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The BEST Field Projects Selected to Improve Water Management and Conservation2 min read

by Maryann Villavert on June 30, 2016

Announcements Energy Geosciences Division Geologic Carbon Sequestration Program Geophysics Department Hydrogeology Department
Example of 3D View permeability at TIW-1 relief well for BEST project.

3D view of the injected fluid plume in terms of salinity (× 106 parts per million, ppm) in the Lower Tuscaloosa injection layer, at the end of the selected 18-month pressure management base case scenario. Graph also shows the location of a hypothetical fault as a scenario for pressure management and a cross-sectional view of the layer-cake permeability values in the back. The injected fluid reaches the passive relief well (TIW-1) at about 12 months and then starts migrating down into the deeper Lower Tuscaloosa/Lower Cretaceous layers. Permeability values are given in m2 (~1012 Darcy).

Earlier in June, the Department of Energy announced the selection of two Brine Extraction Storage Test (BEST) field projects that will test enhanced water recovery technologies for their potential to produce useable water from carbon dioxide (CO2) storage sites. The projects are set to receive funding managed by the Department’s National Energy Technology Laboratory’s (NETL) Carbon Storage Program in the amount of approximately $21M, including cost share, for over four years.

Berkeley Lab researchers in the Energy Geosciences Division (EGD) will play a key role in BEST field project “Phase II Field Demonstration at Plant Smith Generating Station, near Panama City, Florida.” They will develop the reservoir and hydromechanics simulation model and algorithms that will be used to optimize well field configurations and testing (water injection/pumping) strategies for the field test. In addition, EGD has a key monitoring program role, and will use electrical geophysical methods and Interferometer Satellite Aperture Radar (InSAR) to track the pressure and plume position in the subsurface.

Plant Smith (image from Gulf Power, a Southern Company)

Plant Smith (image from Gulf Power, a Southern Company)

The BEST field project team (Advanced Resources International, Berkeley Lab, and CH2M), assembled by Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. who will also manage the project, is collaborating with Southern Company and its subsidiary, Gulf Power Company, who are lending invaluable support by providing valuable site information and who has agreed to host the Phase II field demonstration at Plant Smith.

EGD staff involved in the BEST field project include Jens Birkholzer, the project lead, Abdullah Cihan, Jonny Rutqvist, Michael Commer, Quanlin Zhou, Tom Daley, Mike Wilt, and Kurt Nihei.

News & Events

EESA Research Scientist Selected for NAE 2022 U.S. Frontiers of Engineering Symposium2 min read

May 23, 2022

Mengsu Hu, an EESA research scientist, was selected to participate in the National Academy of Engineering (NAE) U.S. Frontiers of Engineering symposium in September. For more than 25 years, the NAE has identified the best and brightest early-career engineers from large and small companies, research universities, and government laboratories to discuss their leading-edge research and…

Microbial Response to a Changing and Fire-Prone Arctic Ecosystem2 min read

April 27, 2022

Burning more than 1,000 square kilometers of tundra on Alaska’s North Slope, the 2007 Anaktuvuk river wildfire is one of the largest fires to occur within Arctic ecosystems. Berkeley Lab scientist Nick Bouskill led a study that used data from this disturbance event to predict ecosystem recovery as fires advance in a changing climate. (Credit:…

Study Evaluates Phosphorus Availability Underground using Plant Leaves as Biosensors3 min read

April 25, 2022

When envisioning renewable energy, sources that often come to mind are the sun, wind, batteries, and water. However, biofuel, a type of renewable energy that converts organic material from plants into liquid fuel, is an important part of a global effort to achieve net-zero emissions. Switchgrass, a deep-rooted native North American grass that grows in…

EESA Multimedia Producer and Digital Strategist Niba Audrey Nirmal Awarded Ocean Science Journalism Fellowship1 min read

Niba Audrey Nirmal, EESA Multimedia Producer and Digital Strategist, has been awarded the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI) Ocean Science Journalism (OSJ) Fellowship.   In May, Nirmal will join nine other selected fellows on a five-day, experiential-learning based retreat at the WHOI located in Falmouth, Massachusetts to learn about ocean-science concepts ranging from marine biology to…

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