Assessing the Carbon Sequestration Potential within the San Joaquin Basin, California
Paper No: B33D-0553
By Ronald M. Drake II1, and Sean Brennan2
1. 2.
1
USGS, Denver Federal Center, Box 20546, MS 939, Denver CO 80225,
[email protected] USGS, 956 National Center, 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA 20192,
[email protected]
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ABSTRACT
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The United States Geological Survey (USGS) was directed by the 2007 Energy Independence and Security Act (Public Law 110–140) to assess the potential geologic storage resources for carbon dioxide (CO2) within the United States. Utilizing its probabilistic methodology for a national CO2 sequestration assessment, the USGS has assessed the storage potential of Cretaceous and Tertiary formations within the San Joaquin Basin, California. The basic unit of assessment for the USGS methodology is the Storage Assessment Unit (SAU), which consists of a storage formation and an overlying regional seal formation. The SAUs are defined by geologic criteria that include rock properties, formation depth, and regional extents of the storage and seal formations. The methodology requires that the storage formation be at depths from 3,000-13,000 ft below ground surface. This minimum required depth ensures that CO2 will be in a supercritical phase. Within the San Joaquin Basin a significant portion of the Cretaceous to Tertiary section (such as the Tertiary Temblor Sandstone) fits within this depth interval. However, where rock properties indicate that CO2 could be stored at depths greater than 13,000 ft, a separate deep SAU is assessed. The areal extent of the storage formation and overlying seal are required to be continuous and regional in extent. Within the San Joaquin Basin, there are thick, laterally extensive, marine shales, (Kreyenhagen and Monterey Shales) which could inhibit CO2 flow to superjacent strata. In some cases, the stratigraphy includes the potential for multiple or stacked seals. During this assessment the seal was evaluated for leakage potential and a minimum seal thickness of about 75 ft was defined. This minimum seal thickness must exist over the extent of the storage formation that is to be included in the SAU. A final consideration is the salinity of the water within the pore space of the storage formation. Based on available salinity data and geologic models, estimates were made as to how much of the SAU contains water that has less than 10,000 parts per million total dissolved solids (TDS). Seven SAUs were identified within the San Joaquin Basin that have porous and permeable sedimentary units and the required overlying regional seals, and meet the other requirements of the assessment methodology. Most of these SAU reservoirs are or have been targets of hydrocarbon production. The USGS carbon sequestration assessment of the San Joaquin Basin has shown that there is potential for CO2 sequestration within Cretaceous and Tertiary formations.
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Stevens Sand of the Monterey Formation: Commonly described as “submarine fans”, however, they are different on the west side of the basin vs. the east. The Stevens Sand is overlain by the shales of the Monterey Fm. A standard and a deep SAU were assessed. Temblor Formation: Described as shelf and slope sandstones. Includes the Wygal Sandstone Member, Vedder Sand, Agua Sandstone Bed, Rio Bravo Sand, Pyramid Hill Sand Member, Olcese Sand, and Buttonbed Sandstone Member. The Monterey Fm. shales are the overlying seal. A standard and a deep SAU were assessed. Domengine Formation: Described as sandstone and siltstone of transgressive systems tracts (TST). Includes the “Domengine,” “Domengine-Yokut,” “Avenal,” and “Avenal sand.” . The Monterey Formation shales are the overlying seal. A standard SAU was assessed.
Reservoir Seal (Scheirer and Magoon, 2007)
Preliminary Examples of Storage Assessment Units (SAUs)
122°
121°
38° !
120°
119°
122°
CA NE LI VA FO D RN A IA
Stockton
121°
38° !
120°
119°
CA NE LI VA FO D RN A IA
Stockton
S
!
San Francisco
!
San Francisco
I
Modesto
!
E
Modesto
E
!
R
R
R
R
!
N
San Jose
N
San Jose
A
A !
E
E
V
V
CO2 Assessment Methodology Requirements:
(Scheirer and Magoon, 2007)
I
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Moreno Formation Sands (Tracy, Starkey, and Blewett Sands): Described by Scheirer & Magoon (2007): Earlier believed that the Blewett, Tracy, and Lathrop submarine-fan systems were supplied with sediment shed from the Coast Ranges west of the San Joaquin Valley. However, later believed that all three sand systems were sourced from the Sierra Nevada to the east and were transported westward to the basin floor through submarine canyons. The seal is the Moreno Formation shale. A standard SAU was assessed.
S
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STORAGE ASSESSMENTS UNITS AND SEALS
A
A
Santa Cruz
37°
A
A
!
D
D
37°
!
Santa Cruz Fresno
Fresno
!
