Annex 3
Details of the Carbon Capture and Storage
Research Consortium
THE UK CARBON
CAPTURE AND
STORAGE CONSORTIUM
Total Value—£2,005,442
Imperial College—£274,800
Dr J R Gibbins (Overall Consortium Leader)
Prof M J Blunt
Dr C Adjiman
Dr A Galindo
Prof G Jackson
Prof C Lawrence
Dr R Martinez-Botas
University of Leeds—£144,954
Prof J M Kendall
Dr Q Fisher
Prof B W D Yardley
University of Glasgow—£57,979
Dr Z Shipton
Heriot-Watt University—£90,657
Dr F Gozzalpour
Dr B Tohidi
Dr P W M Corbett
University of Manchester—£257,797
Dr G Strbac
Prof N Jenkins
Dr M Black
Ms C Gough
Dr S Shakley
NERC British Geological Survey—£199,316
Dr S Holloway
University of Edinburgh—£115,536
Prof R S Haszeldine
| University of Aberdeen—£105,310
Prof A G Kemp
University of Newcastle upon Tyne—£125,312
Prof A C Aplin
Dr M Downie
Prof A Incecik
University of Nottingham—£134,159
Prof C Snape
Plymouth Marine Laboratory—£185,008
Dr C M Turley
Dr S Widdicombe
Mr D Lowe
Mr J C Blackford
Dr M C Austen
Dr A P Rees
University of Reading—£77,520
Dr D J Fulford
Cranfield University—£123,575
Mr J E Oakey
Dr N J Simms
University of Cambridge—£12,999
Prof M J Bickle
Dr D M Reiner
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PROPOSAL ABSTRACT
Concern is rising about global warming and, more recently
recognised, ocean acidification, mainly caused by CO2 released
when we use fossil fuels. But it may still take a long time to
change from the current situation, where we get most of our energy
from fossil fuels, to one where we use much less energy and get
a lot of the energy that we do use from renewables and perhaps
new nuclear power stations. And it may be difficult to replace
fossil fuels for some purposes—for example, to generate
electricity when the wind does not blow enough to turn windmills.
So what are we to do if we need to make big reductions in the
amounts of CO2 from fossil fuels getting into the atmosphere as
soon as possible, but cannot reduce their use as fast as we would
like without leaving an "energy gap"? One way to break
the link between using fossil fuels and putting CO2 into the atmosphere
is to capture the CO2 that is given off when fossil fuels are
burnt to make electricity or, in the future, to make hydrogen
gas that can be used as a carbon-free fuel. The CO2 can then be
injected underground by drilling special boreholes to 1 km depth
or more. Combined together this is called CO2 capture and storage
(CCS). To keep the CO2 underground we need a porous reservoir
rock, such as sandstone, with a sealing layer of less permeable
rock on top. CCS is obviously not a final solution to climate
change, but it does give us time to do all the other, often difficult,
things required to move towards a more sustainable world. Running
out of fossil fuels is not an immediate problem—these will
probably last for at least a century more—but tackling climate
change is! It is important that CO2 stays in the ground for at
least 10,000 years. We know that oil and gas, often containing
CO2, have been trapped underground for millions of years. This
proposal looks at how the UK's oil and gas fields might be used
in the near future as well-understood places to store CO2. This
is also likely to allow more oil to be extracted, and we will
study how to make the most of this for the UK economy. We may
also need to store additional CO2 underground offshore in deep
aquifers, layers of porous rock that are sealed but didn't happen
to trap oil and gas in the past and so just contain salty water.
We will look at how much CO2 the UK's offshore aquifer rocks can
safely hold. There is always a risk that some CO2 will leak into
the sea from these geological storage sites. This project will
study how this might happen, how to detect it if it does, and
what effect it might have on ocean ecosystems. But in any case,
when CO2 increases in the atmosphere more CO2 dissolves in the
surface layers of seawater, making the water more acid. This work
will also show what effects this has. Ways to capture CO2 from
power stations and hydrogen plants are fairly well understood,
although research is still needed to improve performance and reduce
the costs. So what we will concentrate on is how to make the best
use of CO2 capture as part of the whole UK energy system, as it
is now and as it might develop in the future. To do this we will
work closely with other groups in the TSEC programme, particularly
UKERC, and other UK and international collaborators. CCS systems
will spread across all of the UK, and offshore, so mapping data
for the project and seeing how it all fits together will be very
helpful. Because CCS has to be a bridge to new energy sources
we are particularly interested in how CCS systems can complement
renewables, for example by supplying backup electricity or by
providing a market to encourage a new biomass fuel industry. CCS
would also allow fossil fuels to be used to make hydrogen and
so help get a hydrogen economy under way. Finally, beyond the
practical, technical and economic factors it is equally important
that we understand the social and political aspects that may affect
the introduction of CCS as an option for reducinq CO2 emissions.
PROPOSAL OBJECTIVES
— To promote an understanding of how options for
decoupling fossil fuel use from carbon emissions through the use
of carbon capture and storage (CCS) could be used to assist the
UK in achieving an energy system which is environmentally sustainable,
socially acceptable and meets energy needs securely and affordably.
— To link closely with UKERC and other TSEC projects
to ensure that the, potentially very large, role for CCS is assessed
as a fully integrated part of the whole UK energy system.
— To collaborate with other CCS work, notably at
DTI, Defra and APGTF in the UK, and international groups such
as CO2NET and IEAGHG networks.
— To develop an interdisciplinary UK research community
for this emerging technology. And in specific project areas.
— To assess baseline lifecycle cost and emissions
of current and future fossil fuel supply chains.
— To develop ways in which fossil fuels plus CCS
can advantageously be combined with biomass and wind.
— To characterise technical options and costs for
H2 production from fossil fuels.
— To assess performance and operating costs for
CO2 capture from power stations and other large point sources.
— To devise and assess possible CO2 collection and
injection systems for the UK. To estimate likely CO2 retention
times for typical potential UK geological storage sites.
— To develop and assess ways in which CO2 could
advantageously be placed in UK hydrocarbon reservoirs as an extension
to extraction activities.
— To reduce significantly uncertainty in previous
estimates of overall UK storage capacity in aquifers.
— To set up a Geographical Information System, linked
to an economic model, to help assess different CCS scenarios.
— To undertake a range of dissemination activities
including a project Web site and a CCSUK annual seminar.
— To assess how CCS plant can help the UK to best
ensure real-time electricity demand is met reliably.
— To integrate project results in the development
of alternative dynamic pathways through which CCS might contribute
to reaching the 60% CO2 reduction target for the UK.
— To assess the present and future impact of ocean
acidification due to the uptake of CO2 from the atmosphere.
— To assess the environmental effects of possible
leakage from offshore and terrestrial CCS systems on affected
ecosystems.
— To explore the broader social and political implications
of, and conditions for, the implementation of CCS.
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