North-Central Section–40th Annual Meeting (20–21 April 2006)

Paper No. 4
Presentation Time: 9:40 AM

ROCK CORE TESTING RESULTS IN THE MOUNTAINEER CO2 STORAGE TEST WELL


SMINCHAK, Joel, JAGUCKI, Phil and MEGGYSEY, Danielle, Battelle Memorial Institute, 505 King Ave, Columbus, OH 43201, jagucki@battelle.org

Rock core testing results are presented from a 9,200 ft deep test well drilled at the AEP Mountaineer power plant near New Haven, West Virginia. The well was drilled in summer of 2003 as part of a project funded by DOE, AEP, BP, Ohio Coal Development Office, Battelle, Schlumberger and others to evaluate CO2 storage potential in the region for a possible future carbon capture and storage research project. Approximately 300 ft of continuous core from Beekmantown, Rose Run, and Basal Sandstone zones and 27 rotary sidewall core samples from other zones were collected from the well. These samples were subject to extensive hydraulic, mineralogic, geomechanical, and geochemical tests to determine storage and containment related parameters. Since no other wells penetrate the entire Paleozoic column within 20 miles of the Mountaineer site, these tests represent a key dataset for evaluating geologic sequestration potential in the Ohio River Valley, a vital energy producing area of the United States. Results are summarized for target storage reservoirs, including the Rose Run Sandstone, Copper Ridge 'b-zone,' and the Basal Sandstone. Tests are also compared to other data available and stratigraphic trends to better understand CO2 sequestration options in the region. Parameters are analyzed in relation to CO2 storage application issues, including well completion options, injection potential, operational specifications, and monitoring.