scholarly journals Experimental Investigation of the Mechanisms of Salt Precipitation during CO2 Injection in Sandstone

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yen Adams Sokama-Neuyam ◽  
Jann Rune Ursin ◽  
Patrick Boakye
Keyword(s):  
Co2 Storage ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Co2 Injection ◽  
Salt Precipitation ◽  
Physical Mechanisms ◽  
Low Salinity ◽  
Core Flood ◽  
Dry Out ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Brine Salinity

Deep saline reservoirs have the highest volumetric CO2 storage potential, but drying and salt precipitation during CO2 injection could severely impair CO2 injectivity. The physical mechanisms and impact of salt precipitation, especially in the injection area, is still not fully understood. Core-flood experiments were conducted to investigate the mechanisms of external and internal salt precipitation in sandstone rocks. CO2 Low Salinity Alternating Gas (CO2-LSWAG) injection as a potential mitigation technique to reduce injectivity impairment induced by salt precipitation was also studied. We found that poor sweep and high brine salinity could increase salt deposition on the surface of the injection area. The results also indicate that the amount of salt precipitated in the dry-out zone does not change significantly during the drying process, as large portion of the precipitated salt accumulate in the injection vicinity. However, the distribution of salt in the dry-out zone was found to change markedly when more CO2 was injected after salt precipitation. This suggests that CO2 injectivity impairment induced by salt precipitation is probably dynamic rather than a static process. It was also found that CO2-LSWAG could improve CO2 injectivity after salt precipitation. However, below a critical diluent brine salinity, CO2-LSWAG did not improve injectivity. These findings provide vital understanding of core-scale physical mechanisms of the impact of salt precipitation on CO2 injectivity in saline reservoirs. The insight gained could be implemented in simulation models to improve the quantification of injectivity losses during CO2 injection into saline sandstone reservoirs.

Experimental and Modeling Study of Salt Precipitation During Injection of CO2 Contaminated With H2S Into Depleted Gas Fields in the Northeast of the Netherlands

SPE Journal ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 19 (06) ◽  
pp. 1058-1068 ◽  
Author(s):  
P.. Bolourinejad ◽  
R.. Herber
Keyword(s):  
The Netherlands ◽  
Carbonic Acid ◽  
Co2 Storage ◽  
Mineral Dissolution ◽  
Co2 Injection ◽  
Salt Precipitation ◽  
Geological Time ◽  
Core Samples ◽  
Carbon Dioxide Co2 ◽  
Gas Fields

Summary Depleted gas fields are among the most probable candidates for subsurface storage of carbon dioxide (CO2). With proven reservoir and qualified seal, these fields have retained gas over geological time scales. However, unlike methane, injection of CO2 changes the pH of the brine because of the formation of carbonic acid. Subsequent dissolution/precipitation of minerals changes the porosity/permeability of reservoir and caprock. Thus, for adequate, safe, and effective CO2 storage, the subsurface system needs to be fully understood. An important aspect for subsurface storage of CO2 is purity of this gas, which influences risk and cost of the process. To investigate the effects of CO2 plus impurities in a real case example, we have carried out medium-term (30-day) laboratory experiments (300 bar, 100°C) on reservoir and caprock core samples from gas fields in the northeast of the Netherlands. In addition, we attempted to determine the maximum allowable concentration of one of the possible impurities in the CO2 stream [hydrogen sulfide (H2S)] in these fields. The injected gases—CO2, CO2+100 ppm H2S, and CO2+5,000 ppm H2S—were reacting with core samples and brine (81 g/L Na+, 173 g/L Cl−, 22 g/L Ca2+, 23 g/L Mg2+, 1.5 g/L K+, and 0.2 g/L SO42−). Before and after the experiments, the core samples were analyzed by scanning electron microscope (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for mineralogical variations. The permeability of the samples was also measured. After the experiments, dissolution of feldspars, carbonates, and kaolinite was observed as expected. In addition, we observed fresh precipitation of kaolinite. However, two significant results were obtained when adding H2S to the CO2 stream. First, we observed precipitation of sulfate minerals (anhydrite and pyrite). This differs from results after pure CO2 injection, where dissolution of anhydrite was dominant in the samples. Second, severe salt precipitation took place in the presence of H2S. This is mainly caused by the nucleation of anhydrite and pyrite, which enabled halite precipitation, and to a lesser degree by the higher solubility of H2S in water and higher water content of the gas phase in the presence of H2S. This was confirmed by the use of CMG-GEM (CMG 2011) modeling software. The precipitation of halite, anhydrite, and pyrite affects the permeability of the samples in different ways. After pure CO2 and CO2+100 ppm H2S injection, permeability of the reservoir samples increased by 10–30% and ≤3%, respectively. In caprock samples, permeability increased by a factor of 3–10 and 1.3, respectively. However, after addition of 5,000 ppm H2S, the permeability of all samples decreased significantly. In the case of CO2+100 ppm H2S, halite, anhydrite, and pyrite precipitation did balance mineral dissolution, causing minimal variation in the permeability of samples.

