Zama Acid Gas EOR, CO2 Storage, and Monitoring Project
From October 2005 through September 2009, the Zama oil field in northwestern Alberta, Canada, has been the site of acid gas (approximately 70% CO2 and 30% H2S) injection for the simultaneous purposes of enhanced oil recovery (EOR), H2S disposal, and storage of CO2. Injection takes place at a depth of approximately 4900 feet into a Devonian-aged pinnacle reef structure. There are currently five such structures (out of as many as 800) in the field undergoing acid gas EOR. Research activities are taking place on one pinnacle, the "F" pool, with the results being used to better understand the field-scale application of EOR and CO2 storage. The Plains CO2 Reduction (PCOR) Partnership, led by the University of North Dakota Energy & Environmental Research Center, has conducted monitoring, verification, and accounting (MVA) activities at the site throughout this period while Apache Canada Ltd. has undertaken the injection and hydrocarbon recovery processes. This project has been conducted as part of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Regional Partnership Program and has been recognized by the Carbon Sequestration Leadership Forum as being uniquely able to fill key technological gaps with regard to geological storage of CO2. The purpose of the MVA program is to 1) provide a set of baseline conditions upon which the effects of the project can be compared to data gathered during and after injection operations, 2) generate data sets that demonstrate the security of the injection program from the perspectives of containment and safety, and 3) establish a technical framework for the creation and ultimate monetization of carbon credits associated with reduction of emissions and the geological storage of CO2 at Zama. MVA program activities that resulted in the determination of baseline conditions included geological and hydrogeological characteriView/Download Document
Event/Meeting Information
10th International Conference on Greenhouse Gas Technologies (GHGT-10)
9/23/2010
Amsterdam,