WVU BENJAMIN M. STATLER COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING AND MINERAL RESOURCES
WVU’S MOHAGHEGH QUOTED IN NEW SCIENTIST ARTICLE ON CARBON SEQUESTRATION BY MARY C. DILLON
A recent study conducted at Kyoto University in Japan and published in the online version of New Scientist, claims compressed carbon dioxide may be more suitable for fracturing methane-rich rock than water. Shahab Mohaghegh, a professor of petroleum and natural gas engineering at West Virginia University and an expert in well modeling, says the study may hasten the development of large-scale carbon sequestration.
build surrogate reservoir models or SRMs, which replicate the extremely large models, but run in real time.
Natural gas production has soared worldwide in recent years as a result of hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, a process of injecting pressurized water into shale formations to fracture the rock and release the massive amounts of natural gas trapped inside. The more extensive the network of fractures created in the shale, the more pathways are available for the gas inside it to escape. Researchers at Kyoto University have now found a way to greatly extend that network of fractures by replacing pressurized water with liquid or supercritical CO2.
Shale, Mohaghegh said, has a greater affinity for CO2 than methane. When CO2 is injected into a depleted shale formation—even one that has previously been fracked—the rock will release more methane because pockets of the gas chemically trapped within the shale will be released in favor of the more chemically attractive CO2.
Mohaghegh is studying the technical and economic viability of using CO2 to remove methane from shale, but from a different perspective. “We have very limited hands-on experience injecting CO2 into shale formations, so most of what we do has to be simulated through modeling studies,” Mohaghegh said. “And these types of models tend to be extremely large, made up of millions of grid blocks or cells. Each question or run that is proposed through traditional modeling techniques would take a day at least to answer.”
“Instead of it taking a day to make a run, it happens instantly,” Mohaghegh said. “We can literally make millions of simulation runs and show the benefits or the limitations to injecting CO2 into the formation.”
“Shale is an incredible storage source, and carbon sequestration can help us release more methane,” Mohaghegh said. “If you can also use carbon dioxide to fracture the rock, that would add a third dimension that could be more significant than sequestration or enhanced recovery.” The technology, which is still in its infancy, is being developed as part of a grant Mohaghegh received from the Department of Energy through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. New Scientist notes that a 2006 study by the U.S. Department of Energy assessed geologic sequestration options in the midwest. It found that saline aquifers offer by far the greatest potential carbon storage capacity, with shale beds that have been fractured for methane production coming in second.
Using a technique he developed, which involves artificial intelligence and data mining, Mohaghegh and his team of student researchers have been able to
WVU’S LIU EARNS DOE GRANT TO STUDY NEXT GENERATION OF FUEL CELL CATHODES West Virginia University’s Xingbo Liu is the recipient of one of seven grants recently handed out by the Department of Energy to study the development of low-cost solid oxide fuel cell (SOFCs) technology for environmentally responsible power generation. Liu
Liu, an associate professor in the Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering in the Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources, will be working to advance cathode performance in SOFCs. The cathode is a thin, porous layer on the electrolyte of a fuel cell where oxygen reduction takes place, thus generating a form of flameless combustion that is more energy efficient than electricity generated through coal-fired technology. “A cathode accounts for about five percent of the cost of a fuel cell,” said Liu. “But unfortunately they currently account for about 50 percent of the
total efficiency lost, also known as over-potential. There have been strategies developed to improve cathode performance but many have not been compatible with current SOFC manufacturing processes. This has made it difficult for industries to adopt them.” Liu’s goal for the project is to provide a pathway to the development of the next generation of cathode, which will offer better performance and stability and be cost-competitive with currently used power generation technologies. The three-year grant, totaling $499,953, was made by the DOE through the Solid State Energy Conversion Alliance (SECA). Founded in the fall of 1999, SECA is a collaboration between the federal government, private industry, academic institutions, and national laboratories devoted to the development of low-cost, modular, and fuel-flexible solid oxide fuel cell technology suitable for a variety of power generation applications.
Volume 9 Issue 1
BY MARY C. DILLON
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