Engineering topics
Publications and source records attributed to Gill, Magdalena K..
This product describes the Characterization efforts since 2017; the current methods used, publication, deep dives into method applications, and future direction of the Core Characterization work.
Results of CT scanning experiments of several representative sealing rocks exposed to CO2 at elevated pressure conditions to determine if CO2 spontaneously imbibed into the low permeability rocks.
Review of core characterization with the Illinois State Geologic Survey, with a focus on novel analyses associated with the potential storage formation the St Peter Sandstone.
Description of efforts to examine the rapid mineralization of east coast mafic materials. Core characterization, batch experiments and building up dynamic flow processes.
Petrographic properties of principal target reservoirs for carbon sequestration, such as the Mt. Simon Sandstone, are relevant to broad interest groups. The Mt. Simon Sandstone is a deep, saline, regionally extensive Cambrian sandstone, overlain by low permeability sealing formations, making it one of the viable geologic carbon storage reservoirs in the Midwestern US. Its thickness (exceeding 2400 ft in some localities), depth, and lateral extent, combined with high porosity and permeability make it a high-priority target of multiple ongoing geologic carbon sequestration efforts in the United States of America. The National Energy Technology Laboratory in Morgantown, West Virginia, has been engaged in characterization efforts of the Mt. Simon for over a decade, with a strong focus on Computed Tomographic data acquisition. Data generated during this period has been hitherto not accessible to the public. This archival effort focused on preservation of historical CT data and associated metadata, and facilitating their accessibility, culminating with the publication of the entire dataset on NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (EDX) and the associated Gill et. al (2024) paper.
The multi-scale Computed Tomography (CT) and core flow facility in the Geocharacterization Laboratory at NETL, Morgantown yields porosity, permeability, and fracture properties of rock core samples obtained from the subsurface while maintaining the integrity of the sample. Additionally, geophysical bulk rock properties are analyzed with the laboratory’s GeoTEK multi-sensor core logger in a comparable fashion to downhole methods. NETL researchers collaborate with stakeholders within the carbon storage, oil and gas, and critical minerals sectors. Since 2017, over 1.88 miles of core have been analyzed within the laboratory and all data is publicly available through the Technical Report Series (TRS) on the Energy Data eXchange (EDX). Additionally, the website, RokBase, was curated to extrapolate and visualize the high-resolution data from field operations. The characterization of the Lively Grove #1 (LG#1) well provides a case study into the full capabilities of the Geocharacterization Laboratory. During the comprehensive study of LG#1 ~1-2 mm in diameter, vertical to bedding, cylindrical structures were identified throughout the St. Peter Formation. These structures are pervasive throughout the St. Peter Formation at depth and are characterized as the trace fossil, Skolithos.
The National Energy Technology Laboratory’s geoimaging lab in Morgantown, WV has been performing core characterization using multi-resolution Computed Tomography (CT) imaging and multisensor corelogger which allows for cm-resolution elemental and petrophysical measurements along whole core. This workflow has historically been used in unconventional gas plays and potential carbon storage locations. This rapid core characterization leads itself well as a first phase process in CM/REE evaluation efforts allowing for high-resolution, non-destructive investigation of elemental concentration using X-Ray Fluorescence and examination of core features through CT imaging.
Description of efforts at NETL RIC measuring relative permeability and core properties associated with ongoing and potential CO2 storage locations.
For presentation at the Geological Society of America Connects 2023, Pittsburgh, PA, October 15-18, 2023. Interaction of CO2 of fractured shales with different calcite contents resulted in similar macroscopic increases in permeability, though the microscopic alteration varied significantly.
NETL Core Characterization reporting on the Lively Grove #1 St. Peter Sandstone to the Illinois State Geological Survey at the ISGS All Hands Meeting, 9/26/23
Presentation for the 2023 FECM/NETL Carbon Management Research Project Review Meeting, Pittsburgh, PA, August 28-September 1, 2023.
