The IEAGHG Weyburn-Midale CO? Monitoring and Storage Project (WMP) began in 2000 with the first four years of research that confirmed the suitability of the containment complex of the Weyburn oil field in southeastern Saskatchewan as a storage location for CO? injected as part of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations. The first half of this report covers research conducted from 2010 to 2012, under the funding of the United States Department of Energy (contract DEFE0002697), the Government of Canada, and various other governmental and industry sponsors. The work includes more in-depth analysis of various components of a measurement, monitoring and verification (MMV) program through investigation of data on site characterization and geological integrity, wellbore integrity, storage monitoring (geophysical and geochemical), and performance/risk assessment. These results then led to the development of a Best Practices Manual (BPM) providing oilfield and project operators with guidance on CO? storage and CO?-EOR. In 2013, the USDOE and Government of Saskatchewan exercised an optional phase of the same project to further develop and deploy applied research tools, technologies, and methodologies to the data and research at Weyburn with the aim of assisting regulators and operators in transitioning CO?-EOR operations into permanent storage. This work, detailed in the second half of this report, involves seven targeted research projects ? evaluating the minimum dataset for confirming secure storage
additional overburden monitoring
passive seismic monitoring
history-matched modelling
developing proper wellbore design
casing corrosion evaluation
and assessment of post CO?-injected core samples. The results from the final and optional phases of the Weyburn-Midale Project confirm the suitability of CO?-EOR fields for the injection of CO?, and further, highlight the necessary MMV and follow-up monitoring required for these operations to be considered permanent storage.