From the “nobody could convince them it was a bad idea in the first place” department…
UPDATE: More details now emerging – see below the read more line
The Canadian Press – ONLINE EDITION
Carbon injected underground now leaking, Saskatchewan farmer’s study says
By: Bob Weber, The Canadian Press
A Saskatchewan farm couple whose land lies over the world’s largest carbon capture and storage project says greenhouse gases that were supposed to have been injected permanently underground are leaking out, killing animals and sending groundwater foaming to the surface like shaken-up soda pop.
Cameron and Jane Kerr, who own nine quarter-sections of land above the Weyburn oilfield in eastern Saskatchewan, released a consultant’s report Tuesday that claims to link high concentrations of carbon dioxide in their soil to the 8,000 tonnes of the gas injected underground every day by energy giant Cenovus in its attempt to enhance oil recovery and fight climate change.
“We knew, obviously, there was something wrong,” said Jane Kerr.
Cameron Kerr, 64, said he has farmed in the area all his life and never had any problems until 2003, when he agreed to dig a gravel quarry.
That gravel was for a road to a plant owned by EnCana — now Cenovus — which had begun three years earlier to inject massive amounts of carbon dioxide underground to force more oil out of the aging field.
Cenovus has injected more than 13 million tonnes of the gas underground. The project has become a global hotspot for research into carbon capture and storage, a technology that many consider one of the best hopes for keeping greenhouse gases out of the atmosphere.
By 2005, Cameron Kerr had begun noticing problems in a pair of ponds which had formed at the bottom of the quarry. They developed algae blooms, clots of foam and several colours of scum — red, yellow and silver-blue. Sometimes, the ponds bubbled. Small animals — cats, rabbits, goats — were regularly found dead a few metres away.
Then there were the explosions.
“At night we could hear this sort of bang like a cannon going off,” said Jane Kerr, 58. “We’d go out and check the gravel pit and, in the walls, it (had) blown a hole in the side and there would be all this foaming coming out of this hole.”
Read the entire story here
UPDATE: The Winnepeg Free Press has far more details in this story here
He said provincial inspectors did a one-time check of air quality. Eventually, the Kerrs paid a consultant for a study.
Paul Lafleur of Petro-Find Geochem found carbon dioxide concentrations in the soil last summer that averaged about 23,000 parts per million — several times those typically found in field soils. Concentrations peaked at 110,607 parts per million.
Lafleur also used the mix of carbon isotopes he found in the gas to trace its source.
“The … source of the high concentrations of CO2 in the soils of the Kerr property is clearly the anthropogenic CO2 injected into the Weyburn reservoir,” he wrote.
“The survey also demonstrates that the overlying thick cap rock of anhydrite over the Weyburn reservoir is not an impermeable barrier to the upward movement of light hydrocarbons and CO2 as is generally thought.”
It reminds me of this 1965 sci-fi movie:
h/t to WUWT reader AnonyMoose
Update: Reader _Jim finds the trailer:
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Charles S. Opalek, PE says:
January 11, 2011 at 12:00 pm
“How many pounds of carbon will be launched into the atmosphere designing, manufacturing, installing, operating, maintaining, and decommisioning a CO2 sequestration project versus how many pounds of carbon will be sequestered?”
Very good question which I have yet to see an analysis of – not surprisingly. I sure hope someone out there does know of one.
In the meantime, we must recognize the critical difference between good CO2 and bad CO2, of course.
P.S. Yes, Anthony, that last line was a (lame) attempt at sarcasm.
Re Charles Opalek,
According to an AEP source I spoke with a couple of years ago, it takes about 30% of the power produced from coal to sequester and bury the CO2. I forget whether that was 30% of the gross or net power produced.
We’re lucky, in a way, that the Saskatchewan well blew up in the first decade. How many will erupt after a century or a millenium?
Paul Deacon says:
January 11, 2011 at 12:09 pm
“I would have thought a lawsuit by the landowner would be quite effective in this case. Including of course asking as part of the remedy for all sequestered carbon to be removed from under the land.”
In Alberta, and presumably Saskatchewan, land owners rarely own more than the surface rights so that will be tricky if not impossible.
More likely they will suddenly ‘discover’ that CO2 is plant food and try to charge farmers for this ‘enhanced fertilization.’ [lame sarc]
“What was wrong with it …. before you tried to fix it?”
I worked as a mechanic, many years back, before college and the ensuing engineering career. Folks would bring in vehicles that others had tried to ‘fix’ but still weren’t operating correctly. We would ask them “What was wrong with it …. before you tried to fix it?”, in an attempt to discover the original root cause of the concern or problem. The attempted ‘fixes’, based on prior incorrect diagnoses, did not correct the original problem and often had created new ones.
It seems to be the appropriate question to ask about CO2 capture and sequestration.
Q: “What was wrong with it …. before you tried to fix it?”
A: “Uhhhmmmmmm – I guess, nothing really. We were told that CO2 was bad so we tried to ‘fix’ it.”
