Business models for commercial-scale carbon dioxide sequestration; with focus on storage capacity and enhanced oil recovery in Citronelle Dome.

摘要

Fossil fuels, such as coal and natural gas, currently play an enormous role in our nation's base-load energy supply and provide reliable domestic energy security. If fossil fuels are to remain a component of future energy production in a carbon constrained world, then carbon-neutral energy options must be available. With fossil fuels, point-source environmental control technologies will be required to help comply with future carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions standards. One very promising technology, carbon capture and storage (CCS) consists of the separation of CO2 from fossil fuels or flue gas, pipeline transport, and injection into deep geologic formations. CCS has been identified as a critical enabling technology to mitigate the large quantities of CO2 emitted from coal-fired power plants and subsequently discharged to the atmosphere.;For successful commercial-scale deployment of CCS understanding the earth's subsurface storage capacity of proposed injection target reservoirs, including the potential reuse of CO2 as a commodity in enhanced oil recovery, are key research & development issues. Electrical utilities will also need to develop and evaluate potentially new business models for the commercial deployment of CCS technologies. This dissertation supports the larger picture of CCS with a focus on establishing capacity estimates for geologic formations; the design of a pilot injection project for enhanced oil recovery; and the development of prototypical physical and business models for future deployment of CCS.;Keywords: Carbon Capture and Storage, Geologic Sequestration, Enhanced Oil Recovery, Carbon Dioxide, Geologic Storage Capacity Estimates, Commercial CCS Business Models