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CO2 SEQUESTRATION IN
PENNSYLVANIAN COAL-BEARING
STRATA OF ALABAMA
Dr. Jack Pashin
Devon Chair of Basin Research
Oklahoma State University

RECS 2015, UAB
June 11, 2015

Nashville Dome
Black
Warrior
basin

Appalachian
Mountains

Gulf of Mexico
basin

ALABAMA
GEOLOGY in
a POSTCARD

Saline formaRons
Enhanced oil recovery
Coal, shale sinks
Shale, evaporite seals

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REGIONAL
GEOLOGY

Thomas and Bayona (2005)

THE ALABAMA
POTTSVILLE

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CUMULATIVE
GAS
PRODUCTION

Gorgas
Miller

~4.2 Gw

SECARB test site

Sequestration > 340 Mt

ECBM = 0.6-1.2 Tcf

DUAL
POROSITY

Cleated coal

Fractures
Facilitate Flow

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FACE-CLEAT APERTURE
50 m

a3
k=
12s
100 mD

10 mD

1 mD

0.4 mm
V.E. = 5x
0.00
Pashin et al. (2008)

COMET3 MODELING

COMET3 models by Advanced Resources International

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POTTSVILLE
CORE
Jim Walter
Resources, Inc.

MARINE FOSSIL ASSEMBLAGE

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FORESET BEDDING

QUARTZ SS
PROPERTIES

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BEACH AND TIDAL DEPOSITS

Sigmoid cross-beds with clay drapes

Facies
model
Wedge-planar cross-beds

MesoRdal shore zone

STANDING LYCOPOD

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TERRESTRIAL LIFE
Trigonotarbid spider

Amphibian track
(Cincosaurus cobbi)

IDEAL DEPOSITIONAL CYCLE

Stop 1
Stop 2

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POTTSVILLE CYCLE STACKING

POTTSVILLE COASTAL PLAIN

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CONCLUDING THOUGHTS
Major sequestraEon and enhanced recovery
capacity in coal-bearing rocks (P50 ~ 2 Gt).
Dual porosity systems; coal is stress-sensiEve.
SedimentaEon in uvial-deltaic systems;
saline reservoirs in shoreline sandstone.
At Stop 1 we will examine a classic deltaic
secEon with a reservoir-quality coal seam.
At Stop 2 we will examine heterogeneous
shoreline sandstone representaEve of saline
reservoirs in the subsurface.

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