Battelle Leads Partnership Team to Major Milestone in Large-Scale Demonstration Project

Ten years ago, the United States Department of Energy (DOE) set a big goal. It wanted a scientific demonstration of injecting a significant amount of carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the rock deep below the earth’s surface.

Now, a Battelle-led team known as Midwest Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (MRCSP) has successfully stored one million metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO₂) as part of its large-scale demonstration project. This MRCSP demonstration is one of eight such DOE projects helping to develop and deploy carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), an advanced energy technology that can help support a secure, reliable, and competitive energy system in the U.S.

In the intervening decade since the project began, an impressive amount of environmental and economic benefits has been achieved. Battelle began the third phase of injection in 2013 and, in conjunction with Core Energy LLC, is monitoring, verifying and accounting for the CO₂ being used for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) in the depleted oil fields of Michigan’s Northern Reef Trend.

The practice of using carbon dioxide to recover oil uses a closed-loop process to access the fossil fuel that would otherwise be left behind, maximizing existing oil fields. One million cumulative metric tons of CO₂ stored is equivalent to removing 214,000 passenger vehicles for one year, or the amount stored by 1.2 million acres of forest in one year. As a result of this CO₂ injection, more than $70 million dollars of economic benefit has been added to the local economy in jobs, goods and services, and taxes, based on the significant volume of oil that has been produced—oil that would otherwise have been left behind.

Additionally, there has been significant scientific knowledge gained. The project developed novel approaches for using CO₂ in fields that were in different stages of their production life-cycles, from initial flooding to late-stage. The MRCSP tested state-of-the-art techniques to track the CO₂ and quantify the amount that is retained in the formation after the oil is removed. These data can be used to further optimize CO₂ storage and energy production in other areas. MRCSP will continue to collect field operational data and deploy advanced monitoring technologies to characterize and simulate the CO₂ storage, retention, and enhanced oil recovery processes across the test locations.

“Battelle is proud to lead the MRCSP,” said Neeraj Gupta, Principal Investigator for the MRCSP. “This public-private partnership has allowed us to apply cutting edge science in practical real-world settings. This project is one of several that demonstrates that CCUS can be done safely, cost-effectively, and for the larger societal benefit.”

The MRCSP comprises a 10-state region that is home to more than 25% of the U.S. population and generates roughly $4.62 trillion in gross regional product. It produces almost 25% of all electricity generated in the country—more than half of that by burning coal. The MRCSP is one of seven Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnerships in the United States established by DOE’s National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL).

About Core Energy, LLC

Core Energy, LLC is actively involved in innovative oil and gas exploration and production technologies throughout Michigan. Core was the first company in Michigan to utilize carbon dioxide on a commercial scale to produce oil that would otherwise be stranded from existing oil fields. The company is also using modern techniques to explore for new reserves located near existing oil fields. Core Energy is headquartered in Traverse City, MI. More information about the company is available on the Internet at: www.coreenergyholdings.com.

About Battelle

Every day, the people of Battelle apply science and technology to solving what matters most. At major technology centers and national laboratories around the world, Battelle conducts research and development, designs and manufactures products, and delivers critical services for government and commercial customers. Headquartered in Columbus, Ohio since its founding in 1929, Battelle serves the national security, health and life sciences, energy and environmental industries. For more information, visit www.battelle.org.

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