Details of Award
NERC Reference : NE/C51651X/1
The UK Carbon Capture and Storage Consortium.
Grant Award
- Principal Investigator:
- Professor J Gibbins, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth Marine Lab
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor CE Snape, University of Nottingham, Faculty of Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor M Kendall, University of Oxford, Earth Sciences
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor Q Fisher, University of Leeds, School of Earth and Environment
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor R Martinez-Botas, Imperial College London, Mechanical Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Mr D Lowe, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth Marine Lab
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor MJ Downie, Newcastle University, Sch of Natural & Environmental Sciences
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor PWM Corbett, Heriot-Watt University, Sch of Energy, Geosci, Infrast & Society
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr C Adjiman, Imperial College London, Chemical Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor TT Cockerill, University of Leeds, Mechanical Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr CM Turley, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth Marine Lab
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr J Blackford, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth Marine Lab
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor J Colls, University of Nottingham, Sch of Biosciences
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor CJ Lawrence, Institute for Energy Technology, UNLISTED
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor A Galindo, Imperial College London, Chemical Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor J Oakey, Cranfield University, School of Water, Energy and Environment
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor A Incecik, Newcastle University, Marine Science and Technology
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor MD Steven, University of Nottingham, Sch of Geography
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr M Black, The University of Manchester, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor G Strbac, Imperial College London, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Ms C Gough, The University of Manchester, Electrical and Electronic Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor MJ Bickle, University of Cambridge, Earth Sciences
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor S Widdicombe, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth Marine Lab
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor B Tohidi, Heriot-Watt University, Sch of Energy, Geosci, Infrast & Society
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr AP Rees, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth Marine Lab
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor N Jenkins, Cardiff University, Sch of Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr F Gozalpour, Heriot-Watt University, Institute Of Petroleum Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor MC Austen, University of Plymouth, Sch of Biological and Marine Sciences
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor G Jackson, Imperial College London, Chemical Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr DJ Fulford, University of Reading, Built Environment
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor ZK Shipton, University of Strathclyde, Civil and Environmental Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor M George, University of Nottingham, Sch of Chemistry
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor AC Aplin, Durham University, Earth Sciences
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor D Reiner, University of Cambridge, Judge Business School
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor S Haszeldine, University of Edinburgh, Sch of Geosciences
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor A Kemp, University of Aberdeen, University of Aberdeen Business School
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr S Holloway, British Geological Survey, Energy & Marine Geoscience
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor BWD Yardley, University of Leeds, School of Earth and Environment
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor MJ Blunt, Imperial College London, Earth Science and Engineering
- Co-Investigator:
- Professor NJ Simms, Cranfield University, School of Water, Energy and Environment
- Co-Investigator:
- Dr S Shackley, University of Edinburgh, Sch of Geosciences
- Grant held at:
- Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Plymouth Marine Lab
- Science Area:
- Marine
- Atmospheric
- Overall Classification:
- Atmospheric
- ENRIs:
- Global Change
- Science Topics:
- Climate & Climate Change
- Abstract:
- Concern is rising about global warming and, more recently recognised, ocean acidification, mainly caused by CO2 released when we use fossil fuels. But it may still take a long time to change from the current situation, where we get most of our energy from fossil fuels, to one where we use much less energy and get a lot of the energy that we do use from renewables and perhaps new nuclear power stations. And it may be difficult to replace fossil fuels for some purposes - for example, to generate electricity when the wind does not blow enough to turn windmills. So what are we to do if we need to make big reductions in the amounts of CO2 from fossil fuels getting into the atmosphere as soon as possible, but cannot reduce their use as fast as we would like without leaving an 'energy gap'? One way to break the link between using fossil fuels and putting CO2 into the atmosphere is to capture the CO2 that is given off when fossil fuels are burnt to make electricity or, in the future, to make hydrogen gas that can be used as a carbon-free fuel. The CO2 can then be injected underground by drilling special boreholes to 1km depth or more. Combined together this is called CO2 capture and storage (CCS). To keep the CO2 underground we need a porous reservoir rock, such as sandstone, with a sealing layer of less permeable rock on top. CCS is obviously not a final solution to climate change, but it does give us time to do all the other, often difficult, things required to move towards a more sustainable world. Running out of fossil fuels is not an immediate problem - these will probably last for at least a century more - but tackling climate change is! It is important that CO2 stays in the ground for at least 10,000 years. We know that oil and gas, often containing CO2, have been trapped underground for millions of years. This proposal looks at how the UK's oil and gas fields might be used in the near future as well-understood places to store CO2. This is also likely to allow more oil to be extracted, and we will study how to make the most of this for the UK economy. We may also need to store additional CO2 underground offshore in deep aquifers, layers of porous rock that are sealed but didn't happen to trap oil and gas in the past and so just contain salty water. We will look at how much CO2 the UK's offshore aquifer rocks can safely hold. There is always a risk that some CO2 will leak into the sea from these geological storage sites. This project will study how this might happen, how to detect it if it does, and what effect it might have on ocean ecosystems. But in any case, when CO2 increases in the atmosphere more CO2 dissolves in the surface layers of seawater, making the water more acid. This work will also show what effects this has. Ways to capture CO2 from power stations and hydrogen plants are fairly well understood, although research is still needed to improve performance and reduce the costs. So what we will concentrate on is how to make the best use of CO2 capture as part of the whole UK energy system, as it is now and as it might develop in the future. To do this we will work closely with other groups in the TSEC programme, particularly UKERC, and other UK and international collaborators. CCS systems will spread across all of the UK, and offshore, so mapping data for the project and seeing how it all fits together will be very helpful. Because CCS has to be a bridge to new energy sources we are particularly interested in how CCS systems can complement renewables, for example by supplying backup electricity or by providing a market to encourage a new biomass fuel industry. CCS would also allow fossil fuels to be used to make hydrogen and so help get a hydrogen economy under way. Finally, beyond the practical, technical and economic factors it is equally important that we understand the social and political aspects that may affect the introduction of CCS as an option for reducing CO2 emissions.
- Period of Award:
- 1 Jul 2005 - 28 Feb 2009
- Value:
- £185,008 Split Award
Authorised funds only
- NERC Reference:
- NE/C51651X/1
- Grant Stage:
- Completed
- Scheme:
- TSEC Pre FEC
- Grant Status:
- Closed
- Programme:
- TSEC
This grant award has a total value of £185,008
FDAB - Financial Details (Award breakdown by headings)
| Total - T&S | Total - Staff | Total - Other Costs | Total - Indirect Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| £5,274 | £106,956 | £23,579 | £49,200 |
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