April 1, 2017
Feature

Capturing FutureGen 2.0

Body of work and benefits of carbon storage featured in special issue of International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control

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Coal-fired power plants continue to be a mainstay of America’s energy mix, but they release large quantities of carbon dioxide—the main contributor to the greenhouse effect. Over the last few decades, carbon capture and storage (CCS) approaches have been developed to capture this gas and then inject it into underground reservoirs. FutureGen 2.0 was a project that aimed to develop CCS at the industrial scale. Although support for this project ended in 2015, FutureGen 2.0 provided valuable information and tangible results, including issuance of the first-ever Class VI carbon dioxide injection permits.

A special issue of the International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control focuses on the objectives and accomplishments of FutureGen 2.0, featuring eight articles from December 2015 to December 2016.

In support of the FutureGen 2.0 project, researchers at PNNL characterized several potential storage sites before recommending Morgan County, IL as the preferred one. Characterization of the carbon dioxide injection zone was conducted by PNNL in 2012 and was based on analysis of wellbore data, including cores, geophysical logs, and hydrologic well testing, along with other geophysical and structural data. State-of-the-art seismic reflection imaging technology was an important component to define the geometry of the reservoir.

This research, which was funded by DOE’s Office of Fossil Energy and the FutureGen Industrial Alliance, is captured in eight articles:

This body of work will be a valuable reference for future decisions related to national energy technologies and resource management. For more information, check out the FutureGen 2.0 special edition online(Offsite link).

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About PNNL

Pacific Northwest National Laboratory draws on its distinguishing strengths in chemistry, Earth sciences, biology and data science to advance scientific knowledge and address challenges in sustainable energy and national security. Founded in 1965, PNNL is operated by Battelle for the Department of Energy’s Office of Science, which is the single largest supporter of basic research in the physical sciences in the United States. DOE’s Office of Science is working to address some of the most pressing challenges of our time. For more information, visit https://www.energy.gov/science/. For more information on PNNL, visit PNNL's News Center. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.

Published: April 1, 2017

PNNL Research Team

Jim Amonette, Delphine Appriou, Bruce Bjornstad, Alain Bonneville, Mark Bowden, Chris Brown, Emalee Eisenhauer, Mike Elliott, Tyler Gilmore, Jake Horner, Zhangshaun Hou, Gretchen Hund, George Last, Dave Lanigan, James McKinley, Christopher Murray,
Ba Nghiep Nguyen, Mart Oostrom, Mark Rockhold, Frank Spane, Mark Stewart, Chris Strickland, Charlotte Sullivan, Jim Szecsody, Paul Thorne, Vince Vermeul, Mark White, Signe White, Mark Williams, Fred Zhang, and Lirong Zhong