The Enping 15-1 platform of the China National Offshore Oil Corporation (CNOOC) Sunday officially started the drilling operation of an offshore carbon dioxide (CO2) injection well.
According to the CNOOC, the platform, equipped with China's first offshore CO2 storage device, will inject and seal up CO2 generated during oil and gas exploitation into the seabed on a scale.
The device has a module weight of about 750 tonnes, and its core equipment includes CO2 compressor skids, molecular sieves, and coolers.
Located in the Pearl River Mouth Basin in the South China Sea, the Enping 15-1 platform, Asia's largest offshore oil production platform, was put into operation in December last year.
The Enping 15-1 Oilfield has a high CO2 content in the South China Sea. The CNOOC decided to store CO2 in a "dome" geological structure about 3 km from the platform after carrying out research on key technologies of geological reservoirs, drilling and completion, and engineering integration suitable for offshore CO2 storage.
"The geological structure is like an upside-down 'giant bowl,' with strong natural sealing properties, which can seal up CO2 steadily for a long time," said Deng Chenghui, with the Enping 15-1 Oilfield.
According to the CNOOC, the platform is expected to store 300,000 tonnes of CO2 per year at its peak, with a cumulative storage of 1.5 million tonnes based on the storage capacity of the "dome."
It is an offshore CO2 injection well independently designed and implemented by China, said Guo Yongbin, deputy general manager and chief engineer of the CNOOC Shenzhen branch, indicating that the CNOOC has initially formed a complete set of drilling and completion technology and equipment system of offshore CO2 injection, storage, and monitoring, filling the gap in China's offshore CO2 storage technology.
Editor: Galia
