH 4 . An empirically derived formulation describing ebullition was integrated into the reactive transport code MIN3P allowing this process to be investigated on the REV scale in a complex geochemical framework. The simulations provided insights into the parameters controlling ebullition and show that, over the duration of the experiment, 36% of the CH 4 and 19% of the CO 2 produced were transported to the top of the column through ebullition.

Environmental Science & Technology↗
USGS2021

Discrete sample introduction module for quantitative and isotopic analysis of methane and other gases by cavity ring-down spectroscopy

Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) and methane (CH 4 ) are natural and anthropogenic products that play a central role in the global carbon cycle and regulating Earth’s climate. Applications utilizing laser absorption spectroscopy, which continuously measure concentrations and stable isotope ratios of these greenhouse gases, are routinely employed to measure the source and magnitude of atmospheric inputs. We developed a discrete sample introduction module (DSIM) to enable measurements of methane and CO 2 concentrations and δ 13 C values from limited volume (5–100 mL) gas samples when interfaced with a commercially available cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) analyzer. The analysis has a dynamic range that spans six orders of magnitude from 100% analyte to the lower limit of instrument detection (2 ppm). We demonstrate system performance for methane by comparing concentrations and δ 13 C results from the DSIM-CRDS system and traditional methods for a variety of sample types, including low concentration (nanomolar CH 4 ) seawater and high concentration (>90% CH 4 ) natural gas. The expansive concentration range of the field-portable DSIM-CRDS system can measure enhances analytical performance for investigating methane and CO 2 dynamics and, potentially, other gases measured by laser absorption spectroscopy.

Environmental Science & Technology↗
USGS2016

A gas-tracer injection for evaluating the fate of methane in a coastal plain stream: Degassing versus in-stream oxidation

Methane emissions from streams and rivers have recently been recognized as an important component of global greenhouse budgets. Stream methane is lost as evasion to the atmosphere or in-stream methane oxidation. Previous studies have quantified evasion and oxidation with point-scale measurements. In this study, dissolved gases (methane, krypton) were injected into a coastal plain stream in North Carolina to quantify stream CH 4 losses at the watershed scale. Stream-reach modeling yielded gas transfer and oxidation rate constants of 3.2 ± 0.5 and 0.5 ± 1.5 d –1 , respectively, indicating a ratio of about 6:1. The resulting evasion and oxidation rates of 2.9 mmol m –2 d –1 and 1,140 nmol L –1 d –1 , respectively, lie within ranges of published values. Similarly, the gas transfer velocity ( K 600 ) of 2.1 m d –1 is consistent with other gas tracer studies. This study illustrates the utility of dissolved-gas tracers for evaluating stream methane fluxes. In contrast to point measurements, this approach provides a larger watershed-scale perspective. Further work is needed to quantify the magnitude of these fluxes under varying conditions (e.g., stream temperature, nutrient load, gradient, flow rate) at regional and global scales before reliable bottom-up estimates of methane evasion can be determined at global scales.

Environmental Science & Technology↗