DUSEL CO2: A facility for experimental study of geologic carbon sequestration

Catherine Anne Peters, Curtis M. Oldenburg, Patrick F. Dobson, Barry M. Freifeld, Joseph S.Y. Wang, George W. Scherer, Tullis C. Onstott

Research output: Contribution to journalConference articlepeer-review

Abstract

Sequestration of CO2 in geologic formations will be a successful strategy for greenhouse gas control only if the CO2 stays in place. The planned DUSEL CO2 facility will enable experimental study of CO2 trapping and vertical migration, on realistic length scales, with unprecedented experimental control and monitoring capabilities. Here, we highlight the features of the DUSEL CO2 facility, and review the research questions to be investigated. The facility will be part of DUSEL, the deep underground laboratory being built in the Homestake mine in South Dakota. The existing matrix of shafts and drifts in the mine will be exploited for construction of vertical half-kilometer column pressure vessels in which CO2 flow can be observed. Fill materials will mimic sedimentary layering, as well as cements in plugged wells. One experiment will simulate a leak in which CO2 transitions from a supercritical fluid to a subcritical gas as it flows upward.

Original languageEnglish (US)
JournalACS National Meeting Book of Abstracts
StatePublished - 2010
Event239th ACS National Meeting and Exposition - San Francisco, CA, United States
Duration: Mar 21 2010Mar 25 2010

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Chemistry
  • General Chemical Engineering

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