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Operations

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Operations

During the project, CO2CRC researchers have extracted carbon dioxide (CO2) rich gas from a gas well (Buttress).The gases have been compressed and piped to a deeper depleted natural-gas field (Naylor). Here, the CO2 has been injected through the new CRC-1 well and safely stored two kilometres below the Earth’s surface.

The 65,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide that CO2CRC has injected and stored is significantly less than the amount of natural gas originally held in the Naylor field, increasing confidence that the site will be able to safely store the gas without affecting the region’s geology.

Otway Schematic

What happens at the site?

1. Buttress -1 Site - Production
CO2-rich gas (80% CO2; 20% methane) is extracted from an existing well, processed and compressed. CO2 is transported via a new, underground, 2.25 km long, stainless steel pipeline.

2. CRC-1 Site - Injection
Over eighteen months, over 65,000 tonnes of the CO2-rich gas stream at supercritical state has been injected into a depleted gas reservoir – the Waarre C Formation - at a depth of 2050 metres. CO2 is migrating up-dip within the 31m thick reservoir sandstone capped by the impervious thick seal rock (the Belfast Mudstone).

3. Naylor-1 Site - Monitoring
Injected CO2 was first detected in underground samples from the Naylor-1 site four months after the start of injection. Monitoring is continuing in the reservoir, atmospheric, surface and near surface domains.

>> View animation of the process

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