Carbon and Energy Storage, Emissions and Economics (CESEE) Active
Carbon Dioxide Storage Assessments and Research
The USGS provides national carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide storage information
Associated Energy Gases
The USGS characterizes and evaluates the resource potential of energy-related gases such as carbon dioxide, helium, nitrogen, and hydrogen sulfide
Microseismic Monitoring at Decatur, IL
The USGS monitors microseismic activity to better understand the possible hazard associated with deep-well injection of carbon dioxide at Decatur
Above-ground Infrastructure for Storing Excess Energy
Subsurface natural gas storage in the Hutchinson Salt Member in Reno County, Kansas
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is utilized by industry to enhance oil recovery. Subsurface CO2 storage could significantly impact reduction of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, but the economics and potential risks associated with the practice must be understood before implementing extensive programs or regulations. Utilization of other energy-related gases such as helium (He), if separated and concentrated from the produced natural gas stream, can make otherwise low-thermal (un-economic) natural gas deposits a viable part of the national natural gas resource base. Geologic energy storage options require additional investigation and assessments of available storage resources.
Federal Lands Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sequestration in the U.S.
The USGS has produced estimates of the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the extraction and end-use combustion of fossil fuels produced on Federal lands in the United States, as well as estimates of ecosystem carbon emissions and sequestration.
Downloadable Geologic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Spatial Data
A list of downloadable geologic carbon dioxide sequestration spatial data and associated geologic reports is available here.
Our interactive web map includes investigated basins, assessed areas, stratigraphic columns, and well density information.
Geologic Carbon Dioxide Utilization Topics
- Assessment Methodologies
- National Carbon Dioxide Storage Assessment Results
- Select Energy Resources Program Carbon Dioxide Publications
- Global Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessments
- Project Staff
- Geologic Carbon Sequestration Project Overview Handout
- Helium Concentrations in United States Wells
The Carbon and Energy Storage, Emissions and Economics (CESEE) project conducts science to:
- Estimate how much oil can be produced by injecting CO2 into reservoirs for enhanced oil recovery
- Estimate the amount of CO2 that could be stored in geologic reservoirs nationwide
- Assess the environmental risks of storing CO2 in underground reservoirs, including the potential for CO2 leakage, impacts to drinking water, and induced seismicity
- Evaluate the origin, distribution, and resource-potential of non-hydrocarbon natural gases
- Evaluate subsurface geologic energy storage options including natural gas storage, compressed air storage, pumped hydroelectric storage, and geothermal storage
During the course of the Carbon and Energy Storage, Emissions and Economics (CESEE) project, the following research and assessment topics are being investigated:
- Methodology Development and Assessment of National Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery and Associated Carbon Dioxide Storage Potential
- Geologic Carbon Dioxide and Energy-related Storage, Gas Resources, and Utilization
- Assessing Emissions from Active and Abandoned Coal Mines
- Geologic Energy Storage
- Induced Seismicity Associated with Carbon Dioxide Geologic Storage
- Economics of Energy Transitions
Slideshows Associated with Project Member Talks:
- National Unplugged Orphan Oil and Gas Well Database - Presentation [.pdf] [3.71 MB]
- Carbon Dioxide Mineralization Feasibility in the United States [.pdf] [3.91 MB]
- Subsurface Carbon and Energy Storage Resource Assessments [.pdf] [1.74 MB]
- Federal lands greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration – a modified EPA methodology [.pdf]
- A Pressure-limited Model to Estimate CO2 Injection and Storage Capacity of Saline Formations: Investigating the Effects of Formation Properties, Model Variables and Presence of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- Enhanced Oil Recovery and Residual Oil Zone Studies at the U.S. Geological Survey [.pdf] [2.0 MB]
- Overview of USGS Carbon Sequestration - Geologic Research and Assessments Project [.pdf] [2.1 MB]
- Microseismicity Monitoring at the Decatur, IL, CO2 Sequestration Demonstration Site [.pdf] [8.9 MB]
- Status Report: Estimating greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels produced from Federal lands [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- A Probabilistic Assessment Methodology for Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery and Associated Carbon Dioxide Retention [.pdf] [.67 MB]
- A Database and Probabilistic Assessment Methodology for Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery and Associated Carbon Dioxide Retention in the United States [.pdf] [1.7 MB]
- Enhanced Oil Recovery and CO2 Resource Studies at the U.S. Geological Survey [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- Induced Seismicity Monitoring at the Decatur, IL, CO2 Sequestration Demonstration Site [YouTube]
- U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources and Associated Research [.pdf] [2.3 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources and Associated Research [.pdf] [2.6 MB]
- National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources - Results [.pdf] [2.2 MB]
- Development Philosophy of an Assessment Methodology for Hydrocarbon Recovery Potential Using CO2-EOR Associated with Carbon Sequestration [.pdf] [.57 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessment of the United States - 2012 Project Update [.pdf] [3.9 MB]
- Examining Salinity Restrictions for CO2 Storage: Suggestions from Basin to Reservoir Scales [.pdf] [1.9 MB]
- Using ArcGIS to Identify Environmental Risk Factors Associated with CO2 Storage [.pdf] [1.7 MB]
- A Probabilistic Assessment Methodology for the Evaluation of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage [.pdf] [1.4 MB]
- CO2 Fluid Flow Modeling to Derive the Time Scales of Lateral Fluid Migration [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessment of the United States - Project Update [.pdf] [3.3 MB]
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
Below are publications associated with this project.
