Kaia Little

PhD student - Geo

Biography

In 2002 Kaia completed her BSc majoring in Earth Sciences and Geology from the University of Queensland, going on to graduate with first class honours in 2003. Her thesis was titled "Depositional environments of the Wellington Stratigraphic Trap and Adjacent Seals in the Late Permian of the Baryulah Area, Cooper Basin" and was sponsored by Santos. Kaia commenced her PhD at the ASP in January 2003. Her PhD thesis is a component of the Cooperative Research Centre for Green House Gas Technologies (CO2CRC). Her project aim is to determine the suitability of the Otway Basin in Southern Australia as an appropriate region for carbon dioxide sequestration. Kaia received an AAPG grants-in-aid of research scholarship in 2004 and a scholarship to attend the 19th World Energy Congress Youth Symposium in Sydney, 2004. Kaia is a member of AAPG and PESA.

PhD Research Project

A Geologic Model for CO2 Sequestration Within the Otway Basin

Supervisor/s: Assoc Prof Simon Lang

Scholarship support: CO2CRC, AAPG Grants-in-aid

Project Description

Debate is continuing as to the exact effect of anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions on climate change and global warming, but growing evidence of its effects has prompted international bodies about the need to address growing emissions. After the Kyoto Convention in 1997, Australia's environmental commitment was for emissions to only grow by 8% of the 1990 emissions level, which requires that Australia reduce the emissions rate. Australia has large amounts of natural gas, a resource that will be exploited more in the future for energy requirements both in Australia and overseas.

The Otway Basin, southern Australia, is a significant source of gas, with locally high CO2 composition, but is economically attractive due to its proximity to domestic markets. Natural gas production however, will increase carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, so a satisfactory method of CO2 sequestration must be found. Subsurface geological storage of CO2 is the preferred option because of its large potential storage capacity, long residence times, relatively low cost and the large impact on reducing emissions. The CO2CRC program, under which this research project falls, is assessing geological sequestration of CO2 within Australia and the Otway Basin has been selected as a key basin to pursue this research.

This project will specifically focus on geological modelling of suitable CO2 storage sites within the Otway Basin, which has a number of natural CO2 fields demonstrating the basin's suitability. A geological model of the selected area will be built by gathering data from seismic lines, well log correlations, core logging, drill cuttings analysis, field samples and thin sections. MICP analysis will determine the capacity of the seal and reservoirs. The geological model that is built will highlight a series of potential injection sites that could be evaluated for locating a future pilot injection plant.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

Good quality reservoir represented by Timboon Sandstone (a) and (b). Seal issues demonstrated by Pember Mustone (c) and Intra-Pember Sandstone Member (d).