Geological characterisation of deep saline aquifers for CO2 storage on the UK Continental Shelf using borehole and 3D seismic data

全球气候变化是当今主要的环境挑战。为了防止平均气温大幅上升，国际能源署计算，到本世纪中叶，全球温室气体（主要是二氧化碳）排放量需要减少50%以上。替代能源将发挥重要作用，但对化石燃料的依赖将继续下去。碳捕获和储存（CCS）是减轻化石燃料影响的最有前途的技术。在CCS中，CO2在发电站被捕获并被输送到合适的地下储存地点，在那里CO2被捕获远离大气，时间尺度足够长，以便大气-海洋系统恢复到CO2浓度的自然水平。英国处于有利地位，可以从CCS中获得经济和环境方面的好处，因为发电站靠近英国大陆架（UKCS）上枯竭的油气田和深层盐水层内的潜在海上储存地点。后者的储存能力几乎是枯竭油气田的两倍，但人们对深层盐水层的地质特征，特别是圈闭几何形状、储层质量、分隔和密封能力知之甚少。该项目旨在利用钻孔数据和地震反射勘测，提供位于内马里湾、北海南部和东爱尔兰海盆地的3个深层盐水含水层系统的更好的地质特征。这些盆地都靠近二氧化碳生产地点，即苏格兰东部、英格兰东部和威尔士北部/英格兰西北部的主要化石燃料燃烧发电站。学生的具体目标是：（1）确定这些含水层内潜在构造圈闭的位置和范围;（2）使用校准良好的二维和三维地震数据来确定和绘制含水层内的构造和地层非均质性（如断层围限压力封存箱、高孔相分布等）;（3）估计断层围限含水层隔室对CO2的可能封闭能力;（4）在注入CO2期间，冒通过重新活动的断层发生渗漏的可能性。该项目的结果将是实现英国CCS潜力的重要一步。该项目将得到达勒姆大学地球能源系统研究中心（CeREES）、IHS和Badley Geosciences之间新伙伴关系的支持。CASE伙伴已查明参与CCS方案的长期商业和科学利益，并打算利用该项目在这一新兴领域建立技术专门知识。CeREES将为学生提供地震解释、构造地质学、地震层序地层学和地震相分析方面的培训。IHS是UKCS钻孔数据的主要来源，并将为学生提供选定的井和2D和3D地震数据集。IHS将提供岩石物理分析和井-地震关系定义方面的培训，这对于确定每个研究区含水层前景的特征至关重要。Badleys是英国领先的结构地质学专业知识和软件供应商，重点是量化断层封闭性和断层重新激活（因此泄漏）的可能性。Badleys将提供专业培训和软件，使学生能够评估含水层前景的密封能力。DONG E&P虽然不是CASE的合作伙伴，但正在共同赞助英国达勒姆大学CCS和能源的第一个讲座，并提供来自东爱尔兰海盆地关键地区的三维地震数据集。学生将获得必要的技术技能，行业经验和联系，以追求CCS和/或碳氢化合物行业的职业生涯。该项目提供的培训还将解决以前确定的联合王国范围内缺乏具有CCS专门知识的科学家的问题。

Global climate change is the major environmental challenge today. In order to prevent a significant rise in average temperatures, the International Energy Agency calculates that global emissions of greenhouse gasses - primarily carbon dioxide (CO2) - will need to be reduced by more than 50% by mid-century. Alternative energy sources will play an important role, but the reliance on fossil fuels is set to continue. Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) is the most promising technology for mitigating the impact of fossil fuels. In CCS, CO2 is captured at power stations and transported to suitable underground storage sites where the CO2 is trapped away from the atmosphere on a timescale long enough for the atmosphere-ocean system to restore to natural levels of CO2 concentrations. The UK is well-placed to benefit economically and environmentally from CCS due to the proximity of power stations to potential offshore storage sites within depleted oil and gas fields and deep saline aquifers on the UK Continental Shelf (UKCS). The latter offer nearly twice the storage capacity of depleted hydrocarbon fields, yet the geological characteristics of deep saline aquifers - in particular the trap geometries, reservoir quality, compartmentalisation and sealing capacities - are poorly known. This project aims to use borehole data and seismic reflection surveys to provide improved geological characterisations of 3 deep saline aquifers systems, located in the Inner Moray Firth, Southern North Sea and East Irish Sea basins. These basins are all located close to sites of CO2 production, namely the major fossil fuel-burning power stations in eastern Scotland, eastern England and north Wales / northwest England. Specific objectives are for the student to: (1) identify locations and extents of potential structural traps within these aquifers; (2) use well-calibrated 2D and 3D seismic data to identify and map structural and stratigraphic heterogeneities within the aquifers (e.g. fault-bounded pressure compartments, distributions of high porosity facies etc); (3) estimate the likely sealing capacity of fault-bounded aquifer compartments with respect to CO2; and (4) risk the likelihood of leakage through reactivated faults during CO2 injection. The results of the project will be an important step towards realising the UK's CCS potential. The project will be underpinned by a new partnership between Durham University Centre for Research into Earth Energy Systems (CeREES), IHS and Badley Geosciences. The CASE partners have identified long-term commercial and scientific benefits of participating in CCS programmes and intend to use the project to build technical expertise in this emerging field. CeREES will provide the student with training in seismic interpretation, structural geology, seismic sequence stratigraphy and seismic facies analysis. IHS is the leading source of borehole data for the UKCS and will provide the student with access to selected well and 2D and 3D seismic datasets. IHS will provide training in petrophysical analysis and definition of well-to-seismic ties, which are essential to characterising the aquifer prospects in each study area. Badleys are the UK's leading suppliers of expertise and software in structural geology, with emphasis on quantifying fault seal and risking the likelihood of fault reactivation (hence leakage). Badleys will provide specialist training and software, which will enable the student to assess the sealing capacities of the aquifer prospects. DONG E&P, although not a CASE partner, is co-sponsoring the UK's first Chair in CCS and Energy at Durham University and is providing access to 3D seismic datasets from key areas of the East Irish Sea basin. The student will gain the necessary technical skills, industry experience and contacts to pursue a career in CCS and/or the hydrocarbon sector. The training provided by this project will also meet a previously identified UK-wide shortage of scientists with expertise in CCS.