GEOLOGIC CROSS SECTION BENEATH THE LOWER OHIO RIVER; HIGHLIGHTING THE POSSIBILITIES FOR CARBON STORAGE ALONG AN INDUSTRIAL CORRIDOR

Pending climate change legislation in the United States will target the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions from large point sources such as coal-fired power plants. Most of these point sources are located along major rivers because they need water. Numerous coal-fired power plants, cement plants, and an oil refinery are located along the Ohio River on the Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio border. Until pipeline networks are developed, most large point sources are going to have to evaluate sequestration options in the vicinities of their plants. In order to help visualize the subsurface geology along this industrial corridor, a cross section is constructed that shows the changing attitudes and thicknesses of potential subsurface reservoirs and their confining units at different points along the river. A 762 m (2,500 ft) depth line is included to indicate the approximate depth needed for CO₂ to be in the supercritical phase for maximum storage capacity. Potential depth-related reductions in porosity and permeability in some of the regional saline reservoirs are also indicated. For example, the Mt. Simon Sandstone appears to have significant porosity reduction at depths of more than 2,286 m (7,500 ft) in the Illinois basin.

There are currently two CO₂ injection tests along this section of river, which are included in the cross section. DOE’s Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership is testing the Mt. Simon Sandstone at depths of 985-1,074 m (3,232-3,524 ft) in Duke Energy’s No. 1 East Bend station well, Boone County, Kentucky. The Mt. Simon is at relatively shallow depths at this location because of its position on the Cincinnati Arch. The Kentucky Consortium for Carbon Storage’s No. 1 Blan well in Hancock County, Kentucky, is testing the Cambro-Ordovician Knox Group, including the Rose Run Sandstone, at depths of 1,158-2,255 m (3,800-7,400 ft) on the eastern flanks of the Illinois Basin. The Mt. Simon is missing at this location. It occurs at depths of 2,255-3,981 m (7,400-13,060 ft) westward along the river. The cross section and test wells highlight geological changes from basins to arches, and the need to investigate varied options for carbon storage along the Nation’s industrial corridors.