• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.193-206
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• 2018

In this study, as part of the "Small-scale $CO_2$ Injection-Demonstration Project in Offshore Pohang Basin", we performed drilling and completion of a $CO_2$ injection well from the offshore platform installed in the Yeongil Bay, Pohang city, Gyeongsang buk-do. The drilling of injection well was carried out from an offshore platform installing on the sediment formations of the Pohang Basin. Drilling diameters were reduced by stages, depending on the formation pressure and groundwater pressure along a depth and the casing installation and cement grouting in drilled hole were performed at each stage. The injection well was drilled to a final depth of 816.5 m with a hole diameter of 4 7/8 inches (${\Phi}124mm$) and the perforated casing for an injection section was installed in a depth of 746.5~816.5 m. Injection tubing, packer, and christmas tree were installed for the completion of an injection well for $CO_2$. The validation project of the $CO_2$ injection was accomplished successfully by drilling the injection well and installing the injection facilities, and through the suitable $CO_2$ injection process. The current injection facility is a facility for small-scale injection demonstration of 100 tons. In the case of large-scale demonstration facility test of a capacity of 10,000 tons, research is underway through the upgrading of the injection facilities.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.217-246
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• 2018

During the selection and characterization of target formations in the Small-scale Offshore $CO_2$ Storage Demonstration Project in the Pohang Basin, we have carefully investigated the possibility of induced earthquakes and leakage of $CO_2$ during the injection, and have designed the storage processes to minimize these effects. However, people in Pohang city have a great concern on $CO_2$-injection-intrigued seismicity, since they have greatly suffered from the 5.4 magnitude earthquake on Nov. 15, 2017. The research team of the project performed an extensive self-investigation on the safety issues, especially on the possible $CO_2$ leakage from the target formation and induced earthquakes. The target formation is 10 km apart from the epicenter of the Pohang earthquake and the depth is also quite shallow, only 750 to 800 m from the sea bottom. The project performed a pilot injection in the target formation from Jan. 12 to Mar. 12, 2017, which implies that there are no direct correlation of the Pohang earthquake on Nov. 15, 2017. In addition, the $CO_2$ injection of the storage project does not fracture rock formations, instead, the supercritical $CO_2$ fluid replaces formation water in the pore space gradually. The self-investigation results show that there is almost no chance for the injection to induce significant earthquakes unless injection lasts for a very long time to build a very high pore pressure, which can be easily monitored. The amount of injected $CO_2$ in the project was around 100 metric-tonne that is irrelevant to the Pohang earthquake. The investigation result on long-term safety also shows that the induced earthquakes or the reactivation of existing faults can be prevented successfully when the injection pressure is controlled not to demage cap-rock formation nor exceed Coulomb stresses of existing faults. The project has been performing extensive studies on critical stress for fracturing neighboring formations, reactivation stress of existing faults, well-completion processes to minimize possible leakage, transport/leakage monitoring of injected $CO_2$, and operation procedures for ensuring the storage safety. These extensive studies showed that there will be little chance in $CO_2$ leakage that affects human life. In conclusion, the Small-scale Offshore $CO_2$ Storage Demonstration Project in the Pohang Basin would not cause any induced earthquakes nor signifiant $CO_2$ leakage that people can sense. The research team will give every effort to secure the safety of the storage site.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.133-160
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• 2018

$CO_2$ storage is a very important technology for reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and has been considered as almost the only viable and effective option for immediate large-scale $CO_2$ sequestration. Small-scale demonstration project for offshore $CO_2$ storage in the Pohang Basin is the transitional stage R&D program for technological preparation of large-scale $CO_2$ storage project in Korea. Through the extensive exploration research for prospective $CO_2$ storage sites, the offshore strata in the Pohang Basin was recommended for the storage formation of the small-scale demonstration project. The Pohang Offshore Storage Project launched at 2013, and has accomplished the technical demonstration and technological independence in a wide range of $CO_2$ storage technology, such as geophysical exploration, storage site characterization, storage design, offshore platform construction, injection-well drilling and completion, deployment of injection facility, operation of $CO_2$ injection, and $CO_2$ monitoring. The project successfully carried out $CO_2$ test injection in early 2017, and achieved its final goal for technical development and demonstration of $CO_2$ storage in Korea. The realization of $CO_2$ injection in this project is the measurable result and has been recorded as the first success in Korea. The Pohang Offshore Storage Project has a future plan for the continuous operation of $CO_2$ injection and completion of $CO_2$ monitoring system. The project has provided in-house technical and practical expertises, which will be a solid foundation for the commercial-scale $CO_2$ storage business in Korea. Additionally, the project will help to secure national technical competitiveness in growing international technology market for $CO_2$ storage.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.247-258
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• 2018

In the demonstration-scale offshore $CO_2$ storage project, the monitoring team studies geophysical and geochemical monitoring of $CO_2$ injections in the Yeongil Bay, in which a $CO_2$ test injection (about 100t) was performed in January, 2017 and further injections in larger scales are planned for 2018 and 2019. In this study, the development status of the Korea-type Hydro-Geophone OBS (Ocean Bottom Sensor) and the geochemical baseline survey (focused on some anions of sediment pore water) are suggested as the preliminary results of the pre-injection test.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.9-17
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• 2022