Also – Thanks Anthony, for your response to R. Gates. Those of us that have worked with odorless industrial gases (CO2, Argon, N, He, etc.) in mechanics, welding, heat, treating, Hot Isostatic Pressing, laboratory cryogenic applications, and installation of cryo-cooled interference fit fasteners know that asphyxiation from insufficient oxygen is a reality that cares little for theoretical logarithmic effects touted by the gullible or inexperienced.
Even farm silos, used to store silage or haylage for animal fodder, present a threat to the farmer, if adequate ventilation is not maintained. Oxidation of the silage in the silo consumes available oxygen until it is depleted. If an unwary farmer climbs into his silo, to clear a jammed silo unloader for example before the silo has been properly ventilated, they may be asphyxiated.
Reminds me of the dead village:
http://www.neatorama.com/2007/05/21/the-strangest-disaster-of-the-20th-century/
Dr T G Watkins
Yes, Lake Nyos. The conventional explanation is CO2 but they are wrong. CO2 does not cause boils on the skin or cause damage to the lining of the throat NOR does it destroy vegetation as was observed. Also people didn’t die from asphyxiation. They died from lung damage. Asphyxiation is just the party line. Both hydrogen and sulphur are present in volcano emissions. Since the event was discovered in the morning it had to have taken place the evening before. The only significant event in nature is the DEW POINT. Therefore it is not only likely but 100% certain that Lake Nyos outgassed a short time before dewpoint was reached. It wasn’t CO2 but far far more likely sulphur dioxide in conjunction with hydrogen sulfide. Once the dewpoint was reached voila instant tiny droplets of SULPHURIC ACID. This properly explains the observations NOT CO2. This is just another example of what happens when science becomes politicized. Oh and why did it happen? Lake Nyos is the caldera of an extinct(is it?) volcano.
As to “sequestration”. Now we have the first recorded environmental disaster caused by the Great Carbon Fraud. That grown men with apparently working brains would assume no cracks, fissures or varying porosity. Or that a heated gas expands? These people have effectively poisoned the land and the water. How long will it take for the better part of 13 million tons of CO2 percolating up from below to dissipate back to normal? Oh thats right they are still pumping. Similar unforseen problems may start to crop up elswhere.
Somehow I don’t think we will hear this story on the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corp.). The CBC will do it’s censoring by omitting this story and I suspect their current affairs program “The Fifth Estate” will do the same !
John Kehr says: “This is stupid, but the orbitting mirrors to reflect sunlight away from the Earth still remains the number 1 stupid idea of all time.”
I thought the mirrors were a fantastic idea compared to lacing the atmosphere with gigatons of extra sulfur.
I have a vague recollection that there are examples of near-surface gas accumulations in Saskatchewan and Alberta that can be trapped under clay layers in surficial (glacial) materials, so digging a gravel pit might just release some of that gas. I’d be interested in seeing some stable isotope evidence that would help determine if what is leaking is some of the “sequestered” (aka “oil recovery enhancing”) CO2 that was injected underground, or if it is pre-existing near-surface gas that was released by digging the pit. Just wondering if there is another explanation …
UK John @ur momisugly January 11, 2011 at 12:15 pm
Natural gas is routinely re-injected into and stored in depleted natural gas wells to meet winter peak demand. The gas originally in the well was there for millions of years at whatever pressure existed in the well when it was first drilled. Gas can be safely re-injected into the well at up to the original wellhead pressure without risk of leakage.
Paul Lafleur of Petro-Find Geochem found carbon dioxide concentrations in the soil last summer that averaged about 23,000 parts per million — several times those typically found in field soils. Concentrations peaked at 110,607 parts per million.
As well, Lafleur used the mix of carbon isotopes he found in the gas to trace its source.
“The … source of the high concentrations of CO2 in the soils of the Kerr property is clearly the anthropogenic CO2 injected into the Weyburn reservoir,” he wrote.
=======================================================
and the numbnuts wrap it up with this gem……………….
=====================================================
The gas is not poisonous, but it can cause asphyxiation in heavy concentrations
R Gates
Magnificant! I stand in awe of your greatness.
Fred
I think carbon sequestration and capture (CCS) is stupid: it is both pointless and expensive.
That said I have two points to make.
Firstly, pumping CO2 down oil wells to increase the total oil obtainable from them is tried and tested technology that is used because it is economic.
Secondly, I worked at the UK’s Coal Research Establishment (CRE) in the 1980s and 1990s when CCS was researched at CRE.
When CRE’s CCS research was first suggested I expressed severe doubts about underground storage of CO2: the vast literature on underground coal gasification proves that few geological structures other than spent oil wells would contain the CO2 for long periods. Despite that, much work was done on the possibility of underground storage. The article above describes the predictable result of such storage.
And I suggested that the collected CO2 should be frozen to form blocks (of ‘dry ice’) then dropped into deep ocean. Little CO2 would be lost as the blocks sank to the bottom where they would melt. At the temperatures and pressures at ocean bottom the CO2 would exist as pools of liquid CO2 which would take millenia to dissolve in the ocean water. We tested whether the solid blocks would survive the descent to ocean bottom in a water tank. The blocks obtained an insulating layer of ice and survived for weeks.