Lathrop Sand of the Panoche Formation: Described as submarine-fan system. The seal is the Sawtooth Shale. A standard SAU was assessed.
Storage Unit must be at least 3,000 ft below the surface
!
36°
36°
a nt
a nt
Sa
Sa
Storage Unit must have reservoir quality properties (good porosity and permeability)
ia
ia
c Lu
c Lu
e
e
ng
ng
Ra
Ra !
Bakersfield
or e
e
ng
ng
Ra
Ra
0 0
30 30
60 60
CA
NV
San Andreas fault Stevens Sand of the Monterey Formation SAU C50100106
(3,000 to 13,000 ft below surface)
Stevens Sand of the Monterey Formation Deep SAU C50100107
(> 13,000 ft below surface)
San Joaquin Basin study area
(Johnson and Graham, 2006)
SUMMARY:
The San Joaquin Basin contains rocks formed in a variety of depositional environments.
3,000 ft (914 m)
SAU thickness (min, most likely, max) SAU water quality check and available area fraction SAU net porous thickness (min, most likely, max) SAU net porous mean porosity (min, most likely, max) Buoyant trapping pore volume (min, most likely, max) SAU net porous interval permeability (min, most likely, max)
Well penetration density per one square mile
0
30 30
60 60
90 MILES
90 KILOMETERS
EXPLANATION San Andreas fault
1–3 4–11
0
CA
12–31 32–63
NV
Temblor Formation SAU C50100104 (3,000 to 13,000 ft below surface)
Temblor Formation Deep SAU C50100105
(> 13,000 ft below surface)
San Joaquin Basin study area
64 +
Saline ground-water (+10,000 TDS) per EPA requirements
Area of the SAU
Elevation from U.S. Geological Survey National Elevation Dataset digital elevation model, 2009, 100-meter resolution Albers Equal Area Projection Central meridian 121°00‘W
90 MILES
90 KILOMETERS
EXPLANATION
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The USGS national assessment shows that several units in the San Joaquin Basin meet the criteria of the CO2 storage assessment methodology and may be suitable as potential CO2 storage formations. The USGS CO2 storage assessment methodology can estimate the technically accessible CO2 storage resource at a variety of levels of uncertainty across a formation. The assessment process has been completed; final products are expected in 2013. To more fully understand the CO2 sequestration potential further studies, including seismicity risks, would be beneficial.
Bakersfield
35°
Elevation from U.S. Geological Survey National Elevation Dataset digital elevation model, 2009, 100-meter resolution Albers Equal Area Projection Central meridian 121°00‘W
Overlying sealing unit requirements: Regionally extensive Sealing rock properties (low permeability) Maintain minimum thickness (e.g. 75’)
!
bl
or
Storage Assessment Unit (SAU) must be at regional scale (not field scale)
Storage Assessment Unit (SAU) depth (min, most likely, max)
PACIFIC OCEAN
bl
35°
CO2 Storage Assessment Results include:
m Te
m Te
PACIFIC OCEAN
REFERENCES Brennan, S.T., Burruss, R.C., Merrill, M.D., Freeman, P.A., and Ruppert, L.F., 2010, A probabilistic assessment methodology for the evaluation of geologic carbon dioxide storage: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File Report 2010–1127, 31 p., available only at http://pubs.usgs.gov/of/2010/1127. Duncan, D.W., and Morrissey, E.A., 2011, The concept of geologic carbon sequestration: U.S. Geological Survey Fact Sheet FS-2010-3122, 2 p. available only at http://pubs.usgs.gov/fs/2010/3122/pdf/FS2010-3122.pdf. Energy Independence and Security Act, 2007, http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/ PLAW-110publ140/html/PLAW-110publ140.htm Johnson, C.L., and Graham, S.A., 2006, Middle Tertiary Stratigraphic Sequences of the San Joaquin Basin, California, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1713, Ch. 6, http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/pp1713/06/pp1713_ch06.pdf Scheirer, A.H., and Magoon, L.B., 2007, Age, Distribution, and Stratigraphic Relationship of Rock Units in the San Joaquin Basin Province, California, Chapter 5, in Scheirer, A. H., ed., Petroleum Systems and Geologic Assessment of Oil and Gas in the San Joaquin Basin, California: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1713, 107 p. http://pubs.usgs.gov/pp/pp1713/05/pp1713_ch05.pdf U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 2008, Federal requirements under the underground injection control (UIC) program for carbon dioxide (CO2) geologic sequestration (GS) wells: Washington, D.C., U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, proposed rule, accessed April 21, 2011at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/EPA-WATER/ 2008/July/Day-25/w16626.htm. References in illustrations on this poster are found in the publications cited above.
Well penetration density per one square mile 1–3 4–11 12–31 32–63
