Badanie rozpuszczalności CO2 w solankach rejonu Bełchatowa

European Union member states are obliged to identify and document geological formations and structures suitable for storage of CO2 from large industrial emitters in their territories. In Poland such studies were concentrated on deep saline aquifer formations in several regions of the country. Poland is one of a few countries already having some experience in CO2 storage in geological structures thanks to the first industrial installation sequestering acid gas by direct injection to aquifer underlying Borzęcin natural gas field, in continuous operation since 1996. PGE Bełchatów Power Plant is the largest conventional power plant in Europe. It annually consumes 35 million tons of brown coal and it is also a significant CO2 emitter. In the area of Bełchatów there is documented a number of deep geological structures that meet sequestration site criteria, particularly criteria concerning depth at which the structures are located, thickness, water mineralization and other petrophysical parameters. The paper presents mineralization maps of saline aquifers from selected stratigraphic horizons (Triassic, Jurassic), basic data characterizing the reservoir conditions in selected saline structures, as well as chemical composition of their brines and mineralization and physical parameters determined in the PVT laboratory. Authors describe mechanisms that determine the amount of CO2that can be deposited in these aquifers. Research apparatus and procedures used during PVT study of reservoir brines and CO2 mixtures are presented in the paper. The solubility of CO2 in brines of the Bełchatów region at pressures and temperatures corresponding to appropriate reservoir conditions were examined and reported in the paper.