Carbon Dioxide Storage Resource Assessment of the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Seaboard:  Analysis of Geological and Geophysical Vintage Data

Emission of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere have increased considerably over the last two centuries and is primarily due to anthropogenic activities. To limit the negative impacts of these emissions, multiples projects related to Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) have been developed. This paper will describe the potential geological storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean seaboard as part of Phase I of the Southeast Offshore Storage Resource Assessment (SOSRA), a project managed by the Southern States Energy Board through funding by the U.S Department of Energy. This research is being conducted by using vintage seismic data (2D seismic reflection surveys, geophysical logs) made publically available by the Bureau of Ocean and Energy Management (BOEM) and other published sources. These surveys have been collected as part of oil and gas exploration campaigns and academic research programs between 1975 and 1986. The main objectives of Phase I are to collect, analyze and interpret the vintage data and review publications to provide a reliable assessment of the geological framework of the Mid-Atlantic region and identify potential geological targets for CO₂ sequestration.

This paper will present the challenges related to dealing with vintage data, particularly the variable quality and degree of data coverage in the Mid-Atlantic region. Lastly, zones of interest and potential formation targets will be discussed. Preliminary results show that three main zones should be further investigated: The Baltimore Canyon Trough (BCT), the Carolina Trough (CT) and the Potomac Aquifer (PA). More specifically, the lower Cretaceous formation is a promising target for carbon sequestration with appropriate reservoir properties (permeability, porosity, etc.). Phase II of the SOSRA project will continue this investigation and define the limitations of potential reservoirs and provide volumetric calculations to provide an assessment of potential CO₂ sequestration in the Mid-Atlantic Ocean Seaboard.

Keywords

Carbon sequestration, Off-shore Geological Storage, Vintage Data, 2D Reflection Surveys, Geophysical Logs