Postgraduate Course: Carbon Storage and Monitoring (PGGE11139)
Course Outline
| School | School of Geosciences |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | The course will cover all aspects of the geological storage of CO2 in sufficient depth so that the student can liaise with, understand and coordinate the work of specialists who will be involved in CCS projects, e.g. reservoir engineers, sedimentologists, geochemical modellers, regulators. Topics: CO2 Trapping mechanisms and transport; physical properties; storage in: saline aquifers, depleted hydrocarbon fields & unmineable coal beds; EOR; CO2 injection and modelling; geochemistry of CO2-rock interaction; monitoring and risk; tracers of CO2 migration and leakage (natural and artificial); regulation of storage sites (UK and Europe); exercise in assessment of storage potential of assigned area. |
| Course description |
Syllabus:
The need for CCS;
Introduction to CO2 capture,
Physical parameters and storage mechanisms;
CO2 storage types; saline Aquifers, depleted oil / gas fields, unmineable coal, unconventional storage;
Water-CO2 rock interaction;
CCS pilots;
Experimental assessment of CO2 in rocks;
Site selection for CCS;
Monitoring and Verification;
Geochemical tracers; Leakage Remediation;
CCS policy and regulation;
Risk and risk management.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Previous geological training to satisfaction of course organiser |
| Additional Costs | None. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Previous geological training to satisfaction of course organiser |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 40 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 36,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
160 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
The course assessment (100 %) is a report written about the carbon dioxide storage potential of the Inner Moray Firth, an area of the North Sea that is close to the Scottish mainland.
AI Assisted Editing: AI tools may be used for identifying ideas, planning, and improving the clarity of your writing, but not for content generation. AI use must be acknowledged in your submission.
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| Feedback |
There are a number of online tests spread throughout the course that provide formative feedback on the understanding of key concepts. The course delivery is informal, allowing for questions and class discussions during lectures. The practical exercises are set for one week and discussed in the following session. Worked answers are supplied for all practicals, allowing self-assessment of progress. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Assess storage capacity of subsurface formations and structures
- Understand trapping and migration mechanisms
- Critically assess a proposal for a CO2 storage scheme
- Be able to design appropriate monitoring strategies
- Assess a geographical area for storage potential
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Reading List
***Introduction to Carbon Capture and Sequestration, Smit et al, The Berkley Lectures on Energy Vol 1., Imperial College Press, the best textbook on CCS. Consider purchasing.
*Returning Carbon to Nature: Coal, Carbon Capture, and Storage by Micheal Stephenson. An OK introduction but too basic for this course; available online through the University library.
SCCS (Scottish Carbon Capture & Storage) 2013, Recommendations and Conference 2013 Report, Unlocking North Sea CO2 Storage for Europe: Practical actions for the next five years. http://www.sccs.org.uk/expertise/unlocking
SCCS (Scottish Carbon Capture & Storage) 2011, Progressing Scotland's CO2 storage opportunities. http://carbcap.geos.ed.ac.uk/website/publications/progressingscotlandco2/ProgressingScotlandCO2Opps.pdf
CO2 Aquifer Storage Site Evaluation and Monitoring (CASSEM): Understanding the challenges of CO2 storage: results of the CASSEM Project http://www.sccs.org.uk/features/cassem/
Chadwick et al., 2008, Best practice for the storage of CO2 in saline aquifers, BGS occasional publication 14. www.bgs.ac.uk/downloads/start.cfm?id=1520
Cooper, C., 2009, A Technical Basis for Carbon Dioxide Storage: CO2 Capture Project. http://www.co2captureproject.org/viewresult.php?downid=123
And if you've the entire Xmas vacation to spare:
IPCC (2005) Special Report Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage
http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/special-reports/srccs/srccs_summaryforpolicymakers.pdf
http://www.ipcc.ch/pdf/special-reports/srccs/srccs_technicalsummary.pdf
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Carbon storage,monitoring,tracers |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Mark Wilkinson
Tel: (0131 6)50 5943
Email: Mark.Wilkinson@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Sarah Jones
Tel:
Email: sarah.jones@ed.ac.uk |
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