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面临的主要环境挑战。为了防止平均气温大幅上升，国际能源署计算出，到本世纪中叶，全球温室气体--主要是二氧化碳(CO2)--的排放量需要减少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。碳捕获和封存(CCS)是缓解化石燃料影响的最有前途的技术。在CCS中，二氧化碳在发电站被捕获并被运输到合适的地下储存点，在那里二氧化碳被困在远离大气的时间尺度上，足以使大气-海洋系统恢复到自然的二氧化碳浓度水平。由于发电站靠近枯竭的油气田和英国大陆架(UKCS)深层盐分含水层内潜在的海上存储地点，英国处于有利的地位，可以从经济和环境方面受益。后者提供的储存能力几乎是枯竭的碳氢化合物油田的两倍，但深层咸水含水层的地质特征--特别是圈闭几何形状、储集层质量、划分和封闭能力--鲜为人知。该项目旨在利用钻孔数据和地震反射调查，改进位于内马里湾、北海南部和爱尔兰东海盆地的3个深层咸水含水层系统的地质特征。这些盆地都位于二氧化碳产生地点附近，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)识别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识别和绘制含水层内的构造和地层非均质性(例如，断层边界压力分区、高孔隙度相的分布等)；(3)估计断层边界含水层分区相对于二氧化碳的可能封闭能力；以及(4)在注入二氧化碳期间通过重新激活的断层进行泄漏的可能性。该项目的成果将是实现英国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和巴德利地球科学公司之间的新伙伴关系的支持。案例合作伙伴确定了参加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，将为学生提供对选定井以及2D和3D地震数据集的访问。IHS将提供岩石物理分析和井与地震联系的定义方面的培训，这对于描述每个研究区的含水层前景至关重要。Badleys是英国领先的构造地质学专业技术和软件供应商，重点是量化断层封闭性并冒着断层重新激活(因此发生泄漏)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封闭能力。尽管董E&P不是CASE合作伙伴，但它是达勒姆大学英国首个CCS和能源教席的联合赞助商，并提供对东爱尔兰海盆地关键区域的3D地震数据集的访问。学生将获得在CCS和/或碳氢化合物行业发展所需的技术技能、行业经验和人脉。该项目提供的培训还将满足之前发现的全英国范围内缺乏具有CCS专业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.