Research

MASTER THESIS: Optimization of CO2 Storage Capacity, Injectivity, and Storage Costs for Large-Scale CCS Deployment & Carbon Dioxide Removal Goals

Large-scale deployment (i.e. nationwide) of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology will play a key role in carbon storage removal (CDR) and overall climate mitigation efforts. The economic feasibility of large-scale CCS deployments partly depends on the CO2 storage costs per project. However, the suitability of regional storage and injectivity per project, particularly for large-scale purposes, is not well understood.

This study focuses on two concepts that enhance our understanding of regional storage and injectivity throughout the U.S. The first concept focuses on identifying all potential areas for CO2 storage within the sedimentary rocks throughout the U.S. based on a novel concept we call the CO2 Storage Window. The second concept focuses on optimizing CO2 storage costs by considering 1) the number of wells needed to inject at a certain rate, dependent on injectivity of the area and 2) the area extent from the pressure build-up caused by CO2 injection. This area extent is a novel concept we call Pressure Space. Understanding the pressure space of a project helps delineate the area of review for a project and the extent of the pore space required for the project.

The results of this study include a spatial geodatabase and a series of U.S. cohesive, spatial distribution maps showcasing 1) CO2 storage potential in areas not explored before, 2) Storage costs per CCS project and storage costs per ton of CO2, assuming a constant maximum storage capacity of 20 Mt per project over a 20-year timeframe, and 3) Estimated storage costs per ton of CO2 in areas where storage potential is found but there is not enough data to calculate capacity nor injectivity.

CO2 STORAGE WINDOW POTENTIAL IN SEDIMENTARY ROCKS ACROSS THE U.S.

As part of the Biden Administration's goal to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and remove 1 Gigaton of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) from the atmosphere, I've helped create a potential storage window for CO2 map of the U.S. To delineate this storage window, physical CO2 limitations (supercritical state), groundwater depth, and rock depth (overpressure) limitations were considered. 

INSIGHTS INTO THE LATE PROTEROZOIC AND PALEOZOIC EVOLUTION OF THE SOUTHERN MARGIN OF NORTH AMERICA BY GEOCHRONOLOGICAL ANALYSIS