Peter Warwick is Project Chief of the 'Utilization of Carbon and other Energy Gases–Geologic Research and Assessments' project at the USGS Eastern Energy Resources Science Center in Reston, VA.
Peter's scientific and technical specialties include sedimentology, stratigraphy, the geology of fossil fuels, and geologic carbon sequestration. His career with the USGS has focused on energy-related research, exploration, and resource assessments in various sedimentary basins in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. He has authored or co-authored more than 200 scientific research publications. In addition, Dr. Warwick has served as the President of the Energy Minerals Division of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and is an AAPG Charles Taylor Fellow. He has been President of The Society for Organic Petrology, and Chair of the Coal Geology Division of the Geological Society of America (GSA). He is a GSA Fellow and an active member of several scientific journal review boards.
Education
Work Experience
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...
This project developed assessment methodologies based on available data from Northern Appalachian basin. The assessment was conducted on two adjacent panels of a longwall mine that operated in Pennsylvania. The methodology was verified with the existing data and by cross checking the results of the software and probabilistic calculations.
Gas emission zone liberates and accumulates significant amounts of coal mine methane as a by-product of active mining. In most active mines, coal mine methane is controlled by wellbores, called gob gas ventholes. Despite the presence of these wellbores, it is not possible to capture all of the methane generated within the gas emission zone. As a consequence, a large amount of gas migrates into...
The objectives of this research task are to conduct relevant research needed to 1) evaluate helium (He) and CO2 resources; 2) support future assessments of low-thermal gases and to better understand their resources and potential for use as analogues for anthropogenic CO2 storage; 3) study the feasibility of large-scale CO2 mineralization in the United States;...
The objective of this research task is to conduct a national assessment of recoverable oil related to CO2 injection. The amount of CO2 stored (utilized) during the hydrocarbon recovery process will also be evaluated.
The Geologic CO2 Sequestration interactive web map includes investigated basins, assessed areas, stratigraphic columns, and well density information.
This website is a data visualization companion to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) report titled Federal Lands Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Sequestration in the United States: Estimates 2005-14. The maps and charts on this site include the estimated emissions and sequestration from both fossil fuel activities and ecosystem processes on Federal lands only.
This dataset includes ten years of emissions and sequestration estimates (2005-2014) in two separate tables, 1) the combustion and extraction of fossil fuels on Federal lands and 2) processes from the ecosystems on those Federal lands. The fossil fuel related estimates include the greenhouse gases carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), and nitrous oxide (N2O), and the ecosystems estimates...
The carbon dioxide (CO2) storage capacity of saline formations may be constrained by reservoir pressure limitations. Brine extraction could be necessary to increase the CO2 storage capacity of a given formation, manage the extent of the underground CO2 plume and induced pressure front, and control the migration direction. To estimate the...
Jahediesfanjani, Hossein; Anderson, Steven T.; Warwick, Peter D. "Coal mine methane (CMM) and abandoned mine methane (AMM), are by-products of underground coal mining. The quantity and the emission rate of CMM and AMM may vary depending on the type of mine, gas content of the mined coal seam, and gas sourced from strata and coal beds in overlying and underlying formations affected by mining. Therefore, if a...
Karacan, Cevat (Ozgen); Warwick, Peter D. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) is preparing a national resource assessment of the potential hydrocarbons recoverable after injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) into conventional oil reservoirs in the United States. The implementation of CO2-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) techniques can increase hydrocarbon production, and lead to incidental...
Warwick, Peter D.; Attanasi, Emil D.; Blondes, Madalyn S.; Brennan, Sean T.; Buursink, Marc; Doolan, Colin A.; Freeman, Philip A.; Jahediesfanjani, Hossein; Karacan, Cevat (Ozgen); Lohr, Celeste D.; Merrill, M.D.; Olea, Ricardo; Roueché, Jacqueline N.; Shelton, Jenna L.; Slucher, Ernie; Varela, Brian; Verma, Mahendra K. The conventional wisdom is that widespread deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) is likely necessary to be able to satisfy baseload electricity demand, to maintain diversity in the energy mix, and to achieve mitigation of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions at lowest cost (IPCC, 2014). If national-scale deployment of CCS is needed in the...
Warwick, Peter D.; Anderson, Steven T.; Jahediesfanjani, Hossein
In January 2016, the Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior tasked the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) with producing a publicly available and annually updated database of estimated greenhouse gas emissions associated with the extraction and use (predominantly some form of combustion) of fossil fuels from Federal lands. In response, the...
Merrill, M.D.; Sleeter, Benjamin M.; Freeman, Philip A.; Liu, Jinxun; Warwick, Peter D.; Reed, Bradley C. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) national assessment of carbon dioxide (CO2) storage capacity evaluated 192 saline Storage Assessment Units (SAUs) in 33 U.S. onshore sedimentary basins that may be utilized for CO2 storage (see USGS Circular 1386). Similar to many other available models, volumetric analysis was...
Jahediesfanjani, Hossein; Warwick, Peter D.; Anderson, Steven T.
This chapter presents information pertinent to the geologic carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration potential within saline aquifers located in the Atlantic Coastal Plain and Eastern Mesozoic Rift Basins of the Eastern United States. The Atlantic Coastal Plain is underlain by a Jurassic to Quaternary succession of sedimentary strata that onlap westward...
Warwick, Peter D.; Corum, M.D.; Craddock, William H.; Merrill, M.D.; Roberts-Ashby, Tina L.; Brennan, Sean T.; Buursink, Marc L.; Drake, Ronald M.; Warwick, Peter D.; Cahan, Steven M.; DeVera, Christina A.; Freeman, Philip A.; Gosai, Mayur A.; Lohr, Celeste D.