Decision analysis and CO2–Enhanced oil recovery development strategies
National assessment of helium resources within known natural gas reservoirs
Single-well production history matching and geostatistical modeling as proxy to multi-well reservoir simulation for evaluating dynamic reservoir properties of coal seams
Assessing gas leakage potential into coal mines from shale gas well failures: Inference from field determination of strata permeability responses to longwall-induced deformations
Potential Pb+2 mobilization, transport, and sequestration in shallow aquifers impacted by multiphase CO2 leakage: A natural analogue study from the Virgin River Basin in Southwest Utah
Computational methodology to analyze the effect of mass transfer rate on attenuation of leaked carbon dioxide in shallow aquifers
Estimating the net costs of brine production and disposal to expand pressure-limited dynamic capacity for basin-scale CO2 storage in a saline formation
Characterization of the unconventional Tuscaloosa marine shale reservoir in southwestern Mississippi, USA: Insights from optical and SEM petrography
Modeling geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide in a deep saline carbonate reservoir with TOUGH2–ChemPlugin, a new tool for reactive transport modeling
Compositional analysis of formation water geochemistry and microbiology of commercial and carbon dioxide-rich wells in the southwestern United States
Methodology for estimating the prospective CO2 storage resource of residual oil zones at the national and regional scale
A probabilistic assessment methodology for carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
Below are news stories associated with this project.
Below are FAQ associated with this project.
Below are partners associated with this project.
- Overview
Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is utilized by industry to enhance oil recovery. Subsurface CO2 storage could significantly impact reduction of CO2 emissions to the atmosphere, but the economics and potential risks associated with the practice must be understood before implementing extensive programs or regulations. Utilization of other energy-related gases such as helium (He), if separated and concentrated from the produced natural gas stream, can make otherwise low-thermal (un-economic) natural gas deposits a viable part of the national natural gas resource base. Geologic energy storage options require additional investigation and assessments of available storage resources.
Federal Lands Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sequestration in the U.S.The USGS has produced estimates of the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the extraction and end-use combustion of fossil fuels produced on Federal lands in the United States, as well as estimates of ecosystem carbon emissions and sequestration.
Downloadable Geologic Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Spatial DataA list of downloadable geologic carbon dioxide sequestration spatial data and associated geologic reports is available here.
Our interactive web map includes investigated basins, assessed areas, stratigraphic columns, and well density information.
Geologic Carbon Dioxide Utilization Topics- Assessment Methodologies
- National Carbon Dioxide Storage Assessment Results
- Select Energy Resources Program Carbon Dioxide Publications
- Global Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessments
- Project Staff
- Geologic Carbon Sequestration Project Overview Handout
- Helium Concentrations in United States Wells
The Carbon and Energy Storage, Emissions and Economics (CESEE) project conducts science to:
- Estimate how much oil can be produced by injecting CO2 into reservoirs for enhanced oil recovery
- Estimate the amount of CO2 that could be stored in geologic reservoirs nationwide
- Assess the environmental risks of storing CO2 in underground reservoirs, including the potential for CO2 leakage, impacts to drinking water, and induced seismicity
- Evaluate the origin, distribution, and resource-potential of non-hydrocarbon natural gases
- Evaluate subsurface geologic energy storage options including natural gas storage, compressed air storage, pumped hydroelectric storage, and geothermal storage
During the course of the Carbon and Energy Storage, Emissions and Economics (CESEE) project, the following research and assessment topics are being investigated:
- Methodology Development and Assessment of National Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery and Associated Carbon Dioxide Storage Potential
- Geologic Carbon Dioxide and Energy-related Storage, Gas Resources, and Utilization
- Assessing Emissions from Active and Abandoned Coal Mines
- Geologic Energy Storage
- Induced Seismicity Associated with Carbon Dioxide Geologic Storage
- Economics of Energy Transitions
Slideshows Associated with Project Member Talks:
- National Unplugged Orphan Oil and Gas Well Database - Presentation [.pdf] [3.71 MB]
- Carbon Dioxide Mineralization Feasibility in the United States [.pdf] [3.91 MB]
- Subsurface Carbon and Energy Storage Resource Assessments [.pdf] [1.74 MB]
- Federal lands greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration – a modified EPA methodology [.pdf]
