Tore A. Torp

Bio: Tore A. Torp is an academic researcher from Equinor. The author has contributed to research in topics: European union & Natural gas field. The author has an hindex of 8, co-authored 13 publications receiving 886 citations.

Demonstrating Storage of CO_2 in Geological Reservoirs : the Sleipner and SACS Projects

Abstract: Publisher Summary The offshore gas field Sleipner, in the middle of the North Sea, has been injecting 1 Mt CO2 per year since September 1996. The CO2 is injected into a salt water containing sand layer, called the Utsira formation, which lies 1000 meter below sea bottom. During 1998, a group of energy companies, together with scientific institutes and environmental authorities in Norway, Denmark, the Netherlands, France, and the U.K., formed the Saline Aquifer CO2 Storage (SACS) Project Consortium and started to collect relevant information about the injection of CO2 into the Utsira formation and similar underground structures around the North Sea. The SACS project involves a multidisciplinary approach. The different scientific disciplines involved in the project include: geology, geochemistry, geophysics, and reservoir engineering/simulation. The Sleipner project is the first commercial application of CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers in the world. As a part of the SACS project, 3D seismic surveying has been used to successfully monitor the CO2 in the Utsira formation, which is unprecented in the industry. Repeat seismic surveys have successfully imaged movement of the injected CO2 within the reservoir. Reservoir simulation tools have been successfully adapted to describe the migration of the CO2 in the reservoir. The simulation packages have been calibrated against the repeat seismic surveys and shown themselves to be capable of replicating the position of the CO2 in the reservoir. The possible reactions between minerals within the reservoir sand and the injected CO2 have been studied by laboratory experiments and simulations.

Demonstrating the Potential for Geological Storage of CO2: The Sleipner and GESTCO Projects

Abstract: The member countries of the European Union plan to reduce their CO2 emissions in accordance with the international protocol agreed in Kyoto in 1997. The accepted options for doing this include fuel switching, improving energy efficiency, and the introduction of renewable energy sources. Geological storage of CO2 from fossil fuel use is also an option to reduce CO2 emissions, which does not require major changes in the energy infrastructure. Two projects are now under way in the European Union to study the potential for geological CO2 storage. The first project, known as GESTCO, will assess the potential CO2 storage capacity of the main sedimentary basins within Europe. GESTCO will examine in detail the geological storage potential and coincidence of CO2 emission sources to storage sites. In the North Sea the world’s first commercial geological storage project has now been in operation for 3 years. The natural gas from the Sleipner West field contains about 9% CO2, which must be reduced to 2.5% before sale. The CO2 is stripped by an amine scrubbing plant and then injected into a deep saline reservoir about 800 m below the seabed. To date, about 3 million tonnes of CO2 have been injected. To monitor the storage of CO2 in the reservoir, a project entitled Saline Aquifer CO2 Storage commenced in April 1998.

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.

Utilisation of CO2 as a chemical feedstock: opportunities and challenges

Abstract: The need to reduce the accumulation of CO2 into the atmosphere requires new technologies able to reduce the CO2 emission. The utilization of CO2 as a building block may represent an interesting approach to synthetic methodologies less intensive in carbon and energy. In this paper the general properties of carbon dioxide and its interaction with metal centres is first considered. The potential of carbon dioxide as a raw material in the synthesis of chemicals such as carboxylates, carbonates, carbamates is then discussed. The utilization of CO2 as source of carbon for the synthesis of fuels or other C1 molecules such as formic acid and methanol is also described and the conditions for its implementation are outlined. A comparison of chemical and biotechnological conversion routes of CO2 is made and the barriers to their exploitation are highlighted.

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.