Battelle experts have managed and safely executed more than $100 million worth of carbon capture and storage field programs during the last five years.

—Marty Toomajian, president of Battelle’s Energy, Environment and Material Sciences Global Business

Following is a breakdown of each:

• Addressing Subsurface Brine Disposal. The Research Partnership to Secure Energy for America (RPSEA), a program funded by the US Department of Energy (DOE) and managed by the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), has selected Battelle’s proposal for assessment of subsurface disposal of oilfield brine under its Unconventional Resources Program.

  Battelle will address the growing demand for subsurface brine disposal from oil and gas production in the Northern Appalachian Basin (in Ohio and neighboring states) during the next two years. The work includes compiling geological and reservoir data, developing geologic models from well logs and seismic data, and carrying out advanced reservoir and geomechanical simulations to better understand the geologic setting, reservoir dynamics, geomechanical issues, and subsurface effects of brine disposal. Battelle will be supported by the state geological surveys, brine injection, and geomechanical companies in this research.

• Carbon Dioxide Utilization and Storage. DOE’s NETL also has selected Battelle for two projects dealing with carbon dioxide utilization and storage. The projects are co-funded by The Development Services Agency's Ohio Coal Development Office (OCDO) for promoting clean use of Ohio coals.

• Evaluating Wellbore Integrity. The first project is Systematic Assessment of Wellbore Integrity for Geologic Carbon Storage Using Regulatory and Industry Information. It will review well records to determine categories of well integrity based upon well age, construction methods and materials. This information will be linked to field observations of well construction and pressures. The project will help understand and mitigate risk factors to help facilitate the use of CO₂ in enhanced oil recovery and storage in geologic formations. Additional funding and collaborative support is being provided by the oil and gas industry.

• Simplifying Computer Models for CO₂ Sequestration. The second NETL-funded project is called Simplified Predictive Models for CO₂ Sequestration Performance Assessment. The project will develop and validate simplified modeling tools that would assist project developers, risk assessors, modelers and regulators in carrying out rapid feasibility and risk assessment of CO₂ sequestration projects. Battelle is collaborating with Stanford University.

• CO₂ Storage Technology in China. Finally, Battelle has been selected by The World Bank Group to provide consulting services to assist China Power Infrastructure Company (CPI) for exploration of CO₂ storage options from a coal-fired power plant in China's Sichuan Basin. This project demonstrates how Battelle’s CO₂ storage and utilization expertise developed over the last 15 years is being used in a country with very rapidly growing CO₂ emissions. Battelle is collaborating with WorleyParsons and Chinese Geological Survey in this program.

Battelle is the world’s largest independent research and development organization, and conducts $6.5 billion in global R&D annually through contract research, laboratory management and technology commercialization. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, Battelle oversees 22,000 employees in more than 130 locations worldwide, including eight national laboratories for which Battelle has a significant management role on behalf of the US Department of Energy, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the United Kingdom.