On Dec. 3 the Illinois State Geological Survey (ISGS) completed drilling the T.R. McMillen #2 well in Christian County, Illinois, near the town of Mt. Auburn as part of its CarbonSAFE Illinois program, which is designed to establish the feasibility of developing commercial-scale geologic storage of carbon dioxide (CO2) associated with industrially sourced emissions of greenhouse gases.
The stratigraphic characterization well, drilled in partnership with Podolsky Oil Company and Geostock Sandia, was funded by the U.S. Department of Energy through the National Technology Laboratory. The storage interval is within the Cambrian Mt. Simon Sandstone near the bottom of the sedimentary succession in the Illinois Basin. The well was drilled further into the Precambrian basement to give scientists a rare look at the rocks that are found at this depth in the mid-continent. The total depth of the well was 6,488 feet, and an extensive geophysical and sampling program is under way to provide scientific and engineering data required for the long-term study.
Preliminary results indicate the Mt. Simon Sandstone at this location is suitable for a commercial-scale CO2 storage site. ISGS and its research partners will continue to characterize the site until 2020.
Contact Steve Whittaker, ISGS Director of Energy & Minerals, for further information: sgwhit@illinois.edu, 217-244-3114.