Geosciences Colloquium
at the Department of Environment and Biodiversity (Geology)
5 pm, 12th Nov., 2024
HS 434
(Stiege 5, 3. Stock) NLW, PLUS, Hellbrunnerstraße 34, Salzburg
‘Seal rock investigations for geological storage?’
Prof. David Misch
Energy Geosciences
Montanuniversität Leoben
Abstract:
Seal rocks are traditionally considered essential elements of a working petroleum system. More recently they attracted broad attention in the context of various emerging geoenergy applications, such as underground hydrogen storage (UHS) and carbon capture and storage (CCS).
This talk focuses on fine-grained siliciclastic seal rocks. A workflow for compaction analysis based on extensive core and wireline log data from the Vienna Basin is presented. The petrophysical trends are then compared to established mathematical compaction models and the validity of a generalized basin-wide “normal compaction trend” (NCT) model is discussed. Furthermore, the static seal capacity is evaluated based on capillary pressure data, and maximum seal capacity vs. depth trends are derived. Finally, dynamic leakage calculations considering different transport processes (Darcy flow, Knudsen diffusion, etc.) are introduced and implications for long-term underground storage safety are discussed.
Since rock-fluid interactions may alter the pore structure and fluid transport properties of a capillary seal, the results of gas exposure trials on the Hall Formation caprock of the first successful UHS facility in the Lehen Field (North Alpine Foreland Basin) are presented. The talk will conclude with an outlook on future activities of the Energy Geosciences team at Montanuniversitaet Leoben in the field of geo-storage seal integrity.
Short bio:
David Misch holds a doctoral degree from Montanuniversitaet Leoben, where he also obtained his habilitation in Geology. He worked as an invited postdoctoral researcher at RWTH Aachen University and was awarded the Walther E. Petraschek and Hans Höfer von Heimhalt prizes of the ÖAW and ÖGG, respectively, for his early career research in sedimentology. He was appointed Professor of Energy Geosciences at Montanuniversitaet Leoben in 2023 and currently heads the Chair of Energy Geosciences as well as the Department of Applied Geosciences and Geophysics.
