Guodong Cui

Bio: Guodong Cui is an academic researcher from China University of Geosciences (Wuhan). The author has contributed to research in topics: Geothermal gradient & Geothermal energy. The author has an hindex of 16, co-authored 45 publications receiving 715 citations. Previous affiliations of Guodong Cui include Jilin University & ETH Zurich.

Injection of supercritical CO2 for geothermal exploitation from sandstone and carbonate reservoirs: CO2–water–rock interactions and their effects

Abstract: CO2 can be injected into geothermal reservoirs to exploit geothermal energy. It is of concern that complex geochemical reactions induced by CO2 can result in change of the reservoir porosity and affect the fluid flow and heat mining rate. In this study, laboratory experiments on CO2–water–rock interactions were conducted to investigate the geochemical reactions using rock samples from typical sandstone and carbonate reservoirs. Based on the experimental results, 3D reactive transport simulation models for sandstone and carbonate reservoirs were established to simulate the geochemical reactions and their effects on heat mining rate during geothermal exploitation using CO2. The potential of CO2 storage in the heat mining process in different geothermal reservoirs was also assessed. The experimental results show that, for the sandstone tested, the presence of CO2 can lead to the dissolution of ankerite and clay minerals and the precipitation of plagioclase, which can result in the increase of Ca2+ and Mg2+ in formation water. For the carbonate tested, CO2 can induce the dissolution of dolomite and the precipitation of ankerite and calcite. The numerical simulation results indicate that the influence of the geochemical reactions on flow behavior and heat mining rate is dependent on the reservoir type and mineral compositions. For the sandstone reservoir, the reduction of the porosity caused by minerals precipitation has a negative effect on heat mining rate, while for the carbonate reservoir, the dissolution of dolomite and clay minerals can overshadow the precipitation effect of calcite and silicate minerals and increase the heat mining rate.

Advances in CO₂ utilization technology: A patent landscape review

Abstract: There is rising concern on the increasing trend of global warming due to anthropogenic CO₂ emission which steers progress of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects worldwide. However, due to high cost and uncertainties in long term geological storage, there is a growing inclination to include utilization, which re-use the CO2, hence carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS). Additionally, it is expected to generate income to offset the initial costs. This study methodically review patents on CO₂ utilization technologies for CCUS application published between year 1980–2017. It was conducted using the Derwent Innovation patent database and more than 3000 number of patents was identified. The patents identified are in the field of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and enhanced coal-bed methane (ECBM), chemical and fuel, mineral carbonation, biological algae cultivation and enhanced geothermal system (EGS). Over 60% of these patents were published since the last 10 years, and a sharp increase in patents were seen in the last 5 years (∼38%). The top major patent types are patents granted in the United States (US), China (CN) and Canada (CA) which makes of 3/5 of the overall patent type found. Recent patents published include enhancements to the state-of-the-art technologies and hybrid concepts such as in photo-bioreactor in algae cultivation, chemical reaction and EGS. From this study, it was found that further research for the best CO₂ utilization method which fulfil the need of an economic, safe, non-location dependent and environmentally friendly whilst efficiently mitigate the worldwide global warming issue is much needed.

China’s carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS) policy: A critical review

Abstract: Carbon capture, utilization and storage (CCUS), has been deemed an essential component for climate change mitigation and is conducive to enabling a low-carbon and sustainable future. Since the 12th Five-year Plan, China has included this technology as part of its future national carbon mitigation strategies. China's policy framework in relation to CCUS has had a strong influencing role in the technology's progress to date. This paper employs the “policy cycle” to analyze China's existing CCUS regulatory framework at the national and provincial level, evaluate its performance and clarify its shortcomings in light of the comparisons of policy movements undertaken in other countries. The results indicate that China's CCUS policy is insufficient for further development of the technology and many issues remain to be solved. This includes the lack of an enforceable legal framework, insufficient information for the operationalization of projects, weak market stimulus, and a lack of financial subsidies. These factors may be the reason we have seen low participation rates of Chinese companies in CCUS and little public understanding of what the technology offers. To overcome these challenges, suggestions are provided for improving China's CCUS legal and policy framework.