PNNL

Abstract

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Class VI regulations for underground carbon dioxide (CO2) injection require owners and operators of storage projects to identify (1) an Area of Review (AoR) that represents the region that may be affected by the injection of CO2, and (2) leakage risks that might impact the quality of underground sources of drinking water (USDWs). This article describes how such risks can be determined by accounting for the physical and chemical properties of all components of a CO2 storage site using elements of the National Risk Assessment Partnership Integrated Assessment Model for Carbon Storage (NRAP IAM CS). We used practical data from three sites that are part of two CarbonSAFE (Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise) projects to demonstrate application of the NRAP IAM CS toolset to determine project risk areas. The CarbonSAFE initiative is an effort sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy/National Energy Technology Laboratory (DOE/NETL) to develop an integrated carbon capture and storage complex constructed and permitted for operation in the 2025 timeframe. These three sites are representative of saline reservoirs where CO2 storage would be within multiple units referred to as stacked storage. NRAP IAM CS was used to estimate the project risk area that could represent the AoR and the impact of leakage through legacy wells to overlying drinking waters at these candidate CO2 storage sites. Our study shows that risk to USDWs is minimal despite (1) the presence of multiple legacy wells at these sites where the AoR approximates the maximum extent of injected CO2 or (2) the presence of a much larger AoR approximating the pressure front caused by the injection of CO2.