CIUDEN

Fundación Ciudad de la Energía

Spain

Description of the entity:

The Fundación Ciudad de la Energia (CIUDEN) is a public law body created by the Spanish Government in 2006 to support and promote international cooperation to enhance European competitiveness through strategic research partnerships with industry, SMEs, Universities and research institutions. The scope of CIUDEN´s Clean Coal Technologies Programme is the development of efficient, cost effective and reliable CCS technologies. In this sense, CIUDEN is involved in the development of several Research Infrastructures, as the Technology Development Plant on CO2 Storage in Hontomín. Furthermore, CIUDEN has experience in several EU projects, as the so-called OXYCFB300 Compostilla Project funded under the European Energy Programme for Recovery (EEPR), ECCSEL Preparatory Phases, R&Dialogue or IMPACTS. Networking and knowledge sharing expertise comes from the active participation of Ciuden in taskforces within EU Knowledge Sharing CCS Network, CO2Geonet and Global CCS Institute activities. In addition, Ciuden has experience in arranging training activities, as the courses performed with national universities.

 

Contribution to the Work Plan and expertise brought to ENOS:

With the aim of providing the needed commitments for the correct development of the ENOS proposal, Ciuden is showing the activities and background information that will enable the project to achieve the expected outcomes; these are the following:

  • CO2 and brine injection strategies. These are included as the core part of T.1.1. and will take advantage of the experiences acquired until now, which includes the CO2 and brine injection tests that have already been done, in order to better define the more innovative approaches, as explained in the proposal.
  • Data acquisition and interpretation of the 30 passive microseismic monitoring stations located all around the Hontomin site for induced seismicity risk management purposes (T.1.2) in the vicinity of the CO2 injection activities. These data will also be used as part of the integration activities that will be located at T.1.4. The geophones are divided in 2 types, both of 3 components, 20 of them were provided by Sara Electronics with a frequency of 4,5Hz, whereas the other 10 were provided by Lennartz with frequency of 0,5Hz. The existing data will also be available if needed, to establish the baseline for a better understanding of the initial conditions. The passive seismic network is in operation since 2011.
  • Reservoir geochemical monitoring. Apart from the deep sampler which is going to be developed in T.1.3, and all its associated activities in lab and simulation, according to project needs, Ciuden will provide data from the sampling to be performed at Hontomin H-I Injection well using the U-tube tool, and will give access to data from former sampling surveys.
  • Geophysical monitoring. Several activities will take place in the frame of ENOS, mainly at T.1.3 (3D VSPs, crosshole seismic, seismic noise correlation or seismic interferometry…), Ciuden wants to highlight that data from former VSPs surveys will be available for the partners, if needed, to provide input in the definition of the surveys to be done during the project. In addition, data acquired using iDAS, the retrievable set of hydrophones in the monitoring well H-A and the crosshole data collected from electrodes installed in both wells (HI and HA) will be also available for the partners to accomplish the activities explained in T.1.4.
  • Soil gas monitoring. Ciuden will provide the existing data from natural flow emissions acquired during the characterization phase at Hontomin, as well as the data from the meteorological station which is in operation since June 2010 providing data of different nature (temperature, moisture, solar radiation, wind speed and direction, pluviometry…). These data will allow a better definition of the threshold values in T.1.3.
  • Shallow groundwater monitoring. A monitoring network was established in 2012 at Hontomin, consisting of 3 new Wells in the surroundings of H-I and H-A Wells, measuring piezometric levels (m), temperature (ºC), pH, ORP (mV) and LDO (mg/l); and 5 existing ones that provide piezometric levels. The necessary data will be available for the ENOS partners and will allow a complete definition of the monitoring input that is going to allow the risk model to be updated.
  • Monitoring data in the Wells. Pressure and temperature in the wellhead and at different depths all along the wells, up to 1,500m will be available according to the project goals.
  • CO2 injection will be carried out with controlled pressure, temperature and flow rates, thus different phases will be tested. The facility also offers the possibility of co-injecting brine and CO2, with or without tracers. The data will be provided during operations in order to better define the simulation and history matching activities within ENOS.

Furthermore, Ciuden will also provide to the involved partners in ENOS activities all the needed information for accomplishing the satisfactory execution of the committed Works, that may include existing models and data from surveys already performed, establishing the confidentiality agreements when needed.

CIUDEN is involved in:

  • all tasks of WP1 Ensuring safe storage operations (WP leader)
  • 3 of the 4 tasks in WP2. Ensuring storage capacities and cost-effective site characterisation (A minor contribution in Task 2.1 for exchange of information on modelling data; Task 2.3 Low Cost Drilling (task leader) and Task 2.4 Technical guidelines on storage capacities estimates and cost-effective site characterisation).
  • WP3. Managing leakage risks for protection of the environment and groundwater (Task 3.4 Integrated monitoring solution)
  • all tasks in WP5 Coordination with local communities, and Leader of Task 5.3 Development of a Public Information Tool for CO2 storage sites
  • 3 of the 5 tasks in WP6 International Cooperation & seeding pilots and demos in Europe (Task 6.1 International cooperation; Task 6.2 European links, liaison and knowledge exchange; Task 6.4 Preparation of follow-up stages for ENOS pilot sites)
  • all tasks in WP7 Spreading innovation
  • 2 of the 4 tasks in WP8 Promoting CCS through training and education (Task 8.1 Education and training for the European research community; Task 8.4 Raising awareness by training workshops for journalists and media)
  • in WP9 Management as WP Leader in the MB and as Hontomin Site Contact

 

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