Barbara Kutchko

1. Introduction Studies have shown that carbon capture and storage (CCS) can significantly help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions [1]. In many geoscience applications, CO2 is captured and injected into geological formations for permanent storage [2]. For this to happen, the CO2 needs to be transported to the proper location, and, in some cases, expansion valves are used to release supercritical CO2 from high-pressure containers to the selected injection site.

The U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) is facing significant challenges related to the storage and availability of its crude oil resources. Approved for construction by the 1975 Energy Policy and Conservation Act (EPCA), the storage sites were envisioned to be needed for 25 years and are subject to an estimated five drawdown cycles (Shages, 2014). In retrospect, the design has not matched actual use, and this has led to degradation of the SPR and impacted its ability to perform its function.

In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions while recovering hydrocarbons from unconventional shale formations, processes that make use of carbon dioxide to enhance oil recovery while storing carbon dioxide (CO2) should be considered.