The storage capacity of underground gas storages in the Czech republic

Sources of natural gas are in most cases located in remote areas far from the places where the gas is utilized, i.e. especially developed industrial countries to which it is transported via pipeline. However, transit gas pipelines, which are transporting extracted gas to the consumers, have a relatively limited peak capacity, the transit supplies essentially have a stable character and are not able to cover increased seasonal or peak demands for gas in gas distribution networks. The solution of this problem is the main task for underground gas storages (UGS) that through the operative regulation maintain stability and reliability of the entire gas system. This article provides a general list of options that can increase the storage capacity of natural gas in underground gas storages and focuses on factors that influence the options of an individual UGS

Potential Unconventional Gas Plays in Mature Basin of the Czech Republic

The presence of unconventional resources has been proven in deeper parts of mature oil and gas provinces and coal basins of the world. In this context, it is worth to focus also on the prospects of unconventional gas production from within hydrocarbon provinces of the Moravian part of the Vienna basin. The estimation of hydrocarbon generation potential of Jurasic marls from the Mikulov Formation of the Czech part of the Vienna Basin was performed based on the Rock Eval pyrolysis

Testing of Sealing Elements for FIB Apparatus Designed to Liquidate Open Eruption by Drilling Tools

Petroleum and natural gas still have their place among the most important resources in many industrial areas. Their global consumption influences an increasing demand on the quality of drilling works and the efficiency of extraction. Nonetheless, even in this field of human activity, we can encounter exceptional events and accidents. One of the most serious kinds of accidents during exploration is the so called open eruption of extracted medium. The specific case of this accident is an open eruption caused by drilling tools when a working crew is not capable of securing drilling workplace. In order to solve this emergency situation, Main Mining Rescue Station Hodonin (HBZS Hodonin),in cooperation with researchers from Faculty of Mining and Geology at VSB -Technical University of Ostrava, designed and developed specialised apparatus DPRP (Drill Pipe Rescue Press), working designation FIB-1. This apparatus enables the liquidation of eruption by pressing the drilling pipe. The residual crack, which remains following the pressing, must be eliminated by sealing materials. This paper reviews the testing of sealing elements (materials), designed by our team, in residual crack of circle shape with help of hydraulic press MTS 816 Rock Test System

Posouzení vhodnosti aplikace povrchově aktivních látek (PAL) pro potřeby zvýšení vytěžitelnosti ložisek uhlovodíků

This paper focuses on the field of enhanced oil recovery by means of a chemical flooding of oil deposit especially a surfactant flooding method. The main objective is the application of the aforementioned method at the Czech oil deposit Ždánice – Miocene which bears the crude oil of significant viscosity and gravity that does not allow conventional production methods to be used. We evaluated the performance of various surfactants in the laboratory environment by simulating oil recovery processes.Tento výzkum se zabývá problematikou zvyšování výtěžnosti ropy pomocí rozšířeného zavodňování chemikáliemi, z nichž je věnována největší pozornost povrchově aktivním látkám. Dlouhodobým hlavním cílem tohoto výzkumu je aplikace těchto metod v podmínkách české republiky, konkrétně na ložisku Ždánice – miocén, kde vlastnosti obsažené ropy, jako je viskozita a objemová hmotnost, neumožňují použití klasických těžebních metod. Pro vhodnost použití jsme v laboratorních podmínkách simulovali procesy probíhající při těžbě ropy za ložiskových podmínek a hodnotili vliv jednotlivých povrchově aktivních látek na výtěžnost těžké ropy

Thermal parameters of roofing slates from Czech Republic

Thermal performance of building materials is an important parameter from the point of view of energy consumption for heating buildings, which is obviously related to environmental protection standards. Thermal parameters of roofing slates were measured for samples from two different formations in the Czech Republic. These were rocks of lower Carboniferous Culm facies of Moravice Formation and Silesian Unit of Flysch Moravian-Silesian Carpathians. Thermal conductivity and thermal effusivity measurements were performed with use of TCi analyser. Thermal parameters were obtained in parallel and perpendicular direction to the bedding in rocks. Thermal conductivity of the Moravian slates in the direction perpendicular to the bedding ranges from 1.43 to 1.79 W m(-1) K-1, while for samples from Carpathian region this parameter ranges from 1.99 to 3.15 W m(-1) K-1. High values of thermal conductivity correlate to higher quartz content in the rocks. The measured thermal parameters (conductivity, effusivity, diffusivity) are strongly depending on the direction of measurement. Thermal conductivity of analysed rocks increases along with increase in temperature. The increase in thermal conductivity value is more significant in case of Moravian slates. In practice, the obtained results indicate that the traditional building material, such as roofing slates, shows better insulation properties at lower temperatures, while in conditions of strong sunlight the temperature conductivity increases. In case of roofing slates, which tend to be highly anisotropic, the essential information is the direction of thermal parameters measurement. Slates, due to their specific texture, are characterized by a very high thermal anisotropy coefficient.Web of Scienc

Wellbore cement degradation in contact zone with formation rock

In the work the risk of CO2 migration in deep wells, caused by integrity loss on cement–rock interface and thow wellbore integrity correlated with the formation rock lithology were determined. 19 composed samples of rock and wellbore cement were exposed to CO2-saturated brine, in the autoclave reactor, under the formation conditions (50 °C and 10 MPa). Mineralogical and textural changes in the cement–rock interface in the case of selected rocks (sandstones, shale, limestones, dolomites and anhydrites) were characterised. The performed examination indicates that both cement and formation rocks react with CO2 saturated brine under the experimental conditions. The cement alteration is characterised by carbonation process in the outer rim, but it is enhanced on the interface with formation rock. It was stated that the performance of the cement–rock interface is essentially dependent on the rock lithology, including mineral composition and rock structure. Some minerals are very easily dissolving, e.g., anhydrite, gypsum, calcite and feldspars, what is contributing to an increase in the porosity and permeability in cement–rock contact zone. Primary dissolution of certain minerals in the first stages of the experiment results in the secondary precipitation after the last stage of reaction contributing to a secondary reduction of pore space.Web of Science756art. no. 9