- A Pressure-limited Model to Estimate CO2 Injection and Storage Capacity of Saline Formations: Investigating the Effects of Formation Properties, Model Variables and Presence of Hydrocarbon Reservoirs [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- Enhanced Oil Recovery and Residual Oil Zone Studies at the U.S. Geological Survey [.pdf] [2.0 MB]
- Overview of USGS Carbon Sequestration - Geologic Research and Assessments Project [.pdf] [2.1 MB]
- Microseismicity Monitoring at the Decatur, IL, CO2 Sequestration Demonstration Site [.pdf] [8.9 MB]
- Status Report: Estimating greenhouse gas emissions from fossil fuels produced from Federal lands [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- A Probabilistic Assessment Methodology for Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery and Associated Carbon Dioxide Retention [.pdf] [.67 MB]
- A Database and Probabilistic Assessment Methodology for Carbon Dioxide Enhanced Oil Recovery and Associated Carbon Dioxide Retention in the United States [.pdf] [1.7 MB]
- Enhanced Oil Recovery and CO2 Resource Studies at the U.S. Geological Survey [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- Induced Seismicity Monitoring at the Decatur, IL, CO2 Sequestration Demonstration Site [YouTube]
- U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources and Associated Research [.pdf] [2.3 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources and Associated Research [.pdf] [2.6 MB]
- National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources - Results [.pdf] [2.2 MB]
- Development Philosophy of an Assessment Methodology for Hydrocarbon Recovery Potential Using CO2-EOR Associated with Carbon Sequestration [.pdf] [.57 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessment of the United States - 2012 Project Update [.pdf] [3.9 MB]
- Examining Salinity Restrictions for CO2 Storage: Suggestions from Basin to Reservoir Scales [.pdf] [1.9 MB]
- Using ArcGIS to Identify Environmental Risk Factors Associated with CO2 Storage [.pdf] [1.7 MB]
- A Probabilistic Assessment Methodology for the Evaluation of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage [.pdf] [1.4 MB]
- CO2 Fluid Flow Modeling to Derive the Time Scales of Lateral Fluid Migration [.pdf] [1.2 MB]
- U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessment of the United States - Project Update [.pdf] [3.3 MB]
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project.
- Data
Below are data or web applications associated with this project.
- Multimedia
Below are multimedia items associated with this project.
- Publications
Below are publications associated with this project.
Filter Total Items: 96Decision analysis and CO2–Enhanced oil recovery development strategies
This paper analyzes the relationship between actual reservoir conditions and predicted measures of performance of carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery (CO2–EOR) programs. It then shows how CO2–EOR operators might maximize the value of their projects by approaching implementation using a “flexible selective” pattern development strategy, where the CO2–EOR program patterns are selectively developedAuthorsE. D. Attanasi, Philip A. FreemanNational assessment of helium resources within known natural gas reservoirs
Using available data, the U.S. Geological Survey estimated that 306 billion cubic feet of recoverable helium is presently within the known geologic natural gas reservoirs of the United States.AuthorsSean T. Brennan, Jennifer L. Rivera, Brian A. Varela, Andy J. ParkSingle-well production history matching and geostatistical modeling as proxy to multi-well reservoir simulation for evaluating dynamic reservoir properties of coal seams
Reservoir properties of coal seams such as gas and water effective permeabilities and gas content, as well as spatial distributions thereof, affect the success of gas production and CO2-enhanced gas recovery (EGR) with simultaneous CO2 sequestration. These properties change during production and injection operations due to variations in reservoir pressure, matrix shrinkage/swelling, and water satuAuthorsC. Özgen KaracanAssessing gas leakage potential into coal mines from shale gas well failures: Inference from field determination of strata permeability responses to longwall-induced deformations
This paper summarizes the changes in permeability at three boreholes located above an abutment pillar at a longwall coal mine in southwestern Pennsylvania. The motivation of this study was to better characterize the potential interaction between shale gas wells and the mine environment, through measurement of permeability changes in the coal mine overburden caused by mining-induced deformations. MAuthorsEric Watkins, C. Özgen Karacan, Vasu Gangrade, Steven SchatzelPotential Pb+2 mobilization, transport, and sequestration in shallow aquifers impacted by multiphase CO2 leakage: A natural analogue study from the Virgin River Basin in Southwest Utah
