Notice: We are updating our rights and permissions links, if you need permission assistance to reuse SPE content, please contact permissions@spe.org.

Maximizing CO2 Accumulation in Storage Reservoirs: Interplay between Permeability Retardation and Capillary Trapping of Rising CO2

Authors
Bo Ren (the University of Texas at Austin) | Jennifer M. Delaney (the University of Texas at Austin) | Larry W. Lake (the University of Texas at Austin) | Steven L. Bryant (University of Calgary)
DOI
https://doi.org/10.2118/187356-MS
Document ID
SPE-187356-MS
Publisher
Society of Petroleum Engineers
Source
SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, 9-11 October, San Antonio, Texas, USA
Publication Date
2017
Document Type
Conference Paper
Language
English
ISBN
978-1-61399-542-6
Copyright
2017. Society of Petroleum Engineers
Disciplines
5.1.1 Exploration, Development, Structural Geology, 5 Reservoir Desciption & Dynamics, 5.1 Reservoir Characterisation
Keywords
Geological carbon sequestration, CO2 buoyant flow, Permeability-retardation, Capillary-trapping
Downloads
1 in the last 30 days
217 since 2007
Show more detail
View rights & permissions
SPE Member Price: USD 8.50
SPE Non-Member Price: USD 25.00

The main objective of this work is to understand, by analytical and numerical study, how permeability retardation interacts with capillary barrier trapping to cause accumulation as CO2 migrates upward in saline aquifers during geological sequestration.

The study is of one-dimensional two-phase (CO2 and water) countercurrent flow. The analytical model describes CO2 buoyant migration and accumulation at a "flow barrier zone" (low permeability) above a "flow path zone" (high permeability). The relative importance of permeability retardation and capillary trapping is examined under different magnitudes of buoyant source fluxes and porous media properties. In the limiting case of zero capillary pressure, the model equation is solved using the method of characteristics. Permeability-retarded accumulation, induced by the permeability difference between the flow path and the barrier zone, is illustrated through CO2 saturation profiles and time-distance diagrams. Capillary trapping is subsequently accounted for by graphically incorporating a capillary pressure curve and capillary threshold effect.

Results demonstrate that the accumulation contributions from both the permeability hindrance and capillary trapping are convolved at sufficiently large fluxes. At a given time, the total CO2 accumulated is greater than for capillary trapping, but the former approaches the latter at large time. The low permeability zone need not be completely impermeable for accumulation to occur. We demonstrate that considering only capillary trapping understates the amount of CO2 accumulated beneath low permeability structures during significant periods of a sequestration operation.

File Size  2 MBNumber of Pages   21

Bachu, S. 2008. CO2 Storage in Geological Media: Role, Means, Status and Barriers to Deployment. Progress In Energy And Combustion Science 34 (2): 254&-273. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pecs.2007.10.001.

Bryant, S.L., Lakshminarasimhan, S., Pope, G.A. 2008. Buoyancy-Dominated Multiphase Flow and Its Effect on Geological Sequestration Of CO2. SPEJ 13 (4): 447&-454. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/99938-ms.

Bryant, S.L., Schechter, R.S., Lake, L.W. 1986. Interactions of Precipitation/Dissolution Waves and Ion Exchange in Flow Through Permeable Media. AICHE Journal 32 (5): 751&-764. http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/aic.690320505.

Buckley, S.E., Leverett, M.C. 1942. Mechanism of Fluid Displacement in Sands. Transactions of the AIME 146(01): 107&-116. https://doi.org/10.2118/942107-G.

CMG-GEM, 2012. GEM Users' Guide. Computer Modelling Group Ltd, Canada.

Dicarlo D.A., Mirzaei M., Aminzadeh B., Dehghanpour H. 2012. Fractional Flow Approach to Saturation Overshoot. Transport In Porous Media 91 (3): 955-971. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11242-011-9885-8.

Hayek M., Mouche E., Mugler C. 2009. Modeling Vertical Stratification of CO2 Injected into a Deep Layered Aquifer. Advances in Water Resources 32 (3): 450-462. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2008.12.009.

IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change). 2005. IPCC Special Report on Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 195-276.

Krevor S.C.M., Pini R., Li B., Benson S.M. 2011. Capillary Heterogeneity Trapping of CO2 in A Sandstone Rock at Reservoir Conditions. Geophysical Research Letters 38, L15401. http://dx.doi.org/10.1029/2011GL048239.

Lake L.W., Johns R., Rossen B., Pope G. 2014. Enhanced Oil Recovery, Richardson TX: Soceity of Petroleum Engineers.

Lake L.W., Bryant S.L., Araque-Martinez A.N. 2003. Geochemistry And Fluid Flow, first edition. Amsterdam: Elsevier.

