Providing clean energy for the UK: testing the efficacy of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) in the North Sea

在本研究中，将对北海潜在CCS储层的主要密封层上方的覆盖层地层的完整性进行研究。越来越明显的是，新的可再生能源将不足以帮助英国政府实现其温室气体（GHG）排放目标。为了实现2050年减少80%二氧化碳排放的目标，碳捕获和储存（CCS）可能必须成为任何低碳能源组合的组成部分。任何CCS发电的理想地点都将接近现有的油藏，例如北海的油藏，这些油藏已经耗尽了石油和天然气。因此，北海石油和天然气工业的巨大成功意味着将这一基础设施用于CCS具有巨大的潜力。然而，目前关于北海CCS计划功效的知识状况知之甚少，而且在量化与这种计划相关的风险方面仍然缺乏重要的细节。通过使用地震反射数据来识别这些鲜为人知的沉积物及其所包含的任何地貌特征（例如隧道谷、冰山冲刷、河流通道、砂岩侵入体、烟囱和管道），将绘制快速垂直和横向气体和流体流动的潜在路线。地震属性将与来自北海威尔斯井的丰富地下数据相结合，以利用定量岩石特性填充这种约束更好的地层。然后，这些数据将用于生成3D模型，其中潜在的CCS储层将被填充，直到二氧化碳饱和。这个模型，这是一个近似的现实，将允许覆盖层泄漏进行评估，更广泛地说，作为一个潜在的CCS网站在北海的研究区域的有效性进行测试。该项目的主要结论将有助于更好地了解CCS在北海的潜力和应用。还预计，覆盖层表征将提供更多的古气候信息，过去的环境变化，将使用气候模拟。

In this fellowship the integrity of the overburden stratigraphy above the primary seal of potential CCS reservoirs in the North Sea will be investigated. It has become increasingly clear that new sources of renewable energy will be insufficient for helping the British government to achieve their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions targets. In order to accomplish the 2050 target of an 80% reduction of CO2 emissions it is likely that Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) will have to play an integral part of any low-carbon energy portfolio. The ideal location for any CCS generation is going to be proximal to existing reservoirs, such as those in the North Sea, which have been depleted of oil and gas. Thus, the prolific success of the oil and gas industry in the North Sea means that there is significant potential for using this infrastructure for CCS. However, the current state of knowledge on the efficacy of a CCS scheme in the North Sea is poorly-known and there remains an important lack of detail on the quantification of risk that would be associated with such a scheme. By using seismic reflection data to characterise these poorly-known sediments and any geomorphological features that they contain (e.g. tunnel valleys, iceberg scours, fluvial channels, sandstone intrusions, chimneys, and pipes) potential routes for rapid vertical and lateral gas and fluid flow will be mapped. Seismic attributes will be combined with abundant subsurface data from wells in the North Sea to populate this better-constrained stratigraphy with quantitative rock properties. This data will then be used to produce a 3D model where the potential CCS reservoir will be filled until saturated with CO2. This model, which represents an approximation to reality, will allow for overburden leakage to be assessed and, more broadly, for the efficacy of the study area as a potential CCS site in the North Sea to be tested. The main conclusions from this project will lead to a better understanding of the potential and application for CCS in the North Sea. It is also anticipated that the overburden characterisation will provide additional palaeo-climatological information on past environmental changes that will be of use to climate modellers.