Reservoir Evaluation for Geologic Carbon Sequestration: Ensuring Capacity, Injectivity, and Containment
Brian Ruskin
Strategic Decisions Group, Denver Museum of Nature and Science, Applied Stratigraphix
Abstract
In response to growing concerns of climate change attributed to anthropomorphic carbon dioxide (CO2) emission, energy companies are tasked with achieving carbon neutrality by sequestration of CO2 volumes produced by extraction, refining, and combustion of hydrocarbons. CO2 can be isolated from the atmosphere by physical and geochemical capture, pressurized and injected into subsurface reservoirs or precipitated as stable carbonate minerals. As with hydrocarbon exploration and production projects, geologic carbon sequestration projects are staged programs progressing from regional characterization to site-specific assessment, to field operations and finally closure. Assessment techniques are comparable to those employed in hydrocarbon exploration, but with parameters and concerns specific to the injection and long-term storage of CO2. This webinar will summarize the geologic parameters required for subsurface carbon storage in conventional hydrocarbon-bearing reservoirs and in saline aquifers, with emphasis on evaluation of reservoir capacity, site injectivity, and containment security. We will also discuss CO2 trapping mechanisms and containment success and risk factors to be considered at the regional, site, and microscopic scales.
BIO
Dr. Brian Ruskin has over 15 years of experience in the oil and gas industry working for Shell, QEP Resources, and Whiting Petroleum, with roles spanning exploration, business development, asset optimization, and advising. He has managed and performed conventional and resource play evaluations throughout the US., contributed to international exploration and acquisition projects and created and delivered courses on evaluating geologic CO2 sequestration opportunities. Dr. Ruskin received a B.S. in Geology and B.A. in Studio Arts from the University of Pittsburgh. He completed his Ph.D. in Geological Sciences at Cornell University, where he focused on the genesis of nonmarine stratigraphic sequences and on foreland basin evolution. Dr. Ruskin is currently an Associate Consultant for Strategic Decisions Group, where he supports energy and technology providers to make quality decisions in response to the energy transition and constrains the impact of uncertainty on project value. He is also a Research Associate with the Denver Museum of Nature and Sciences and Senior Exploration Advisor for Applied Stratigraphix.