Short Programs

Carbon Capture and Storage: Science, Technology, and Policy

Date: July 23-25, 2012 | $2,250 | Continuing Education Units (CEUs): 1.8
Application Deadline »

Course Summary  |  Learning Objectives  |  Who Should Attend  |  Program Outline  |  Schedule  | 
Participants' Comments  |  About the Lecturers  |  Location  |  Links & Resources  |  Updates

Course Summary

This course covers the science, technology, and policy aspects of carbon capture and storage (CCS). It provides in-depth understanding of CCS's role in the climate change mitigation portfolio, the technical approaches to CO₂ capture, the science behind geological storage, site selection and risk evaluation, and the role of policy in establishing a market and business opportunities for CCS. It will be of interest to scientists, engineers, managers and policy makers working in the area of energy, and especially those involved in strategies for climate change mitigation.

Learning Objectives

1. Understand the role of carbon sequestration in the climate change mitigation portfolio.
2. Learn fundamentals of fluid flow and CO₂ migration in geologic formations.
3. Evaluate scientific criteria for site selection and the potential risks.
4. Describe the current status of CCS technology and the technical challenges for its large-scale deployment.
5. Examine the role of policy in establishing a market and business opportunities for CCS.

Who Should Attend

This course will be of interest to scientists, engineers, managers and policy makers working in the area of energy. It will be of particular interest to individuals and company representatives involved in strategies for climate change mitigation. Specific industries that will benefit directly from this course are electric utilities, coal industry, oil and gas companies, as well as companies that provide services to these industries. In addition, it will also benefit representatives from government agencies and regulatory bodies that deal with energy and environment. The material covered and the learning objectives will also benefit faculty, researchers and graduate students in science, engineering, or policy programs from academic institutions.

Program Outline

Day One

Session 1--0.5 hour
Welcome and introductions (Juanes/Herzog/Parsons)

Session 2--1 hour
CCS overview; its place in the mitigation portfolio (Herzog)

Break

Session 3--1.75 hours
Capture technology primer (Herzog)

Lunch

Session 4--0.75 hour
Options for geologic storage (Juanes)

Session 5--1 hour
CO₂ trapping mechanisms (Juanes)

Break

Session 6--1.5 hours
Modeling of flow in porous media (Juanes)

Day Two

Session 7--0.75 hour
Capacity estimates (Juanes)

Session 8--1 hour
Site selection (Juanes)

Break

Session 9--1 hour
Monitoring and verification (Juanes)

Lunch

Session 10--1.75 hours
Site selection exercise (Juanes)

Break

Session 11--1.5 hours
CCS economics (Herzog)

Day Three

Session 12--1.5 hours
Business organization (Parsons)

Break

Session 13--0.75 hour
Regulatory issues (Parsons)

Session 14--1 hour
CCS policy (Herzog)

Lunch

Session 15--1 hour
Public Acceptance (Herzog)

Session 16--0.75 hour
Feasibility of air capture (Herzog)

Break

Session 17--0.5 hour
Knowledge gaps and research needs (Juanes)

Session 18--0.5 hour
Wrap-up discussion (Juanes/Herzog/Parsons)

Course schedule and registration times

Class runs 8:30 am - 4:30 pm each day.

Registration is on Monday morning from 7:45 - 8:15 am.

Participants' Comments

Staff Engineer, Williams Gas Pipeline
“I came into the course with certain technical questions concerning CO₂ storage, but left with far more than technical information. I now have a much better understanding of issues surrounding CO₂ storage, including risk factors that may delay or stop the use of this technology. All 3 lecturers were easy to speak with and allowed an open floor for discussion. Very polite, friendly, and not intimidating.”

Principal/President, Dolezal and Associates
“I obtained an overall understanding of the current state of the art Technologies and Business Stategy Aspects as they pertain to CCS.”

About The Lecturers

Ruben Juanes
Assistant Professor, MIT Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

For more information on Professor Juanes' research and teaching activities you may visit http://web.mit.edu/juanes/www/.

Howard Herzog
Principal Research Engineer, MIT Energy Initiative

For more information on Dr. Herzog's research and teaching activities you may visit http://web.mit.edu/energylab/www/hjherzog/.

John Parsons
Senior Lecturer, Sloan School of Management

Location

This course takes place on the MIT campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. We can also offer this course for groups of employees at your location. Please contact the Short Programs office for further details.

Links & Resources

News/Articles:

• Trickle Down Effect - Ruben Juanes examines fluids in out-of-the-way places in the earth’s crust.
• Greenhouse gas can find a home underground - New MIT analysis shows there’s enough room to safely store at least a century’s worth of U.S. fossil fuel emissions.
• Howard Herzog receives the 2010 Greenman Award. Click here to read the story.
• Click here to read a January 11, 2010 article, "Figuring out where to put the carbon," published by the MIT News Office.

Updates

There are no updates at this time.