So, the disaster reported in the above article reports a result of pointless CCS that was conducted in a manner which was likely fail as it did and when a cheaper option for the storage exists and would probably work.
But I suppose some politicians fell for the boondoggle. I hope somebody will tell me who those politicians are because I would like to them to fund a project I have for obtaining energy from ‘hot rocks’.
Richard
Carl Bussjaeger @ur momisugly January 11, 2011 at 12:30 pm
Here, all this time, I thought the orbiting solar collectors combined with a microwave generator and antenna to beam microwave energy to a ground station for power generation was the #1 stupid idea of all time. Little did I know!
If the CO2 could be liquefied using pressure and then turned to ‘dry ice’, insulated at enormous extra cost – then there might be a chance of containing it (wouldnt drive out the depleted oil of course but maybe was never intended to). These ridiculous projects get the go ahead from politicians clutching at straws having been fed the myth of global warming by a load of self seeking charletans.
I’m not holding my breath on this one, as the CO2 levels in my blood will climb. Honestly my BS meter is wiggling, I’ll need additional corroboration before believing it.
A mad idea expecting any gas under high pressure not to find its way up to the surface.
What we observe as solid crustal rock is not solid at all. The whole of the Earth’s crust contains large voids and a massive connected fractal array of fissures from large crevasses to hairline cracks which were caused as the molten rock fractured on cooling and from subsequent impact shocks from earthquakes and other tectonic activity. Instead of crust, this fractured mass of interlocking pieces should be renamed the schisosphere.
Only in very few areas of the world would CO2 sequestration be viable and only then at great depth and low pressure. The guy who came up with this idea deserves the Darwin award for services to mankind… 🙁
As a geologist, I am of the opinion that safe CO2 sequestration should be achievable, the same as nuclear waste disposal, etc, etc.
However, as with all these ideas, very careful analysis (not models ! – I mean real analysis of the ground conditions) is required. The trouble is that doing ‘pilot’ schemes – say in a small zone of rock – do not necessarily reflect the real life effect of a bigger zone. So, there is alwys the element of risk.
Having said that, I cannot for the life of me see how CO2 capture and storage is a worthwhile effort using the carbon dioxide emitting energy to do it! Maybe, just maybe, if doubled CO2 is eventually found to be seriously detrimental to the climate(though I strongly doubt it) and maybe if we have found alternative energy sources, then it may just be worth looking into – but trying it today is a waste of time and valuable resources.
Gaia has flatulence attack.
Let’s all have a decent carbonated beverage while we watch the hazmat team clean that one up.
Someone should be fined for doing all of that polluting.
For Economic Geologist, from the article–As well, Lafleur used the mix of carbon isotopes he found in the gas to trace its source.
“The … source of the high concentrations of CO2 in the soils of the Kerr property is clearly the anthropogenic CO2 injected into the Weyburn reservoir,” he wrote.
There was also a bison kill at Yellowstone in 2001 due to gas in low areas near the Norris Geyser Basin. Hydrogen sulfide and carbon dioxide were blamed at the time.
Sounds like the reservoir guys blew it. Reinjection of natural gas back down producing oil wells is a common way to repressurize the reservoir and maintain production. It is widely used in the oilpatch and is common on the Prudhoe Bay oil fields.
The problem is that reservoirs are not completely tight, as there are always some sort of leaks – which is one of the ways they were discovered in the old days (take a look at the discussion of oil seeps in the Gulf of Mexico and offshore California during the BP Macondo spill). Oil comes out. So does natural gas, hydrogen sulfide and water.
The GTL guys are discussing reinjecting CO2 into the Prudhoe Bay fields as a way to maintain / enhance production in a declining field they are taking natural gas out of.
But you have to have your act together regarding the reservoir. Sounds like these folks didn’t. Cheers –
Brian W – thanks. I just remember reading a newspaper ages ago.
@Economic Geologist says: January 11, 2011 at 12:31 pm
They already applied carbon isotope …
“As well, Lafleur used the mix of carbon isotopes he found in the gas to trace its source.
‘The … source of the high concentrations of CO2 in the soils of the Kerr property is clearly the anthropogenic CO2 injected into the Weyburn reservoir,’ he wrote.”
LATEST:
Tuesday 11th January 2011
Krakatau Volcano, Indonesia
Eruptions from Krakatau volcano, Indonesia have forced the evacuation of tens of thousands residents. Seven districts affected are Kalianda, Rajabasa, Katibung, Sidomulyo, Ketapang, Sragi and Palas. On Monday ash from Anak Krakatau continued to cover residential areas in parts of Banten province and South Lampung. Visual observations showed ash emissions reaching a height of 600 m and drifting east. Ashfall has affected the operation of seismometers on the volcano. Fisherman and tourists are advised to stay at least 2 km from the volcano.