AGU FALL MEETING 12-16 December 2016, San Francisco (CA)

The Sulcis Storage Project: status of the first Italian initiative for Pilot-scale geological sequestration of CO2Alberto Plaisant, Arianna Maiu, Venerio G. Anardu, Diana Multineddu, Enrico Maggio, Alberto Pettinau

Sotacarbo S.p.A., Grande Miniera di Serbariu, 09013 Carbonia, ITALY

SOTACARBO SpA, Grande Miniera di Serbariu, 09013 Carbonia, ITALY

The Sulcis coal basin (South-West Sardinia, Italy) is a very interesting site for a pilot-scale CO2 geological storage and to test new technologies for CO2 sequestration. As a matter of facts, a deep aquifer is confined in a carbonatic complex in a low seismicity zone and a thicksedimentary formation could provide a natural barrier to protect the basin from an eventual leakage of stored CO2. This justify the strong interest of Italian and Sardinian Governments to promote a very ambitious project for site characterization and for the development of aninternational research infrastructure on CO2 capture, utilization and storage. The project is funded by Italian Ministry of Economic Development and Sardinian Regional Government.

General overview

Underground

Laboratory

In an unused gallery of the coal mine

at about 400 m underground

Installation of permanent equipment for the development of advancedmeasurement and monitoring systems and for several experimental studieson:

• seal properties of coal layers and caprock;

• direct observation and analysis of the rocks;

• CO2 migration velocity in both coal and caprock;

• chemical reactions (water-rock-CO2) for the construction of specificgeochemical models.

Hydrogeologic

overviewof the coal basin

Geochemical

surveysthrough continuous

monitoring network

of stations

Structural geologyand fault analysis

Natural seismicity through a monitoring

network

Re-processingof the available seismic

profiles

Laboratory

characterization(physic and acoustic

properties) of rock samples

from both caprock and

Miliolitico formation

Soil samplingto investigate the site

baseline on soils

Site Characterization

Geomechanical

characterization of rock samples from both

Caprock and Miliolitico

formation and overburden

Site geology

Sulcis ProjectFault

Laboratory

for leakage simulation

(multiple injection tests along the fault)

Multiple Injection tests through fault (100 to 300 m deep) by means of aninclined borehole and a network of observation wells

• study of CO2 migration trough faults;

• testing of geochemical (low cost in house made CO2 sensors) andgeophysical monitoring tools;

• study of water-gas-rock interactions;

• study of rocks behaviour and micro seismic events by monitoringseismicity and technical rocks characteristics.

• Faults: typically sealed

• Laboratory analyses: low porosity of carbonatic formation

• Seismicity: low

• Stratigraphy: differences between the North and South areas of the coal basin

• Caprock and reservoir: high spatial heterogeneity in their petrophysical properties and then in their intrinsic characteristics

• Knowledge sharing and public awareness: promoted by a wide mining culture.

First outcomes

Acknowledgements

This work has been done within the “Centre of Excellence on Clean Energy” project (CUP: D82I13000250001), funded by the Regional Government of Sardinia, and the “Research

on Electric System” (CUP: I32F15000070001) funded by the Italian Ministry of Economic

Development.

www.sulcisccssummerschool.it

FREE registration (up to 40 students)

Frontal lessons on all the main CCUS topics

Technical workshops

Interactive programme for students

E-learning platform

Technical and touristic tours

Funded by

IN COOPERATION WITH

June 19-23, 2017

5th Annual InternationalSulcis CCS Summer SchoolSotacarbo Research Centre, Carbonia (Sardinia, Italy)

Sotacarbo facilities on CCUS

low natural seismicity

hydrogeological system

Sulcis site:

potential infrastructure capable for the development of:

• Low cost drilling

• Site monitoring technologies

• CO2 diffusion and leakage

site

characterization

fault

laboratory

underground

laboratory

test

site

Sulcis Project

Partnership:Università degli Studi di Cagliari

In cooperation with Carbosulcis S.p.A.