Assessment of Carbon Dioxide Storage Capacity of Selected Aquifers in ‘J’ Field, West Africa

Abstract

A combination of seismic data and petrophysical logs from five wells acquired in ‘J’ Field, Niger Delta, Nigeria, have been analyzed to assess the carbon dioxide (CO2) storage potential of some saline aquifers in ‘J’ field. The study aims to evaluate the volume of CO2 that can be potentially stored in the aquifers and the risk of CO2 leakages in the storage. The sand aquifers were correlated across the five wells to evaluate their thicknesses and lateral extent. Porosity, permeability, formation water resistivity, and net sand thickness were estimated in the different wells. The Horizons corresponding to the top of the aquifers was mapped, and time and depth structured maps were generated for structural analysis and volumetric estimations. The risk of CO2 leakages through sealing layers (cap rocks) was evaluated in terms of caprock integrity and pore pressure sealing mechanism. Results of the study showed that four aquifers, namely, L20, N30, M40, and P50, are laterally extensive across the five wells and have thicknesses that range from 14 to 352 m. The individual CO2 storage capacity of L20, M30, N40, and P50 was estimated to be 6.97×1010, 1.48×1010, 7.78×109 and 1.49×1010 tons, respectively. The combined aquifer storage capacity was estimated to be 1.07×1011 tons. The sealing layers have low risk of CO2 leakages. The study concluded that the aquifers have good potential for CO2 storage and low risk of leakages. The study ranked L20 as the best among the four aquifers.

Keywords

• Carbon capture and storage
• Saline aquifers
• Global Warming
• Petrophysical logs
• 3D Seismic data
• Niger Delta