Browsing by Author "Solano-Acosta, Wilfrido"

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Controls on coalbed methane potential and gas sorption characteristics of high volatile bituminous coals in Indiana
([Bloomington, Ind.] : Indiana University, 2010-06-01) Solano-Acosta, Wilfrido; Schimmelmann, Arndt; Mastalerz, Maria
The increasing demand for energy and a growing concern for global warming, owing in part to the steep rise in anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, have sparked worldwide interest in clean coal technologies. Although the energy potential of coal is large, there are many environmental concerns associated with its large-scale utilization. An alternative solution to increasing demand for energy is the recovery of coalbed methane (CBM), an efficient and clean fossil fuel associated with extensive coal deposits. CBM today represents nearly 10 percent of the energy consumed in the United States. From an environmental perspective, coal beds that are too deep or that contain low-quality coal are being investigated as potential sites for permanently sequestering carbon dioxide emissions (CO2 sequestration). Methane has been documented in coals of various ranks. The occurrence and distribution of economically recoverable quantities of CBM result from the interplay between stratigraphy, tectonics, and hydrology. This study evaluates geologic factors that control the occurrence of CBM in Indiana coals, ranging from large-scale processes (i.e., burial and fracturing) to molecular interactions between CBM and the physical structure of coal (i.e., gas adsorption). This study investigates the role of tectonics and burial in the formation of coal fracture sets (cleats) that are critical for CBM extraction. Based on field data, I investigate the role of fracturing with regard to gas occurrence and CBM producibility. The timing of cleat formation is evaluated via carbon and oxygen isotopic signatures of cleat-filling minerals. In addition to field-scale observations, this study includes an experimental component that, based on a multitude of laboratory data, constrains optimum conditions for coal-sample preservation prior to laboratory analyses for exploration. Chemical analyses, petrography, grain-size distributions, Fourier transform infra-red (FTIR) spectroscopy, pore distribution, and adsorption experiments at high and low gas pressures are employed to estimate reservoir gas capacity and to characterize high volatile bituminous coals of Indiana for potential future CO2 sequestration. Understanding the mechanisms and geologic conditions that control the occurrence of gas in coal allows us to better characterize: (1) CBM reservoirs for their potential economic use, and (2) coal seams as future receptacles of anthropogenic carbon dioxide.
Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership, Preliminary Assessment of Potential CO2 Storage Reservoirs and Confinement, Cincinnati Arch Site
(2006-11-06) Rupp, John; Solano-Acosta, Wilfrido; Greb, Stephen; Wickstrom, Lawrence; Gupta, Neeraj
The Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio Geological Surveys, working under the auspices of the Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP), completed a preliminary report on the feasibility of geological sequestration as a carbon management strategy for a large coal-fired power-generation facility. This proposed Cincinnati Arch field demonstration project is planned as part of MRCSP’s Phase II sequestration evaluation within the Regional Partnership. Broad structural arches in which deep Paleozoic strata rise to near the surface are a major part of the geology of the MRCSP region. Also, structural arches underlie many of the CO2 sources in the region. Understanding the feasibility for sequestration in these situations as compared to deeper, basinal configurations is important for regional CO2 sequestration assessment. The objective of this feasibility study is to provide a preliminary assessment of known geologic characteristics of the region surrounding the site. An area within a radius of approximately 50 miles of the site was included in the study. The primary purpose of the assessment was to determine the presence, configuration, and characteristics of potential reservoirs and confining strata. If the Cincinnati Arch site is chosen as a pilot injection site by the MRCSP, a detailed geological and geophysical evaluation program, including the acquisition of new site-specific information will follow this preliminary assessment. This information will be used as the basis for other tasks to be completed by the MRCSP including: developing a field work plan; assessing site-specific data acquisition needs (seismic profiles, seismic monitoring, acquisition of available commercial data, test borings, etc.); design of the injection well, monitoring plan, and reservoir simulations; and the acquisition of an underground injection permit.