Scoping study for material carbon abatement via carbon capture and storage: Final project reports
The project was aimed at providing information and analysis to inform the broader debate on how Australia might contribute to climate change mitigation and on the suitability of the Surat Basin for large-scale Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) as a part of this.
50 project reports have been delivered as part of the scoping study.
Key reports
| Executive summary | Extended socio-economic-technical summary |
| Main Project Report | China engagement: Special edition |
Technical volumes
The following individual reports are filed mainly as “working papers” in order to provide a research resource in advance of full, independent peer-reviewed journal publications.
Social impact
- Effects of message framing on the support for carbon capture and storage (CCS) and alternative energy technologies
- Managed aquifer recharge focus groups
- Five country survey
- Australian Energy Preferences and the place of Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) within the energy mix
Geological & geophysical analyses
- Integrated facies analysis of the Precipice Sandstone and Evergreen Formation in the Surat Basin
- Sequence stratigraphy of the Precipice Sandstone and Evergreen Formation in the Surat Basin
- Facies prediction from well logs in the Precipice Sandstone and Evergreen Formation in the Surat Basin
- Palynological analysis of the Precipice Sandstone and Evergreen Formation in the Surat Basin
- Seismic interpretation - geophysics
- Mineralogy, geochemical CO2-water-rock reactions and associated characterisation
- Wireline log analysis
- Core data analysis
- Seismic files: data set
- Methane survey over Surat Basin seismic anomaly
Dynamic modelling
- Flow modelling of the managed aquifer recharge areas
- Pressure constraints on injection
- Multiphase behaviour – relative permeability and capillary pressures
- Transition Zone behaviour test models
- Sector model for carbon dioxide injection simulations – gridding and upscaling
- CO2 injection sensitivity study
- Fluid model
- Notional injection sites – injection scenarios
- DST Analysis
- Moonie oil field history match and re-evaluation
- Precipice sandstone hydraulic property estimation from observed MAR responses
Static modelling
- Integrating petrophysics into modelling
- Sector-scale static reservoir modelling of the basin-centre in the Surat Basin
- Regional static model
Hub architecture & development
- Notional injection well design
- Notional injection site identification report
- Notional pipeline route analysis
- Hub development: Industrial-scale deployment via retrofitting sequencing and pipeline development
- Methodology for assessment of dynamic capacity
- Experiences in adapting legacy oil and gas wells for CCS-related well testing
- Well-pad concept definition study
Groundwater assessments
- Regional groundwater model
- Hydrogeochemical investigation of the Precipice Sandstone aquifer in the Moonie Area, Southern Surat Basin, Australia: Assessing up-fault discharge potential
- The Lockyer Valley; Great Artesian Basin groundwater discharge to the east of the Great Dividing Range
Site appraisal
- Appraisal well test designs
- Site appraisal plan
- Risk register report
- Fluid substitution for seismic detection of plume
Economics & regulations
- Estimates of unit costs and discussion of the value of investment in appraisal
- Discussion document - A regulatory review of greenhouse gas storage - governance of pressure impacts in the GAB, Queensland
- Reviews of previous work on costs in Australian carbon capture and storage (note: this work was disbanded and rescoped - the orginal report is included here for completeness)
Literature review
“The project scoped the safe and secure injection scheme with up to 13 million tonnes per annum of emissions captured for well over 30 years under very conservative assumptions. This amount is equivalent to taking 2.8 million cars off the road every year and represents a much-needed materiality which other schemes can’t match”
- Professor Andrew Garnett