Carbon, Capture and Storage

PEM DOE NETL Cooperative Agreeement

PEM Inc. has been awarded a cooperative agreement by the DOE National Energy and Technology Laboratory (NETL). The agreement, focused on deployment and testing of PEM's Global Monitor Platform (GMP) for improved monitoring, verification and accounting (MVA) of leakage of CO2 from geologic carbon sequestration (GCS) sites, is a four year effort. PEM's GMP is the only multi-isotopic platform providing direct measurement and differentiation of fossil-fuel derived CO2 (ff-CO2) and biogenic CO2. The cooperative agreement focuses on developing skill in the detection of ff-CO2 leakage from a variety of sources including point, line and large-area-low-leakage sources as well as high sensitivity methods for analysis of groundwater and the soil atmosphere for accumulated leakage.

Project Approach

The project approach is to experience and document leakage of CO2 from natural sources (e.g., natural CO2 vents) likely to be emblematic of potential leakage routes for ff-CO2 of GSC projects. A range of natural CO2 source strengths and geological features will be investigated in selected locations. The project field work is directed by Jennifer Lewicki, of the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, Earth Sciences Division. The results and experiences of field the investigations will be applied to active GSC projects.The illustration below shows generalized applications for the GMP in GCS projects. The GMP can be deployed with eddy covariance (EC) equipment, within the infrastructure of a project drawing on specific gas sources, or be deployed with soil accumulation chambers and CO2 extractors for sampling of groundwater or surface waters. Data from a GMP or an ensemble of GMP analyzers can be transmitted in real-time using telemetry to a data center. Analysis of data may employ a variety of numerical processes yielding results for carbon credit creation.

Mammoth Mountain Field Work 2010

The projects first field season (2010) was completed at Mammoth Mountain, CA, the site of high flux of naturally occurring CO2 vents. Please click here for field photos. Preliminary results for the GMP analyzer are under review. Results of the Mammoth Mountain eddy covariance studies are available online: Lewicki, J.L.,Hilley, G.E., Laura Dobeck, L. and Marino, B.D.V. Eddy covariance imaging of diffuse volcanic CO2 emissions at Mammoth Mountain, CA, USA.DOI 10.1007/s00445-011-0503-y.

Click  on the links in the box (right)  for photos of the field work, a montage of the tree-kill area and a bibliography for the Mammoth Mountain area.

Soda Springs Field Work 2011--Update, Phase II Field Work Completed 10-11-2011

The projects second field season in the Soda Springs, Idaho, area has been completed.  PEM deployed soil accumulation chambers (LICOR Inc.), a gas extractor for dissolved CO₂, CH₄ and O₂ (Axys Technologies, Inc.) and an eddy covariance system (J. Lewicki, Lawarence Berkeley National Laboratory) in and around a natural CO₂ bubbling spring. Our objectives were to measure CO₂ concentratrion and 13C and 14C isotopic composition with PEM's Global Monitor Platform for CO₂ released from the site. The leakage of CO2 from this natural site provides a unique opportunity to validate PEM's measurement approaches and technology for leakage detection at operating GCS sites (see Figure below for generalized deployment options). The Soda Springs site is characterized by a riverine marsh environment with abundant vegetation, very different from the environment of the Mammoth Mountatin site studied in 2010. For photos of the field site and activities, please click here.

PEMs Global Monitor Platform (GMP) General Deployment Scheme for GCS Projects

E-mail info@pem-carbon.com for updated information and to inquire about PEM's innovative technologies and services or call: 857-998-4031.

Project Title: Near-Surface Leakage Monitoring for the Verification and Accounting of Geologic Carbon Sequestration Using a Field Ready 14C Isotopic Analyzer.

Principle Investigator: Bruno D.V. Marino PhD (Bruno.Marino@pem-carbon.com)

Please clink on these links for additional project information: Project abstract, NETL project description, NETL news story, and NETL project factsheet.

Our Project Goals Include

• Measurement of 14C/12C ratios in air using a field ready isotopic analyzer with precision of ~ 2 per mil. 14C/12C ratios provide a direct, sensitive and natural signal for detection of ff-CO2. A 2 per mil analytical precision (D14C) allows detection of approximately 1 ppm ff-CO2 in background air.
• Simultaneous measurement of 13C/12C ratios with precision of < 0.3 per mil. The 13C/12C ratios while not well suited for detection of ff-CO2 are characteristic of ecosystem processes potentially linking ecosystem function with GSC storage and/or leakage.
• PEM's GMP may also be configured with traditional non-isotopic analyzers (e.g., methane, nitrous oxide, etc.).
• PEM's GMP may be configured with a variety of other instruments such as soil gas chambers, eddy covariance systems and dissolved CO2 extractors extending skill in detection and measurement of ff-CO2 in these environments.
• PEM's GMP analyzers are designed to be deployed in geographic networks with embedded standards and references. The GMP goes beyond single instrument analyses to integrated, process driven and data synthesis capabilities.
• A system level process resulting in data products eligible for carbon markets that are directly comparable across geographic monitoring locations worldwide.
• PEMs technologies and services offer high value to all phases of GSC projects from pre-injection baseline monitoring to injection, to capping and to long term (e.g., 100 years) surveillance and early warning requirements.

PEM's Collaborators and Service Providers Include

• The Lawrence Berkley National Laboratory (www.lbl.gov)
• LICOR Inc., Lincoln Nebraska (www.LICOR.com)
• Axys Technologies, Sidney, British Columbia, Canada (www.axystechnologies.com)

GCS and The DOE NETL

Rigorous and credible leakage detection technologies and services for GSC provide a path to meeting the energy requirements of society's lifeways while innovative alternative energy approaches are proven. According to the NETL (www.netl.doe.gov), coal-fired utility boilers provide 50%+ of the electricity in the United States. DOE's Energy Information Agency (EIA) projects that more than 300 GW of coal-fired electricity generating capacity currently in operation will increase to nearly 450 GW by 2030. The amount of CO2 produced from the combustion of fossil fuels in the United States has reached nearly 6 billion metric tons in 2007 according to EIA, with about 33% from the coal-fired electric power sector (Annual Energy Outlook 2007, Report #:DOE/EIA-0383(2007)). The current and projected number of GSC projects is growing emphasizing the urgent need for well developed and rigorous MVA technology and services. Please click here to open NETL's map of GSC sites. Intern Jared Donisvitch added this data into a Google Earth Application.

PEM's GSC MVA innovations support the DOE's goals for the GSC sector including (www.netl.doe.gov):

• Completion of a material balance with 99 percent accuracy and develop MVA protocols that enable 99 percent of stored CO2 to be credited as net emissions reduction in 2012. 
• By 2014, develop improved algorithms to enhance the monitoring of CO2 injected into deep geologic formations.
• By 2018, demonstrate that a suite of technologies coupled with simulation can be used to accurately determine leakage rates (if they exist) from a storage reservoir.