Leverett M. C. 1941. Capillary Behavior in Porous Solids. AIME Petroleum Transactions 142: 152-169.

Martin J.C. 1958. Some Mathematical Aspects of Two-Phase Flow with Applications to Flooding and Gravity Segregation Problems. Producer Monthly 22 (2): 22-35.

Meckel T.A., Bryant S.L., Ravi Ganesh P. 2015. Characterization and Prediction of CO2 Saturation Resulting from Modeling Buoyant Fluid Migration in 2D Heterogeneous Geologic Fabrics. International Journal Of Greenhouse Gas Control 34: 85-96. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016Zj.ijggc.2014.12.010.

Peters E.J., Hardham W.D. 1990. Visualization ff Fluid Displacements in Porous Media Using Computed Tomography Imaging. Journal Of Petroleum Science And Engineering 4 (2): 155168. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/0920-4105(90)90023-v.

Ren B. 2017. Local Capillary Trapping and Permeability-retarded Accumulation during Geological Carbon Sequestration. Ph.D. Dissertation, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.

Ren B., Bryant S.L., Lake L.W. 2015. Fast Modeling of Local Capillary Trapping during CO2 Injection into A Saline Aquifer. Paper CMTC-439486-MS presented at Carbon Management Technology Conference, Sugar Land, Texas, 17-19 November. http://dx.doi.org/10.7122/439486-ms.

Ren B., Sun Y., Bryant S. 2014. Maximizing Local Capillary Trapping during CO2 Injection. Energy Procedia 63: 5562-5576. http://dx.doi.org/10.10167j.egypro.2014.11.590.

Riaz A., Tchelepi H.A. 2008. Dynamics of Vertical Displacement in Porous Media Associated with CO2 Sequestration. SPE Journal 13 (3): pp. 305-313. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/103169-PA.

Saadatpoor E., Bryant S.L., Sepehrnoori K. 2008. Effect of Heterogeneous Capillary Pressure on Buoyancy-Driven CO2 Migration. Paper SPE-113984-MS presented at the SPE/DOE Symposium On Improved Oil Recovery, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Usa, 20-23 April 2008. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/113984-ms.

Saadatpoor E., Bryant S.L., Sepehrnoori K. 2010. New Trapping Mechanism In Carbon Sequestration. Transport In Porous Media 82 (1): 3-17. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11242-009-9446-6.

Siddiqui F.I., Lake L.W. 1992. A Dynamic Theory of Hydrocarbon Migration. Mathematical Geology 24 (3): 305-327. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/bf00893752.

Siddiqui F.I., Lake L.W. 1997. A Comprehensive Dynamic Theory of Hydrocarbon Migration and Trapping. Paper SPE-38682-MS presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference And Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, 5-8 October, http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/38682-ms.

Silin D., Patzek T.W., Benson S.M. 2009. A One-Dimensional Model of Vertical Gas Plume Migration Through A Heterogeneous Porous Medium. International Journal Of Greenhouse Gas Control 3 (3): 300-310. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2008.09.003.

Sun Y.H. 2014. Investigation of Buoyant Plumes in a Quasi-2D Domain Characterizing the Influence of Local Capillary Trapping and Heterogeneity on Sequestered CO2: A Bench Scale Experiment. MS thesis, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas.

Welge H.J. 1952. A Simplified Method for Computing Oil Recovery by Gas or Water Drive. Journal Of Petroleum Technology 4 (04): 91-98. http://dx.doi.org/10.2118/124-g.

Yuan B., Moghanloo R.G., Zheng D. 2016. Analytical Evaluation of Nanoparticle Application to Mitigate Fines Migration in Porous Media. SPE Journal 21 (6): 2317-2332. https://doi.org/10.2118/174192-PA.

You may also be interested in…

Interplay Between Permeability Retardation and Capillary Trapping of Rising Carbon Dioxide in Storage Reservoirs

Ren, Bo, University of Texas at Austin
Delaney, Jennifer M., University of Texas at Austin
Lake, Larry W., University of Texas at Austin
Bryant, Steven L., University of Calgary
187356-PA SPE Journal Paper - 2018
View rights & permissions

0 downloads in the last 30 days
0 downloads since 2007

Other Resources

Looking for more? 

Some of the OnePetro partner societies have developed subject- specific wikis that may help.


  

PetroWiki was initially created from the seven volume  Petroleum Engineering Handbook (PEH) published by the  Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE).







The SEG Wiki is a useful collection of information for working geophysicists, educators, and students in the field of geophysics. The initial content has been derived from : Robert E. Sheriff's Encyclopedic Dictionary of Applied Geophysics, fourth edition.