Geological carbon sequestration (GCS) is necessary to help meet emissions reduction goals, but groundwater contamination may occur if CO2 and/or brine were to leak out of deep storage formations into the shallow subsurface. For this study, a natural analogue was investigated: in the Virgin River Basin of southwest Utah, water with moderate salinity and high CO2 concentrations is leaking upward intAuthorsMichelle R. Plampin, Madalyn S. Blondes, Eric Sonnenthal, William H. CraddockComputational methodology to analyze the effect of mass transfer rate on attenuation of leaked carbon dioxide in shallow aquifers
Exsolution and re-dissolution of CO2 gas within heterogeneous porous media are investigated using experimental data and mathematical modeling. In a set of bench-scale experiments, water saturated with CO2 under a given pressure is injected into a 2-D water-saturated porous media system, causing CO2 gas to exsolve and migrate upwards. A layer of fine sand mimicking a heterogeneity within a shallowAuthorsRadek Fucik, Jakub Solovsky, Michelle R. Plampin, Hao Wu, Jiri Mikyska, Tissa H. IllangasekareEstimating the net costs of brine production and disposal to expand pressure-limited dynamic capacity for basin-scale CO2 storage in a saline formation
If carbon capture and storage (CCS) needs to be deployed at basin- or larger-scale, it is likely that multiple sites will be injecting carbon dioxide (CO2) into the same geologic formation. This could lead to excessive pressure buildup, overlapping induced pressure fronts, and pressure interference with neighboring uses of the subsurface. Extracting the in situ brine from the storage formation couAuthorsSteven T. Anderson, Hossein JahediesfanjaniCharacterization of the unconventional Tuscaloosa marine shale reservoir in southwestern Mississippi, USA: Insights from optical and SEM petrography
This study presents new optical petrography and electron microscopy data, interpreted in the context of previously published petrophysical, geochemical, and mineralogical data, to further characterize the Tuscaloosa marine shale (TMS) as an unconventional reservoir in southwestern Mississippi. The basal high resistivity zone has a higher proportion of Type II sedimentary organic matter than the ovAuthorsCeleste D. Lohr, Brett J. Valentine, Paul C. Hackley, Frank T. DulongModeling geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide in a deep saline carbonate reservoir with TOUGH2–ChemPlugin, a new tool for reactive transport modeling
This paper outlines the development and demonstration of a new tool, TOUGH2–ChemPlugin (T2CPI) for predicting rock–water–CO2 interaction following injection of supercritical CO2 into a heterogeneous carbonate system. Specifically, modeling capabilities of TOUGH2, which examines multiphase flow and supercritical CO2 behavior, were combined with the geochemical modeling capabilities of The GeochemisAuthorsTina L. Roberts-Ashby, Peter M. Berger, Jeffrey A. Cunningham, Ram Kumar, Madalyn S. BlondesCompositional analysis of formation water geochemistry and microbiology of commercial and carbon dioxide-rich wells in the southwestern United States
Studies of naturally occurring subsurface carbon dioxide (CO2) accumulations can provide useful information for potential CO2 injection projects; however, the microbial communities and formation water geochemistry of most reservoirs are understudied. Formation water and microbial biomass were sampled at four CO2-rich reservoir sites: two within Bravo Dome, a commercial CO2 field in New Mexico; oneAuthorsJenna L. Shelton, Robert S. Andrews, Denise M. Akob, Christina A. DeVera, Adam C. Mumford, Mark Engle, Michelle R. Plampin, Sean T. BrennanMethodology for estimating the prospective CO2 storage resource of residual oil zones at the national and regional scale
Residual oil zones (ROZs) are increasingly gaining interest as potential reservoirs for carbon dioxide (CO2) storage. Here, we present a national- and regional-scale methodology for estimating prospective CO2 storage resources in residual oil zones. This methodology uses a volumetric equation that accounts for CO2 storage as a free phase in pore space and as a dissolved phase in oil and does not aAuthorsSean Sanguinito, Harpreet Singh, Evgeniy M. Myshakin, Angela L. Goodman, Robert M. Dilmore, Timothy C. Grant, David Morgan, Grant Bromhal, Peter D. Warwick, Sean T. Brennan, Philip A. Freeman, C. Özgen Karacan, Charles Gorecki, Wesley Peck, Matthew Burton-Kelly, Neil Dotzenrod, Scott Frailey, Rajesh PawarA probabilistic assessment methodology for carbon dioxide enhanced oil recovery and associated carbon dioxide retention
The U.S. Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007 authorized the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) to conduct a national assessment of the potential volume of hydrocarbons recoverable by injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) into known oil reservoirs with historical production. The implementation of CO2 enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) techniques could increase the U.S. recoverable hydrocarbon resourceAuthorsPeter D. Warwick, Emil D. Attanasi, Ricardo A. Olea, Madalyn S. Blondes, Philip A. Freeman, Sean T. Brennan, Matthew D. Merrill, Mahendra K. Verma, C. Özgen Karacan, Jenna L. Shelton, Celeste D. Lohr, Hossein Jahediesfanjani, Jacqueline N. Roueché - Web Tools
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- News
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- FAQ
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