This document discusses using natural tracers to track carbon dioxide (CO2) injected into the Aquistore storage site. It provides context about the Aquistore Project, which aims to demonstrate safe long-term CO2 storage in a deep saline aquifer. The project involves injecting CO2 captured from a coal power plant. Researchers are analyzing the noble gas composition of CO2 from the power plant and plan to monitor changes after injection to track the CO2's movement and fate over time. This will help evaluate if natural tracers can effectively fingerprint and monitor injected CO2 for security verification and public assurance of carbon capture and storage.

1. Fingerprinting captured CO2 using
natural tracers at Aquistore
Stuart Gilfillan, Steph Flude, Fin Stuart and
Stuart Haszeldine
stuart.gilfillan@ed.ac.uk @stugilfillan

2. Aquistore Project
- Independent research and
monitoring project
Objectives:
- Demonstrate safe CO2
storage in deep saline
formation
- Provide evidence CCS is a
safe and viable solution
to reduce greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions
- Develop best methods to
monitor CO2 storage
- Involve public, research &
industry

3. Aquistore Location
CO2 injected into large regional saline aquifer within Williston Basin

4. Aquistore Overview
- Designed to inject 2000 tonnes
CO2/day
- $22.3M in sponsorship secured
to date
- Buffer protection and long-term
storage option for SaskPower’s
Boundary Dam Carbon Capture
Project
- Project split into 2 phases:
1. Demonstration & Evaluation
2. CO2 Injection and Monitoring

5. Phase 1 - Demonstration & Evaluation
- Site selection, permits,
agreements, community
engagement
- Risk assessment, seismic
surveys, monitoring programs
- Compilation of existing fluid
flow data
- Drilling and evaluation of
injection well
- Drilling of observation well
- Water injection test

6. Phase 2 - CO2 Injection & Monitoring
- On going monitoring and
observation
- On going community
engagement
- 2013 - Pipeline tie-in CO2 from
Boundary Dam Power Station
- 2014 - World’s first commercial
carbon capture technology
applied to a coal plant and the
sale of CO2 for EOR/storage.
- SaskPower took over operation
of Aquistore site

7. Who?
What?
CCS Grand Challenges in Geological Storage
£291,748 over 2 years
May 2014 – April 2016

8. News coverage of “leak” at Weyburn

9. Monitoring essential
Provides reassurance to regulators and
public that injected CO2 is safely stored
This requires:
A cheap and effective means of
monitoring the fate of CO2 injected
into geological storage sites

10. Monitoring essential
Provides reassurance to regulators and
public that injected CO2 is safely stored
This requires:
A cheap and effective means of
monitoring the fate of CO2 injected
into geological storage sites
We need to know:
(i) Fate of injected CO2 (short,
medium and long term storage)
(ii) How we can get an early warning
of potential leakage
(iii) How to determine ownership of
CO2 (particularly offshore)

11. Tracing CO2
• Proof of storage security is key to CCS success
• Adding tracers to injected CO2: Expensive? Environmental hazards?
Contamination / elevate background?

12. Fingerprinting CO2
Anthropogenic CO2 molecule
Natural CO2 molecule
www.phenomenica.com

13. Fingerprinting CO2
Anthropogenic CO2 molecule
Natural CO2 molecule
web.sahara.arizonia.edu
commons.wikimedia.org
www.phenomenica.com

14. C isotopes can trace CO2 migration & fate
web.sahara.arizonia.edu

15. O isotopes can trace CO2 fate
web.sahara.arizonia.edu

16. Noble gases in natural CO2 reservoirs
Majority of the CO2 dissolved in formation water.
Mineral precipitation only a minor sink.

17. Noble gases as tracers of CO2 migration

18. Noble gases in coal and natural gas

19. Noble gases in coal and natural gas

20. Noble gases in captured CO2
www.alstom.com
etfdailynews.com

21. Tracing injected CO2 at Aquistore
Find out if the natural tracer fingerprint in CO2 captured from Boundary
Dam is preserved after injection and migration at Aquistore

22. Sample collection
underway as I speak –
literally!
Preliminary results by next
biannual meeting (if all goes
to plan!)