A Preliminary Evaluation on CO₂Storage Capacity of the Southwestern Part of Ulleung Basin, Offshore, East Sea

Abstract

A theoretical CO 2 storage capacity is estimated on the southwestern continental shelf margin of Ulleung Basin, offshore Korea using 2D/3D multi-channel seismic and wellbore data acquired in the area over the two decades since the late 1980s. For the first time in Korea, the present study applies an efficiency factor to the capacity calculation, together with the other required parameters. For possible CO 2 storage volume estimation of the study area, we interpreted the seismic data in the Gorae area from 800 m to 3,000 m below the seafloor integrated with the well data, and identified five different seismic units; the limited depth interval is considered because of fluid state of CO 2 and tightness of the formation. The total volumes of each seismic unit were converted with a time-depth relation inferred from the checkshot surveys before the other required parameters including porosity and density were applied to compute the potential storage capacity. The accumulated possible storage volume from the five depositional units in the study area is estimated to be approximately 5,100 Mton (P 50 ). The approaches made in this study will be applied to the rest area of the basin and other continental shelves (i.e., Yellow Sea and northern part of East China Sea) in the next phase.

The geological CO2 storage capacity of the Jeju Basin, offshore southern Korea, estimated using the storage efficiency

“…(about 2 Gt -about 13 Gt, Kim et al, 2012) of the southwestern margin of the nearby Ulleung Basin. The estimated average porosities for the deep formations of the Jeju Basin and those of the southwestern margin of the Ulleung Basin are about 17% (Table 2) and about 15% , respectively.…”

“…The NETL method calculates the volume of stored CO 2 , based on the storage efficiency consisting of the geologic and displacement parameters. Kim et al (2012) estimated the CO 2 storage capacity of the five sedimentary units of the southwestern margin of the Ulleung Basin, using the volumetric method, based on the storage efficiency for shelf sediments proposed by Gorecki et al (2009). Their estimates range from about 2 Gt to about 13 Gt with an average of about 5 Gt.…”

Hydrochemical variations in selected geothermal groundwater and carbonated springs in Korea: a baseline study for early detection of CO2 leakage

“…Carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology is recognized as one of the most feasible methods to reduce stress on the Earth's climatic system caused by the increase in CO 2 (Nelson et al 2005;Azar et al 2006;Odeh and Cockerill 2008;Kim et al 2012;Kihm and Kim 2013). Deep saline aquifers ([1000 m depth) are considered the best candidate for CO 2 storage due to the general presence, huge storage volume, and appropriate depth required to maintain the supercritical condition of the CO 2 (Eiken et al 2011;Cavanagh and Haszeldine 2014).…”

“…1), and several pilot tests in both inland and submarine areas are currently in progress (Hong et al 2009;Kang et al 2012b;Kim et al 2012;Park et al 2013). Corresponding to these pilot tests, this study was performed to devise monitoring guidelines for early detection of CO 2 leakage from a storage formation before initiation of a field injection project.…”

Estimation of CO2 Transport Costs in South Korea Using a Techno-Economic Model

“…The Boryeong PP will have the wet-type CO2 capture plant, and the Hadong PP or Samcheok PP will have the dry type. The potential storage site is the Ulleung Basin, which has an estimated storage capacity of 5 GtCO2 [9]. Only offshore storage sites are being considered as candidate storage sites because Korea is a densely populated country, and no large saline aquifer suitable for CO2 storage has been found onshore.…”