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Decarbonized Power, Energy
for the
Future:
Clean
Coal, CO2 Sequestration, and the EOR Prize in the Gulf
Coast and Permian Basin*
By
William A. Ambrose1
Search and Discovery Article #80006 (2007)
Posted June 27, 2007
*Adapted from presentation at convention luncheon, AAPG Southwest Section 2007 Convention, Wichita Falls, Texas, April 21-24, 2007
1Bureau of Economic Geology, John A. and Katherine G. Jackson School of Geosciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas ([email protected])
Abstract
Decarbonized power in the U.S., obtained from coal with capture and
sequestration of CO2, represents an enormous source of energy
for the
future. Numerous U.S. basins contain linked carbon sources and sinks, where use
of
clean
-coal technology can provide near-zero-emission electric power
generation, hydrogen production, and CO2 for enhanced oil recovery (EOR)
and enhanced coalbed methane recovery (ECBM). The U.S. coal resource base is
approximately 6000 Quads (1015 British Thermal Units [Btu]), which
greatly dwarfs its 300-Quad resources of oil and gas. Although upscaling the
number of conventional coal-fired power plants can certainly meet increasing
demands for
energy
, doing so will lead to increased air pollution, as well as
more CO2 in the atmosphere. “
Clean
coal” technology offers a viable
alternative. Power producers are beginning to implement a technology called
integrated gasification combined cycle (IGCC), potentially a more efficient and
less-polluting alternative to traditional pulverized coal plants. IGCC plants
gasify coal to produce hydrogen that is burned in a combustion turbine.
FutureGen is a new industry-government partnership to enable development and
integration of new “
clean
coal” technologies. It is a $1-billion partnership
between the US Department of
Energy
(DOE), private industry, and foreign
countries to design, build, and operate a 275-megawatt, coal-fueled IGCC power
plant with capture of 90% of CO2 and near-zero emissions of SOx and
NOx. Areas suitable for FutureGen facilities must satisfy several technical
criteria: (1) at least a 200-acre site with capacity for delivery of coal, (2)
capacity for injectivity and long-term storage of significant volumes
(approximately 50 million tons) of CO2 in brine-bearing formations
with possible secondary injection into coal, and (3) appropriate infrastructure,
including nearby rail facilities and pipelines. FutureGen will only be
successful if it spawns the construction of a large number of FutureGen-like
plants across the country that become sources for CO2 EOR and ECBM,
as well as sequestration in deep brine reservoirs.
Outline of Presentation with Selected Figures and Text CO2 Sources and Sinks
Coal Resources and Economic Impact
Decarbonized Coal Benefits
CO2 Stacked storage Emissions and Storage
CO2 EOR: Gulf Coast and Permian Basin
United States CO2 EOR
Summary Wide variety of miscible CO2-EOR plays in Gulf Coast and Permian Basin. |