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© 2023 Raj Deo Tewari, Tan Chee Phuat and Mohd Faizal Sedaralit. This open-access article is distributed under a Creative
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American Journal of Environmental Sciences
Original Research Paper
A Toolkit Approach for Carbon Capture and Storage in
Offshore Depleted Gas Field
Raj Deo Tewari, Tan Chee Phuat and Mohd Faizal Sedaralit
Group Technology and Commercialization, Petronas, Malaysia
Article history
Received: 20-07-2022
Revised: 13-02-2023
Accepted: 18-03-2023
Corresponding Author:
Raj Deo Tewari
Group Technology and
Commercialization, Petronas,
Malaysia
Email: rdtewari@gmail.com
Abstract: Fossil fuels are considered a dependable, cost-effective, and
efficient energy source and their utilization has resulted in tremendous
growth for humanity. However, it has its downside also. Experts are of the
view that present energy systems are unsustainable due to their detrimental
impacts on the environment. Oil and gas producers are charged that their
infrastructure, utilization of materials and technologies for exploration,
development, and operation, and production and consumption based GHG
emission is harming the environment severely. Current atmospheric CO2
concentrations are slightly more than 400 ppm, almost double since the
beginning of the industrial revolution. CO2 concentration is continuously
increasing in the atmosphere which is causing an increase in the atmospheric
temperature. Studies suggest that if no new emissions occur, even though the
temperature would be 1.1°C higher at the end of the century due to significant
accumulated CO2 in the atmosphere. Is opined by some experts that a further
increase of CO2 concentration in the atmosphere would saturate its impact in
terms of increasing trend of temperature rather it would be logarithmic in
nature which means additional CO2 concentration in the atmosphere would
not increase the temperature alarmingly. However, IPCC suggested that the
relationship is more linear and if CO2 emission is not controlled then its effect
would not just be worse but speed up the detrimental effects. Various
measures are being taken up to reduce the CO2 concentration in the
atmosphere for preventing major climate change and control the detrimental
side effects like natural calamities such as drought, flood, forest fires, and
acidification of the ocean. CO2 Capture and Storage (CCS) is one of the most
important efforts in the spectrum of measures being considered and applied
for managing this menace and meeting the net zero CO2 emission target set
by countries and companies by 2050. Development and adoption of
renewable energy are gaining momentum, but it will take some time before
renewable energy plays a dominant role in the total energy mix. Natural gas
will play a transition fuel role before achieving the dominant role of
renewable energy in the total energy mix and CCS will enable the
development of contaminated gas fields to meet the gas demand. The world
focus is on renewable and environment-friendly energy development e.g.,
solar, wind and hydrogen, etc. Carbon dioxide (CO2) capture, utilization, and
storage is the best option for mitigating atmospheric emissions of CO2 and
thereby controlling the greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere.
Despite the benefits, there have been a limited number of projects solely for
CO2 sequestration being implemented. The industry is well-versed in gas
injection in reservoir formation for pressure maintenance and improving oil
recovery. However, there are striking differences between the injection of
CO2 into depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs and the engineered storage of CO2.
The differences and challenges are compounded when the storage site is
karstified carbonate in offshore and bulk storage volume. It is paramount to
know upfront that CO2 can be stored at a potential storage site and