Aquifer Brine - Brine production cost-benefit analysis tool documentation and draft CBA results - updated final report

Description:

This project aims to address whether or not there is potential to significantly increase CO₂ storage capacity, and thereby reduce overall cost of storage, by producing brine through dedicated production wells from target storage formations. Brine production is proposed as a method to manage pressure in storage sites, as a corollary to water injection during hydrocarbon extraction. In the case of CO₂ storage, the production of water creates voidage to increase storage capacity and reduce the extent of pressure increase due to CO₂ injection, and hence reduce the risk of caprock failure, fault reactivation and induced seismicity; additionally, it reduces the energy available to drive fluids through legacy well paths and other potential seep features. Spatially the reduction in the extent of the pressure plume reduces the affected area which can reduce the area of potential drilling interference, the number of impacted legacy wells, and the area of investigation for monitoring where brine movement is a concern.

In this report five systems are considered: the Forties Aquifer, the Bunter Aquifer, the depleted Hamilton gas field, a producing North Sea oil field, and a synthetic tilted aquifer. The well counts, the period and the rate of brine production are data that are supplied for economic analysis to determine whether or not the process is a viable means of increasing storage capacity and reducing overall costs.

This spreadsheet contains the Brine Production Cost-Benefit Analysis tool, created for the ETI by elementenergy. In order to use it, you need to download your own copy, and enable macros. This tool is part of the final set of project outputs covering the cost benefit analysis of the bring aquifer management for CO₂ storage. It analyses any benefits of producing brine to manage pressure in aquifers used to store CO₂. The model is a simple ready reckoner tool and includes all costs both opex and capex for the complete system from the shore based network, providing an excellent budget cost for initial risk assessment analysis.