This paper is the continuation of our previous paper, which we refer to as numerical analysis of phase behavior and flow properties in an injection tubing during gas phase CO₂ injection. Our study in this paper show the results during supercritcal CO₂ injection under the same project. Geological CO₂ storage technology is one of the most effective method to decrease climate change due to high injectivity and storage capacity and economics. A demonstration-scale CO₂ storage project was performed in a deep aquifer in the Pohang basin, Korea for a technological development in a large-scale CO₂ storage project. A problem to consider in the early stage design of the project was to analyze CO₂ phase change and flow characteristics during CO₂ injection. To solve this problem, injection conditions were decided by calculating injection rate, pressure, temperature, and thermodynamic properties. For this research, we simulated and numerically analyzed CO₂ phase change from liquid to supercritical phase and flow characteristics in injection tubing using OLGA program. Our results provide discharge pressure and temperature conditions of CO₂ injection combined with a pressure of an aquifer.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Gas
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• v.25 no.4
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• pp.10-18
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• 2021

CO₂ storage technology in an aquifer is one of the most effective way to decrease global warming due to a high storage capacity and economics. A demonstration-scale offshore CO₂ storage project was performed in a geological deep aquifer in the Pohang Basin, Korea for a technological development of large-scale CO₂ storage. A challenging issue in the early design stage of the project was to establish the proper injectivity during CO₂ injection. To solve this issue, injection conditions were calculated by calculating injection rate, pressure, temperature, CO₂ phase change, and thermodynamic properties. For this study, we simulated and numerically analyzed CO₂ phase change from gas to supercritical phase and flow behavior in transport piping and injection tubing using OLGA program. Our results provide the injectivity conditions of CO₂ injection system combined with a bottomhole pressure of an aquifer.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.166-180
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• 2016

The present study numerically simulated the CO2 injection into the saline aquifer of CO2CRC Otway pilot project and the resulting hydrological-mechanical coupled process in the storage site by TOUGH-FLAC simulator. A three-dimensional numerical model was generated using the stochastic geological model which was established based on well log and core data. It was estimated that the CO2 injection of 30,000t over a period of 200 days increased the pressure near the injection point by 0.5 MPa at the most. The pressure increased rapidly and tended to approach a certain value at an early stage of the injection. The hydrological and mechanical behavior observed from the CO2 flow, effective stress change and stress-strength ratio revealed that the CO2 injection into the saline aquifer under the given condition would not have significant effects on the mechanical safety of the storage site and the hydrological state around the adjacent fault.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.56 no.3
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• pp.311-330
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• 2023

Development of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technique is becoming increasingly important as a method to mitigate the strengthening effects of global warming, generated from the unprecedented increase in released anthropogenic CO₂. In the recent years, the characteristics of basaltic rocks (i.e., large volume, high reactivity and surplus of cation components) have been recognized to be potentially favorable in facilitation of CCS; based on this, research on utilization of basaltic formations for underground CO₂ storage is currently ongoing in various fields. This study investigated the feasibility of underground storage of CO₂ in basalt, based on the examination of the CO₂ storage mechanisms in subsurface, assessment of basalt characteristics, and review of the global research on basaltic CO₂ storage. The global research examined were classified into experimental/modeling/field demonstration, based on the methods utilized. Experimental conditions used in research demonstrated temperatures ranging from 20 to 250 ℃, pressure ranging from 0.1 to 30 MPa, and the rock-fluid reaction time ranging from several hours to four years. Modeling research on basalt involved construction of models similar to the potential storage sites, with examination of changes in fluid dynamics and geochemical factors before and after CO₂-fluid injection. The investigation demonstrated that basalt has large potential for CO₂ storage, along with capacity for rapid mineralization reactions; these factors lessens the environmental constraints (i.e., temperature, pressure, and geological structures) generally required for CO₂ storage. The success of major field demonstration projects, the CarbFix project and the Wallula project, indicate that basalt is promising geological formation to facilitate CCS. However, usage of basalt as storage formation requires additional conditions which must be carefully considered - mineralization mechanism can vary significantly depending on factors such as the basalt composition and injection zone properties: for instance, precipitation of carbonate and silicate minerals can reduce the injectivity into the formation. In addition, there is a risk of polluting the subsurface environment due to the combination of pressure increase and induced rock-CO₂-fluid reactions upon injection. As dissolution of CO₂ into fluids is required prior to injection, monitoring techniques different from conventional methods are needed. Hence, in order to facilitate efficient and stable underground storage of CO₂ in basalt, it is necessary to select a suitable storage formation, accumulate various database of the field, and conduct systematic research utilizing experiments/modeling/field studies to develop comprehensive understanding of the potential storage site.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.21 no.4
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• pp.69-75
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• 2012

Destruction of HFC-134a from ELV (End of Life Vehicle) were determined in a gasification-melting demonstration system of municipal solid waste (100ton/day). The injection system has been developed for the uniform injection of HFC-134a to the gasification-melting system. The destruction characteristics of HFC-134a and analysis of exhaust gases have been performed. The destruction efficiency was 99.995% for HFC-134a feeding of 3 kg/hr and the exhaust gases such as CO, SOx, NOx, HCl and HF satisfied the environmental standards.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.19-30
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• 2021

This study evaluated the injection rate and the injection efficiency of the artificial recharge in the upper drought-prone watershed region, where the remaining water was used for injection, by using a numerical model to secure water during a drought. As a result of a numerical model under the condition of diverse injection rates per a well and hydraulic characteristics of the aquifer, the optimal injection rate per a well was estimated as 50.0 ㎥/day, and the injection efficiency was simulated as 33.2% to 81.2% of the total injection volume. As the injection time was shorter, the injection efficiency tented to increase non-linearly. As the injection rate increased, the residual storage in aquifer increased and available groundwater amount also increased, which could be advantageous for drought relief. For a more accurate assessment of injection efficiency, the model will be validated using the field injection data and optimum scenarios will enable the efficient operation of the artificial recharge system in the study area.