Geochemical assessment of isolation performance during 10 years of CO 2 EOR at Weyburn

The Final-Phase Weyburn geochemical research program includes explicitly integrated yet conceptually distinct monitoring, modeling, and experimental components. The principal objectives are to monitor CO2-induced compositional evolution within the reservoir through time-lapse sampling and chemical analysis of produced fluids; to document the absence (or presence) of injected CO2 within reservoir overburden through analogous monitoring of shallow groundwater and soil gas; to predict intrareservoir CO2 migration paths, dynamic CO2 mass partitioning among distinct trapping mechanisms, and reservoir/seal permeability evolution through reactive transport modeling; to assess the impact of CO2-brine-rock reactions on fracture flow and isolation performance through experimental studies that directly support the monitoring and modeling work; and to exploit a novel stochastic inversion technique that enables explicit integration of these diverse monitoring data and forward models to improve reservoir characterization and long-term forecasts of isolation performance

Geochemical Study of Natural CO2 Emissions in the French Massif Central: How to Predict Origin, Processes and Evolution of CO2 Leakage Étude géochimique des émissions naturelles de CO2 du Massif Central : origine et processus de migration du gaz

This study presents an overview of some results obtained within the French ANR (National Agency of Research) supported Géocarbone-Monitoring research program. The measurements were performed in Sainte-Marguerite, located in the French Massif Central. This site represents a natural laboratory for CO2/fluid/rock interactions studies, as well as CO2 migration mechanisms towards the surface. The CO2 leaking character of the studied area also allows to test and validate measurements methods and verifications for the future CO2 geological storage sites. During these surveys, we analyzed soil CO2 fluxes and concentrations. We sampled and analyzed soil gases, and gas from carbo-gaseous bubbling springs. A one-month continuous monitoring was also tested, to record the concentration of CO2 both in atmosphere and in the soil at a single point. We also developed a new methodology to collect soil gas samples for noble gas abundances and isotopic analyses, as well as carbon isotopic ratios. Our geochemical results, combined with structural geology, show that the leaking CO2 has a very deep origin, partially mantle derived. The gas rises rapidly along normal and strike-slip active faults. CO2 soil concentrations (also showing a mantle derived component) and CO2 fluxes are spatially variable, and reach high values. The recorded atmospheric CO2 is not very high, despite the important CO2 degassing throughout the whole area. Cette étude présente les principaux résultats de campagnes de monitoring géochimique menées en 2006 et 2007 dans le cadre du projet Géocarbone-Monitoring, sur le site de Sainte-Marguerite, situé dans le Massif Central. Ce site constitue un « laboratoire naturel » pour l’étude des interactions CO2/fluides/roches et des mécanismes de migration du CO2 vers la surface, à l’échelle des temps géologiques. Le caractère particulièrement émissif de cet « analogue » permet également de tester et valider des méthodes de mesure et de surveillance des futurs sites de stockage de CO2. Au cours des campagnes de terrain, nous avons analysé des flux de CO2 entre le sol et l’atmosphère, et nous avons prélevé et analysé à la fois des gaz des sols, et du gaz provenant de sources carbo-gazeuses, présentes dans toute la région. Un dispositif de « monitoring continu » dans le temps a également été testé, afin d’enregistrer conjointement les teneurs en CO2 de l’atmosphère et dans le sol en un point précis. Nous avons pu mettre au point un suivi géochimique basé sur la composition isotopique des gaz rares prélevés dans les sols. L’ensemble de nos résultats, confronté à la géologie de terrain, nous a permis de mettre en évidence l’origine mantellique du CO2. Ce CO2 remonte rapidement à la surface à l’état gazeux, le long de failles normales et/ou décrochantes, actives actuellement. Les teneurs et flux de CO2 dans le sol sont spatialement variables et élevés, et montrent également une origine mantellique. Les teneurs atmosphériques semblent faiblement augmenter par rapport à l’important dégazage observé dans la région

Selective transport control on molecular velcro made from intrinsically disordered proteins

The selectivity and speed of many biological transport processes transpire from a 'reduction of dimensionality' that confines diffusion to one or two dimensions instead of three. This behaviour remains highly sought after on polymeric surfaces as a means to expedite diffusional search processes in molecular engineered systems. Here, we have reconstituted the two-dimensional diffusion of colloidal particles on a molecular brush surface. The surface is composed of phenylalanine-glycine nucleoporins (FG Nups)--intrinsically disordered proteins that facilitate selective transport through nuclear pore complexes in eukaryotic cells. Local and ensemble-level experiments involving optical trapping using a photonic force microscope and particle tracking by video microscopy, respectively, reveal that 1-µm-sized colloidal particles bearing nuclear transport receptors called karyopherins can exhibit behaviour that varies from highly localized to unhindered two-dimensional diffusion. Particle diffusivity is controlled by varying the amount of free karyopherins in solution, which modulates the multivalency of Kap-binding sites within the molecular brush. We conclude that the FG Nups resemble stimuli-responsive molecular 'velcro', which can impart 'reduction of dimensionality' as a means of biomimetic transport control in artificial environments