A database called the “Comprehensive Resource Database” (CRD) was prepared to support U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) assessments of technically recoverable hydrocarbons that might result from the injection of miscible or immiscible carbon dioxide (CO2) for enhanced oil recovery (EOR). The CRD was designed by INTEK Inc., a consulting company under...
Carolus, Marshall; Biglarbigi, Khosrow; Warwick, Peter D.; Attanasi, Emil D.; Freeman, Philip A.; Lohr, Celeste D. To estimate the carbon dioxide (CO2) injection and storage capacity of saline formations, we used Tough2‐ECO2N simulation software to develop a pressure‐limited (dynamic) simulation approach based on applying three‐dimensional (3D) numerical simulation only on the effective injection area (Aeff) surrounding each injection well. A statistical...
Jahediesfanjani, Hossein; Warwick, Peter D.; Anderson, Steven T.
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) recently conducted an assessment of the undiscovered, technically recoverable oil and gas potential of Tertiary strata underlying the onshore areas and State waters of the northern Gulf of Mexico coastal region. The assessment was based on a number of geologic elements including an evaluation of hydrocarbon source...
Warwick, Peter D. The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) has developed an assessment methodology for estimating the potential incremental technically recoverable oil resources resulting from carbon dioxide-enhanced oil recovery (CO2-EOR) in reservoirs with appropriate depth, pressure, and oil composition. The methodology also includes a procedure for estimating the CO2...
Warwick, Peter D.; Verma, Mahendra K.; Attanasi, Emil D.; Olea, Ricardo A.; Blondes, Madalyn S.; Freeman, Philip; Brennan, Sean T.; Merrill, Matthew D.; Jahediesfanjani, Hossein; Roueche, Jacqueline; Lohr, Celeste D. Stimulating in situ microbial communities in oil reservoirs to produce natural gas is a potentially viable strategy for recovering additional fossil fuel resources following traditional recovery operations. Little is known about what geochemical parameters drive microbial population dynamics in biodegraded, methanogenic oil reservoirs. We...
Shelton, Jenna L.; Akob, Denise M.; McIntosh, Jennifer C.; Fierer, Noah; Spear, John R.; Warwick, Peter D.; McCray, John E.
Photograph of a carbon dioxide injection well operated by CO2CRC, at the Otway National Research Facility in the state of Victoria, Australia
Select the thumbnail image above to open a downloadable and printable slideshow presentation in .pdf format [1.2 MB] titled, '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'. This presentation is material
Select the thumbnail image above to open a downloadable and printable handout in .pdf format [.57 MB]. The handout provides an overview of the "Utilization of Carbon and Other Energy Gases — Geologic Research and Assessments" project for FY 2019. The project is directly associated with the USGS Energy Resources
Select the thumbnail image above to open a downloadable and printable slideshow presentation in .pdf format [3.3 MB] titled, 'U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessment of the United States – Project Update'. This presentation is material from the Tenth Annual Conference on Carbon Capture & Sequestration held on May 2-5
Select the thumbnail image above to open a downloadable and printable slideshow presentation in .pdf format [1.4 MB] titled, 'A Probabilistic Assessment Methodology for the Evaluation of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage'. This presentation is material from a U.S. Dept. of the Interior talk.
This material is supported by the "Utilization of Carbon and
Select the thumbnail image above to open a downloadable and printable slideshow presentation in .pdf format [1.9 MB] titled, 'Examining Salinity Restrictions for CO2 Storage: Suggestions from basin to reservoir scales'. This presentation is material from the GWPC 2011: Carbon Capture & Storage & Groundwater meeting September 26, 2011.
This
Select the thumbnail image above to open a downloadable and printable slideshow presentation in .pdf format [2.2 MB] titled, 'National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources—Results'. This presentation is material from a USGS talk.
This material is supported by the "Utilization of Carbon and Other Energy Gases — Geologic Research
Select the thumbnail image above to open a downloadable and printable slideshow presentation in .pdf format [2.6 MB] titled, 'U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources and Associated Research'. This presentation is material from the Thirteenth Annual Conference on Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage held
Select the thumbnail image above to open a downloadable and printable slideshow presentation in .pdf format [3.9 MB] titled, 'U.S. Geological Survey Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessment of the United States – 2012 Project Update'. This presentation is material from the Eleventh Annual Conference on Carbon Capture, Utilization &
Select the thumbnail image above to open a downloadable and printable slideshow presentation in .pdf format [.57 MB] titled, 'Development Philosophy of an Assessment Methodology for Hydrocarbon Recovery Potential Using CO2–EOR Associated with Carbon Sequestration'. This presentation is material from 33rd IEAEOR Symposium held on August 26-30, 2012 in
Select the thumbnail image above to open a downloadable and printable slideshow presentation in .pdf format [2.3 MB] titled, 'U.S. Geological Survey National Assessment of Geologic Carbon Dioxide Storage Resources and Associated Research'. This presentation is material from a June 5, 2014 U.S. Energy Association talk.
This material is supported by
Select the thumbnail image above to open a downloadable and printable slideshow presentation in .pdf format [1.2 MB] titled, 'Enhanced Oil Recovery and CO2 Resource Studies at the U.S. Geological Survey '. This presentation is material from the 12th Annual (2014) EOR Carbon Management Workshop – Midland, Texas; Part of the Annual CO2
The U.S. Geological Survey has evaluated three methods for estimating how much oil and gas could be produced by injecting carbon dioxide (CO2) into petroleum reservoirs.
The USGS methodology for assessing carbon dioxide (CO2) storage potential for geologic carbon sequestration was endorsed as a best practice for a country-wide storage potential assessment by the International Energy Agency (IEA).
Geologic Carbon Sequestration Gauges Potential to Reduce Emissions that Contribute to Climate Change
A new methodology to assess the nation's potential to store carbon dioxide (CO2) is available.