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CO2  SEQUESTRATION  IN  PENNSYLVANIAN  COAL-­‐BEARING  

STRATA  OF  ALABAMA  Dr.  Jack  Pashin  

Devon  Chair  of  Basin  Research  Oklahoma  State  University  

 RECS  2015,  UAB  June  11,  2015  

ALABAMA  GEOLOGY  in  a  POSTCARD  

Black  Warrior  basin  

Appalachian  Mountains  

Gulf  of  Mexico  basin  

Nashville  Dome  

ü  Saline  formaRons  ü  Enhanced  oil  recovery  ü  Coal,  shale  sinks  ü  Shale,  evaporite  seals  

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REGIONAL  GEOLOGY  

Thomas and Bayona (2005)

THE  ALABAMA  POTTSVILLE  

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CUMULATIVE GAS

PRODUCTION

Miller

SECARB test site

Sequestration > 340 Mt ECBM = 0.6-1.2 Tcf

Gorgas

~4.2 Gw

DUAL  POROSITY  

Fractures  Facilitate  Flow  

Cleated  coal  

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FACE-­‐CLEAT  APERTURE  

0

50 m

100 mD

10 mD

1 mD

0.00

0.4 mm

V.E. = 5x

k = a3 12s

Pashin et al. (2008)

COMET3  MODELING  

COMET3 models by Advanced Resources International

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POTTSVILLE  CORE  

Jim  Walter  Resources,  Inc.  

MARINE  FOSSIL  ASSEMBLAGE  

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FORESET  BEDDING  

QUARTZ  SS  PROPERTIES  

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BEACH  AND  TIDAL  DEPOSITS  Sigmoid  cross-­‐beds  with  clay  drapes  

Wedge-­‐planar  cross-­‐beds  

MesoRdal  shore  zone  

Facies  model  

STANDING  LYCOPOD  

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Amphibian track (Cincosaurus cobbi)

TERRESTRIAL  LIFE  Trigonotarbid spider

IDEAL  DEPOSITIONAL  CYCLE  

Stop  2  

Stop  1  

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POTTSVILLE  CYCLE  STACKING  

POTTSVILLE  COASTAL  PLAIN  

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CONCLUDING  THOUGHTS  ü  Major  sequestraEon  and  enhanced  recovery  

capacity  in  coal-­‐bearing  rocks  (P50  ~  2  Gt).  ü  Dual  porosity  systems;  coal  is  stress-­‐sensiEve.  ü  SedimentaEon  in  fluvial-­‐deltaic  systems;  

saline  reservoirs  in  shoreline  sandstone.  ü  At  Stop  1  we  will  examine  a  classic  deltaic  

secEon  with  a  reservoir-­‐quality  coal  seam.  ü  At  Stop  2  we  will  examine  heterogeneous  

shoreline  sandstone  representaEve  of  saline  reservoirs  in  the  subsurface.