Carbon Dioxide Storage
a Success
November 16, 2005 — By H. Josef Hebert, Associated Press
WASHINGTON — An experimental project
in Canada to inject carbon dioxide into oil fields has proven
successful, removing 5 million tons of the heat-trapping "greenhouse"
gas, while enhancing oil recovery, the Energy Department said Tuesday.
If the methodology could be applied worldwide, from one-third to
one-half of the carbon dioxide emissions that go into the atmosphere
could be eliminated over the next century and billions of barrels of
additional oil could be recovered, the department said.
The project is a joint effort by the Energy Department, the Canadian
government and private industry. Carbon dioxide is piped from the Great
Plains Synfuels plant in Beulah, N.D., where it is a byproduct from coal
gasification, to the Weyburn oil field in Saskatchewan, Canada.
"The success of the Weyburn Project could have incredible implications
on reducing CO2 emissions and increasing America's oil production," said
Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman.
Bodman, who is visiting the Middle East, said in a statement released by
his office that if the process were used in all the oil fields of
western Canada, "we would see billions of additional barrels of oil and
a reduction of CO2 emissions equivalent to pulling more than 200 million
cars off the road for a year."
The completion of the first phase of the experimental project gives
government officials and industry an indication of how carbon
sequestration can both reduce the risk of climate change and allow
enhanced oil recovery, extending the oil field's life.
Carbon dioxide, produced from the burning of fossil fuels, is the
leading so-called "greenhouse" gas because when released into the
atmosphere it creates a heat-trapping blanket. Many scientists believe
the growth of manmade sources of these gases will lead to a warming of
the earth if the trend is not reversed.
In the Weyburn project, the carbon dioxide when pumped into the oil
reservoir increased the pressure and brought more oil to the surface. It
increased the field's production by 10,000 barrels a day and
"demonstrated the technical and economic feasibility of permanent carbon
sequestration," the DOE said in a statement.
Such a process can enhance oil recovery up to 60 percent, extend the
life of aging oil fields by decades, and provide a permanent repository
for the carbon dioxide in geologic formations, the DOE said.
Now that the first phase of the Weyburn project is completed,
researchers are developing a manual on the findings for industry. They
also will expand the carbon injection process to an adjacent field where
the plan to develop try to improve injection efficiencies and refine the
process, according to the DOE statement.
Source: Associated Press
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