Ola Eiken

Bio: Ola Eiken is an academic researcher from Equinor. The author has contributed to research in topics: Medicine & Gravity (chemistry). The author has an hindex of 29, co-authored 55 publications receiving 3003 citations. Previous affiliations of Ola Eiken include Institute for Geosciences and Natural Resources.

Ten years' experience of monitoring CO2 injection in the Utsira Sand at Sleipner, offshore Norway

Abstract: Underground storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) as a measure to reduce the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and thereby to slow down global warming, has been studied and discussed widely over the last two decades (IPCC, 2005). Although considerable experience had been gained on CO2 injection for enhanced oil recovery before the start of the Sleipner storage project, very little was known about the effectiveness of underground storage of CO2 over very long periods of time. A number of demonstration sites have been initiated in the past few years, mainly for research purposes to investigate the feasibility of CO2 injection in different types of reservoirs and to study the chemical and flow behaviour of CO2 in the subsurface.

4D seismic quantification of a growing CO2 plume at Sleipner, North Sea

Abstract: CO 2 produced at the Sleipner natural gas field is being injected into the Utsira Sand, a major saline aquifer. Time-lapse seismic data were acquired in 1999 and 2001, with 2.35 and 4.26 million tonnes of CO 2 in the reservoir respectively. The CO 2 plume is imaged as a number of bright sub-horizontal reflections within the reservoir unit, growing with time, and underlain by a prominent velocity pushdown. No leakage has been detected from the repository reservoir. The reflections are interpreted as tuned responses from thin ( 2 trapped beneath thin intra-reservoir mudstones and the reservoir caprock. However, these alone are unable to account for the amount of observed pushdown. A two-component 3D saturation model is therefore developed for the 1999 dataset, with high-saturation CO 2 forming the layers and a lesser component of low-saturation CO 2 between the layers. Saturations are calculated from the observed reflectivity and velocity pushdown and the resulting model contains 85% of the known injected mass of CO 2 . A 2D synthetic seismic section through the saturation model matches the observed seismic response well and the model is considered to provide an acceptable description of the CO 2 distribution. Signal attenuation is more pronounced within the 2001 plume and its effects are likely to become more significant with time, perhaps reducing the efficacy of seismic verification techniques as the plume grows further. Other geophysical methods, such as microgravimetry, may become increasingly useful at this stage.

An overview of current status of carbon dioxide capture and storage technologies

Abstract: Global warming and climate change concerns have triggered global efforts to reduce the concentration of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2). Carbon dioxide capture and storage (CCS) is considered a crucial strategy for meeting CO2 emission reduction targets. In this paper, various aspects of CCS are reviewed and discussed including the state of the art technologies for CO2 capture, separation, transport, storage, leakage, monitoring, and life cycle analysis. The selection of specific CO2 capture technology heavily depends on the type of CO2 generating plant and fuel used. Among those CO2 separation processes, absorption is the most mature and commonly adopted due to its higher efficiency and lower cost. Pipeline is considered to be the most viable solution for large volume of CO2 transport. Among those geological formations for CO2 storage, enhanced oil recovery is mature and has been practiced for many years but its economical viability for anthropogenic sources needs to be demonstrated. There are growing interests in CO2 storage in saline aquifers due to their enormous potential storage capacity and several projects are in the pipeline for demonstration of its viability. There are multiple hurdles to CCS deployment including the absence of a clear business case for CCS investment and the absence of robust economic incentives to support the additional high capital and operating costs of the whole CCS process.

Optics and interferometry with atoms and molecules

Abstract: The development of wave optics for light brought many new insights into our understanding of physics, driven by fundamental experiments like the ones by Young, Fizeau, Michelson-Morley and others. Quantum mechanics, and especially the de Broglie’s postulate relating the momentum p of a particle to the wave vector k of an matter wave: k = 2 λ = p/ℏ, suggested that wave optical experiments should be also possible with massive particles (see table 1), and over the last 40 years electron and neutron interferometers have demonstrated many fundamental aspects of quantum mechanics [1].

