Coal system CO₂ interaction

Purpose

The uncertainty of CO2 remaining in coal seams is one of the main unknowns in storage of CO2. This work aims to investigate the potential leakage of CO2 from coal seams and the effect of possibly leakage to adjacent clastic rocks.

Summary

This work aims to apply geochemical and petrological techniques to:

• determine mineral paragenesis and the physico-chemical conditions under which diagenesis occurred in sandstones adjacent to CO2-rich and CO2-poor coal seams;
• correlate the diagenetic patterns in these sandstones with properties such the character, mineralogy, CO2 content and fracture density of adjacent coal seams;
• determine the effect of CO2-induced diagenesis on sandstone reservoir quality; and,
• establish timescales of dissolution and precipitation of minerals including dawsonite as a result of migration of CO2 from the adjacent coal seams.