The computed tomography (CT) facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown, West Virginia were used to characterize core from the Lively Grove #1 Well (API 121892494700), drilled near Marissa, Washington County, Illinois. Core from the well was obtained as part of the Illinois Storage Corridor’s Carbon Storage Assurance Facility Enterprise (CarbonSAFE) project (DE FE0031892). The primary impetus of this work was to capture a detailed digital representation of the core from the Lively Grove #1 Well. The collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) NETL and the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) enables other research entities to access information about this potential carbon storage location and Cambro-Ordovician Storage Complex formations of the Illinois Basin. The resultant datasets are presented in this report and can be accessed from NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (EDX) online system. All equipment and techniques used were non-destructive, enabling future examinations and analyses to be performed on these cores. Fractures, discontinuities, and millimeter-scale features were readily detectable with the medical CT scanner-acquired images. Imaging with the NETL medical CT scanner was performed on entire cores. Qualitative analysis of the medical CT images, coupled with X-ray fluorescence (XRF), gamma density, and magnetic susceptibility measurements from the MSCL were useful in identifying zones of interest for potential future analysis. Higher-resolution industrial and micro-CT images were acquired from selected zones along the depth of the core to visualize the structure in higher detail. The ability to quickly identify key areas for more detailed study with higher resolution will save time and resources in future studies. The combination of methods used provides a multi-scale analysis of the core; with the resulting macro- and micro-descriptions relevant to many subsurface energy related examinations traditionally performed at NETL.
The computed tomography (CT) facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in Morgantown, West Virginia were used to characterize the Lower Mt. Simon Sandstone and Eau Claire Formation core from the One Earth Energy Well #1 (OEE Well #1) in the Illinois Basin. The primary impetus of this work is a collaboration between the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS), the University of Illinois, and One Earth Energy to characterize and make publicly available core information of interest to carbon sequestration efforts in the Illinois Basin. This stratigraphic well and the core data produced in this report will aid in understanding the carbon sequestration potential of the Lower Mt. Simon Sandstone and the sealing capacity of the overlying units. The resultant datasets are presented in this report and can be accessed from NETL's Energy Data eXchange (EDX) online system using the following link: https://edx.netl.doe.gov/dataset/illinois-storage-corridor-one-earth-energy-1-core.
AGU 2021 Fall Meeting, Virtual, December 13-17, 2021.
Interpore 2021 Annual Meeting, Virtual, May 31-June 4, 2021
Presented by NETL at Interpore 10th Annual Meeting; 5/18
The computed tomography (CT) facilities and the Multi-Sensor Core Logger (MSCL) at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) Morgantown site were used to characterize 9 different core sections of Upper Ordovician black shale from the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia. The samples are representative of the upper Ordovician Martinsburg Formation, a Utica Shale equivalent, which is a carbonaceous black shale in the Appalachian Basin. The primary impetus of this work was to develop a standardized methodology for the rapid and detailed characterization of chemical composition, physical characteristics, and internal micro structure of lithologic samples with the NETL core characterization equipment. Having a standardized methodology combining these innovative techniques allows large, rapidly produced data sets to be available for multiple researchers and allows collaborative studies. The resultant data sets are presented as part of this report as well and can be accessed from NETL's Energy Data eXchange (EDX) online system (https://edx.netl.doe.gov) using the following link: https://edx.netl.doe.gov/dataset/martinsburg-formation-ct-data. All equipment and techniques used were non-destructive, enabling future examinations to be performed on these cores with the additional information gathered through these tests. None of the equipment used was suitable for direct visualization of the shale pore space, though fractures and discontinuities were visible and detectable with all methods tested. High resolution CT imagery with the NETL industrial CT scanner was a powerful and insightful way to examine the details of fractures, discontinuities, minerals, and large crystals within the shale, but was time consuming both in image capture and analysis. As such, only a small percentage of the core was scanned at high resolution. Low resolution CT imagery with the NETL medical CT scanner was performed on the entire core. Qualitative analysis of the medical CT images, coupled with the measurements from the multi-sensor core logger (including x-ray fluorescence, XRF, measurements) were very useful in identifying zones of interest for more detailed analysis and fractured zones. The ability to quickly identify key areas for more detailed study with higher resolution will save time and resources in future studies. The combination of all methods used provided a multi-scale analysis of this core and provided both a macro and micro description of the core that is relevant for many subsurface energy related examinations of core that have traditionally been performed at NETL.
Presented by NETL at 2017 GSA Joint Section Meeting; 3/17