A recent paper in the International Journal of Coal Geology (co-authored by Cvictus’s Chief Technical Officer and Cofounder, Michael Blinderman, and Chief Geologist, Curtis Evans, with our academic partners at the University of Calgary) summarizes analysis and results from our 2022 CO2 injection program and outlines the potential for deep coal as a sink for CO2 sequestration. This work confirms key parameters and behaviours for our platform technology, Enhanced Hydrogen Recovery™ (EHR™), and progresses the scientific understanding of the role unmineable coals could play in the decarbonization of global energy systems as an alternative for sequestration to deep saline aquifers and depleted oil and gas reservoirs.
Key findings show that contrary to previously held conceptions, near-injector permeability loss due to CO2 adsorption-induced coal swelling can be overcome by increased permeability from natural fracture dilation with Cvictus’s technique for CO2 injection. A numerical model representation of the program was constructed to further our understanding of inter-well connectivity, CO2 plume migration, and in-situ fluid (water and natural gas) displacement behaviour in the subsurface environment. This model, after history matching and calibration, allowed analysis of our monitoring data throughout the program and lead to additional results indicating that the deep Mannville coals, where our initial project is located, provide a secure mechanism for CO2 storage.
We are immensely proud of this work and further proofing of our patents as we move towards commercialization and our vision to be ‘the most positively impactful company on the planet’. Thank you to the Department of Geoscience at the University of Calgary for your hard work and ongoing collaboration.
You can find the full publication here: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coal.2023.104317