Global Energy Assessment: Toward a Sustainable Future

Abstract: The Global Energy Assessment (GEA) brings together over 300 international researchers to provide an independent, scientifically based, integrated and policy-relevant analysis of current and emerging energy issues and options. It has been peer-reviewed anonymously by an additional 200 international experts. The GEA assesses the major global challenges for sustainable development and their linkages to energy; the technologies and resources available for providing energy services; future energy systems that address the major challenges; and the policies and other measures that are needed to realize transformational change toward sustainable energy futures. The GEA goes beyond existing studies on energy issues by presenting a comprehensive and integrated analysis of energy chalenges, opportunities and strategies, for developing, industrialized and emerging economies. This volume is a invaluable resource for energy specialists and technologists in all sectors (academia, industry and government) as well as policymakers, development economists and practitioners in international organizations and national governments.

CO2 Sequestration in Deep Sedimentary Formations

Abstract: Carbon dioxide capture and sequestration (CCS) in deep geological formations has recently emerged as an important option for reducing greenhouse emissions. If CCS is implemented on the scale needed to make noticeable reductions in atmospheric CO2, a billion metric tons or more must be sequestered annually—a 250 fold increase over the amount sequestered today. Securing such a large volume will require a solid scientific foundation defining the coupled hydrologic-geochemical-geomechanical processes that govern the long-term fate of CO2 in the subsurface. Also needed are methods to characterize and select sequestration sites, subsurface engineering to optimize performance and cost, approaches to ensure safe operation, monitoring technology, remediation methods, regulatory overview, and an institutional approach for managing long-term liability.

Separation and Capture of CO2 from Large Stationary Sources and Sequestration in Geological Formations—Coalbeds and Deep Saline Aquifers

Abstract: The topic of global warming as a result of increased atmospheric CO2 concentration is arguably the most important environmental issue that the world faces today. It is a global problem that will need to be solved on a global level. The link between anthropogenic emissions of CO2 with increased atmospheric CO2 levels and, in turn, with increased global temperatures has been well established and accepted by the world. International organizations such as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have been formed to address this issue. Three options are being explored to stabilize atmospheric levels of greenhouse gases (GHGs) and global temperatures without severely and negatively impacting standard of living: (1) increasing energy efficiency, (2) switching to less carbon-intensive sources of energy, and (3) carbon sequestration. To be successful, all three options must be used in concert. The third option is the subject of this review. Specifically, this review will cover the capture and geologic sequestration of CO2 generated from large point sources, namely fossil-fuel-fired power gasification plants. Sequestration of CO2 in geological formations is necessary to meet the President's Global Climate Change Initiative target of an 18% reduction in GHG intensity by 2012. Further, the best strategy to stabilize the atmospheric concentration of CO2 results from a multifaceted approach where sequestration of CO2 into geological formations is combined with increased efficiency in electric power generation and utilization, increased conservation, increased use of lower carbon-intensity fuels, and increased use of nuclear energy and renewables. This review covers the separation and capture of CO2 from both flue gas and fuel gas using wet scrubbing technologies, dry regenerable sorbents, membranes, cryogenics, pressure and temperature swing adsorption, and other advanced concepts. Existing commercial CO2 capture facilities at electric power-generating stations based on the use of monoethanolamine are described, as is the Rectisol process used by Dakota Gasification to separate and capture CO2 from a coal gasifier. Two technologies for storage of the captured CO2 are reviewed--sequestration in deep unmineable coalbeds with concomitant recovery of CH4 and sequestration in deep saline aquifers. Key issues for both of these techniques include estimating the potential storage capacity, the storage integrity, and the physical and chemical processes that are initiated by injecting CO2 underground. Recent studies using computer modeling as well as laboratory and field experimentation are presented here. In addition, several projects have been initiated in which CO2 is injected into a deep coal seam or saline aquifer. The current status of several such projects is discussed. Included is a commercial-scale project in which a million tons of CO2 are injected annually into an aquifer under the North Sea in Norway. The review makes the case that this can all be accomplished safely with off-the-shelf technologies. However, substantial research and development must be performed to reduce the cost, decrease the risks, and increase the safety of sequestration technologies. This review also includes discussion of possible problems related to deep injection of CO2. There are safety concerns that need to be addressed because of the possibilities of leakage to the surface and induced seismic activity. These issues are presented along with a case study of a similar incident in the past. It is clear that monitoring and verification of storage will be a crucial part of all geological sequestration practices so that such problems may be avoided. Available techniques include direct measurement of CO2 and CH4 surface soil fluxes, the use of chemical tracers, and underground 4-D seismic monitoring. Ten new hypotheses were formulated to describe what happens when CO2 is pumped into a coal seam. These hypotheses provide significant insight into the fundamental chemical, physical, and thermodynamic phenomena that occur during coal seam sequestration of CO2.