Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership, Preliminary Assessment of Potential CO2 Storage Reservoirs and Confinement, Cincinnati Arch Site

Abstract

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.