Large-Scale Ex Situ Tests for CO2 Storage in Coal Beds

Abstract

This publication discusses the experiments and findings of project ROCCS (Establishing a Research Observatory to Unlock European Coal Seams for Carbon Dioxide Storage), which aimed to investigate the potential for carbon dioxide storage in coal seams. The project involved large-scale ex situ laboratory tests, where CO2 was injected into an experimental coal seam using a high-pressure reactor at the Central Mining Institute in Poland. The reactor simulated underground conditions, and the experimental coal seam measured 3.05 m in length with a cross-section of 0.4 × 0.4 m. Parameters such as gas flow, temperatures, and pressures were monitored during the experiments. In the study conducted, the sorption capacity of coal from the Polish mine “Piast-Ziemowit” for CO2, at a sorption pressure of 30 bar, was determined to be 4.8% by weight relative to the raw coal mass. The data collected from these ex situ tests can support the design of a potential commercial-scale CO2 storage installation.