As world leaders in reservoir- to basin-scale evaluation, Canadian Discovery Ltd. (CDL) specializes in assessing subsurface properties, pressure, fluid flow, fluid chemistry and geomechanics. Using our extensive subsurface knowledge and GIS capabilities, CDL has established workflows to evaluate carbon sequestration targets and answer the key questions: Is there a storage opportunity? Is the storage capacity of the CCUS opportunity large enough to sequester the CO2 in the given time frame? Is the storage opportunity suitable? (i.e. Does it meet certain critical screen criteria? Can the site be effectively monitored? Is groundwater safe?). CDL has used these workflows in northeastern BC, central and southern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan and in the southern US onshore Gulf Coast Basin.
Carbon capture and storage (CCS) and carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) are important tools to help Canada and the rest of the world meet net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 as set out by the 2015 Paris Agreement. Western Canada is well placed to play a leading role in storing CO₂ as it has an abundance of pore space suitable for both sequestration and EOR projects. CO₂ can be stored underground in saline aquifers or depleted oil and gas pools (figure, left) as a supercritical fluid (density of a liquid, but viscosity of a gas) provided specific temperature and pressure conditions are met. The main advantage of storing CO₂ in a supercritical condition is that the required storage volume is substantially less than if the CO₂ were at “standard” (surface) conditions (figure, right).
There are a number of criteria that are either critical, essential or desirable to ensure that a depleted pool or saline aquifer is suitable to safely and economically store CO₂ in the subsurface. These include:
The table (right) summarizes screening criteria for subsurface CO₂ storage.
CDL’s CCUS workflows (figure, left) combine geological and hydrodynamics evaluations at the regional scale (figure, middle), and when data are available, at the reservoir and local level (figure, right), and focus on minimizing CCUS risk:
CDL’s technical workflows address the Subsurface Evaluation Phase of a CCUS project. CDL, with its partners, can address the entire life cycle of a CCUS project from initially assessing project needs to application submission to implementation and monitoring. The benefits to clients are many:
The Northeast BC Geological Carbon Capture and Storage Atlas has been released to the public and can be downloaded from the Geoscience BC website.
CDL invites you to explore these assessments on geosciencebc.com and contact us to learn how we can provide similar cost-effective and sustainable solutions that are tailored to the specific needs of your industry, while adhering to the highest standards of safety, environmental protection, and regulatory compliance.
CDL investigated available public data across NE BC using protocols and techniques based on 35+ years of geological, hydrogeological and engineering expertise to provide an inventory of favourable geological formations and locations for carbon sequestration in the Northeast BC Geological Carbon Capture and Storage Atlas. Our assessment of 12 geological formations found that 4,230 Mt of carbon dioxide could potentially be stored in formations across NE BC, and can provide industry the knowledge to help reduce carbon footprints and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
Highlights include:
Contact us for more information, or to learn more about CDL's other Clean Technology initiatives including Critical Mineral and Deep Geothermal assessments.
