Understanding the Effect of Rock Compressibility on CO2 Storage Capacity Estimation in a Depleted Carbonate Gas Reservoir

Avoiding or reducing greenhouse gases emission in the atmosphere requires extensive application of technologies and one of them is underground CO2 sequestration. Capture and storage of CO2 in depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs can reduce greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere effectively. Hydrocarbon reservoirs are considered one of the ideal geologic storage sites as they have held hydrocarbons over millions of years. Their architecture and properties are well understood due to exploration and production activities from these reservoirs. Storage projects require a large depleted hydrocarbon reservoir with good reservoir properties and are affected by several factors including voidage created by hydrocarbon production, pressure, architecture, formation permeability, aquifer influx, subsidence and compaction, and rock compressibility to name a few. Thus, realistic estimation of the storage capacity of the reservoir is a key step in the evaluation of CO2 storage plan. A good history matched simulation model incorporating the geomechanical parameters is essential to estimate storage capacity of the reservoir. Three major depleted gas reservoirs in Central Luconia field, located in offshore Sarawak, are being evaluated for future CO2 storage. Reservoir simulation is used as a tool to estimate future CO2 storage capacity of these reservoirs. Reliability of forecast from a reservoir simulation model is dependent on the quality of history match achieved. Hence it is believed that CO2 storage capacity estimates obtained from a good history matched simulation model must be reliable. However, during history matching exercise in these reservoirs, it was observed that an acceptable history match could be achieved with a range of rock compressibility values and aquifer influxes. Generally, a constant value of rock compressibility is used in conventional simulation. For example, in order to obtain an acceptable history match, with a lower compressibility, a larger aquifer influx is needed and vice versa. Interestingly, a forecast using these history match cases yield different CO2 storage capacities. A closer evaluation shows that aquifer influx has a strong impact on future CO2 storage capacity. An acceptable quality of history match can be obtained for a range of rock compressibility values when aquifer influx is adjusted along with it. Sensitivity analysis shows that future CO2 storage capacity in depleted hydrocarbon reservoir is sensitive to rock compressibility used in the simulation model. A detailed sensitivity analysis along with multiple history match scenarios is necessary to understand the range in future storage capacity when evaluating CO2 storage plan.