Study of old ecological hazards, oil seeps and contaminations using earth observation methods - spectral library for oil seep

The possibilities of remote sensing techniques in the field of the Earth surface monitoring and protection specifically for the problems caused by petroleum contaminations, for the mapping of insufficiently plugged and abandoned old oil wells and for the analysis of onshore oil seeps are described. Explained is the methodology for analyzing and detection of potential hydrocarbon contaminations using the Earth observation in the area of interest in Slovakia (Korňa) and in Czech Republic (Nesyt), mainly building and calibrating the spectral library for oil seeps. The acquisition of the in-situ field data (ASD, Cropscan spectroradiometers) for this purpose, the successful building and verification of hydrocarbon spectral library, the application of hydrocarbon indexes and use of shift in red-edge part of electromagnetic spectra, the spectral analysis of input data are clarified in the paper. Described is approach which could innovate the routine methods for investigating the occurrence of hydrocarbons and can assist during the mapping and locating the potential oil seep sites. Important outcome is the successful establishment of a spectral library (database with calibration data) suitable for further application in data classification for identifying the occurrence of hydrocarbons.Web of Science43110

Výzkum kolektorských vlastností vybraných horninových vzorků z hlediska možné geosekvestrace CO2

Man-made CO2 emissions (the so called anthropogenic CO2 emissions) and their increasing trend can be, by some scientists, considered a serious menace for the sustainable development of mankind, and their reduction a prerequisite for the environment protection. Carbon dioxide is one of the most important gases that cause a greenhouse effect which warms up the earth surface as a consequence of a different heat flow between the earth and the atmosphere. Our laboratory measurements determined the porosity, permeability and grain density for clastic sedimentary rock samples which were drilled from an underground gas storage facility. Additionally, our results showed a reduction in porosity and permeability after a confining pressure was applied. We assume that this effect is caused by internal structure changes due to the repeatedly increased and decreased net pressure applied to the samples.Emise CO2 vznikající lidskou činností – tzv. antropogenní emise CO2 a jejich vzestupný trend, mohou být některými odborníky považovány za vážné nebezpečí pro udržitelný vývoj lidstva a jejich omezování za nezbytnou podmínku ochrany životního prostředí. Oxid uhličitý je významný z plynů způsobujících skleníkový efekt, který se projevuje oteplováním zemského povrchu v důsledku změn toků tepelného záření mezi zemí a atmosférou. Laboratorní měření poskytla hodnoty porozity a koeficientu propustnosti horninových vzorků, které byly odvrtány z podzemního zásobníku plynu. Naše měření vykázalo snížení kolektorských parametrů horninových vzorků, které bylo způsobeno změnou vnitřní struktury horniny díky opakovanému zvýšení a snížení tlaku na rostlou část vzorku

Preliminary geochemical modeling of water-rock-gas interactions controlling CO2 storage in the Badenian Aquifer within Czech Part of Vienna Basin

Prediction of hydrogeochemical effects of geological CO2 sequestration is crucial for planning an industrial or even experimental scale injection of carbon dioxide gas into geological formations. This paper presents a preliminary study of the suitability of saline aquifer associated with a depleted oil field in Czech Part of Vienna Basin, as potential greenhouse gas repository. Two steps of modeling enabled prediction of immediate changes in the aquifer and caprocks impacted by the first stage of CO2 injection and the assessment of long-term effects of sequestration. Hydrochemical modeling and experimental tests of rock–water–gas interactions allowed for evaluation of trapping mechanisms and assessment of CO2 storage capacity of the formations. In the analyzed aquifer, CO2 gas may be locked in mineral form in dolomite and dawsonite, and the calculated trapping capacity reaches 13.22 kgCO2/m3. For the caprock, the only mineral able to trap CO2 is dolomite, and trapping capacity equals to 5.07 kgCO2/m3.Web of Science7514art. no. 1086

Industrial complexes and their role in industrial tourism – example of conversion

Sustainable tourism development meets the needs of present tourists and host regions while protecting and increasing its possibilities for the future. It should lead to management of all resources, so as to meet economic, social and aesthetic needs while maintaining cultural integrity, the most important ecological processes, biological diversity and the processes that make life possible. Sustainable tourism products are products that work in accordance with the local environment, society and culture so that the environment, society and culture can benefit and not to become the victims of tourism development. At present, luckily, it is possible to observe, in a wide range of tourist activities and especially in industrialized countries, also increasing interest in so-called industrial tourism aimed at exploring technical monuments. This form of tourism was initially the domain of narrow range of technically-based supporters, but gradually becomes more attractive to the broader public. This article deals with the development and transformation of tourism in the Czech Republic on an example of the Podluzi region and one of its centres – the town of Hodonin. From the tourist activities in the region those specifically attractive ones should be mentioned, which are wine and folklore tourism in close connection with gastronomical tourism and then increasingly popular cycling and water tourism. As for the cycling tourism, there are routes (related to the Greenways programme) leading so that they connect all the major winegrowing sites of the region and also the basic backbone network of cycling routes passing through the territory of the Czech Republic. The development of water tourism is closely linked to industrial tourism, where the important technical monument – the Bata’s channel is used as a waterway. The history of the town of Hodonin is briefly mentioned here in the context of the progressive industrialization of the area (lignite and hydrocarbon mining), its significant downturn and subsequent changes in tourist activities