AQUISTORE

Aquistore is a research project designed to capture carbon dioxide (CO₂), a greenhouse gas currently being released into the atmosphere, compress the captured CO_2, and transport it by pipeline to a site, where it will be injected for permanent storage. CO₂ capture and storage is a viable option to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

 

The CO₂ will be injected (at over 2 km depth) into a geologic formation that contains very saline brines. Saline formations are very deep, porous rocks containing water that is unusable because of its high salt or mineral content. These formations meet all the necessary criteria to provide safe, long-term storage of CO₂ when the proper confining units are located above the storage formation. Once CO₂ is injected into a deep saline formation, it is trapped within tiny pores of the storage rocks. Over time the CO₂ dissolves in unusable water already in the rock formation and becomes securely trapped. The CO₂ remains far below the surface, separated from usable groundwater by thick, impermeable barriers of dense rock.

 

Aquistore, which is being managed by the Petroleum Technology Research Centre, with 10 years of experience managing CO₂ monitoring and storage, will conduct a detailed characterization of deep saline formations in Saskatchewan and identify a suitable storage location for CO₂ injection. PTRC will also conduct a CO₂ measurement, monitoring and verification program prior to and during the injection. SaskEnergy and Enbridge Inc. will build the pipeline to transport the CO₂ from its source to the injection point. Currently, the CO₂ source is still to be determined. One potential source being considered is the CCRL refinery in Regina, but no capture facilities have been built by the company.

 

Current partners in the project include: