DEVELOPMENT OF A FIELD EXPERIMENT OF CO 2 STORAGE IN COAL SEAMS IN THE UPPER SILESIAN BASIN OF POLAND (RECOPOL)

ABSTRACT In 2001 the RECOPOL project, which aims at the development of the first European field demonstration of CO 2 sequestration in subsurface coal seams, started. The required research, design and operation of the pilot field test is executed by an international consortium of research institutes, universities and industrial partners. A site was selected in the Silesian Basin in Poland where two CBM-wells are present at short distance from each other. One injection well will be drilled in between; drilling is scheduled in spring 2003. Injection is planned to start in the summer of 2003 and will continue until the end of 2004. Reservoir modelling shows that the distance between the injection well and the updip production well should be less than 200 m to increase the chance of breakthrough of CO 2 within the test period. Breakthrough is important for a thorough understanding of the process. After and during the injection period monitoring will be performed by direct measurements of CO 2 -concentration and by time lapse seismic monitoring