Impact of injected water salinity on CO2 storage efficiency in homogenous reservoirs

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (1) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emad A. Al-Khdheeawi ◽  
Stephanie Vialle ◽  
Ahmed Barifcani ◽  
Mohammad Sarmadivaleh ◽  
Stefan Iglauer
Keyword(s):  
Co2 Storage ◽  
Water Injection ◽  
Water Salinity ◽  
Co2 Injection ◽  
Storage Efficiency ◽  
Low Salinity ◽  
Low Salinity Water ◽  
Salinity Water ◽  
Low Salinity Water Injection ◽  
Wag Injection

Water alternating gas (WAG) injection significantly improves enhanced oil recovery efficiency by improving the sweep efficiency. However, the impact of injected water salinity during WAG injection on CO2 storage efficiency has not been previously demonstrated. Thus, a 3D reservoir model has been developed for simulating CO2 injection and storage processes in homogeneous reservoirs with different water injection scenarios (i.e. low salinity water injection (1000 ppm NaCl), high salinity water injection (250 000 ppm NaCl) and no water injection), and the associated reservoir-scale CO2 plume dynamics and CO2 dissolution have been predicted. Furthermore, in this work, we have investigated the efficiency of dissolution trapping with and without WAG injection. For all water injection scenarios, 5000 kton of CO2 were injected during a 10-year CO2 injection period. For high and low salinity water injection scenarios, 5 cycles of CO2 injection (each cycle is one year) at a rate of 1000 kton/year were carried out, and each CO2 cycle was followed by a one year water injection at a rate of 0.015 pore volume per year. This injection period was followed by a 500-year post injection (storage) period. Our results clearly indicate that injected water salinity has a significant impact on the quantity of dissolved CO2 and on the CO2 plume dynamics. The low salinity water injection resulted in the maximum CO2 dissolution and minimum vertical migration of CO2. Also, our results show that WAG injection enhances dissolution trapping and reduces CO2 leakage risk for both injected water salinities. Thus, we conclude that the low salinity water injection improves CO2 storage efficiency.

An Experimental Study of the Effects of CO2 Injection on Gas/Condensate Recovery and CO2 Storage in Gas-Condensate Reservoirs

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ifeanyi Seteyeobot ◽  
Mahmoud Jamiolahmady ◽  
Philip Jaeger ◽  
Abdulelah Nasieef
Keyword(s):  
Co2 Storage ◽  
Injection Pressure ◽  
Gas Condensate ◽  
Phase Behaviour ◽  
Co2 Injection ◽  
Co2 Flooding ◽  
Experimental Phase ◽  
Co2 Gas ◽  
Gas Condensate Reservoirs ◽  
Core Flood

Abstract The application of non-hydrocarbon gas injection for enhanced gas and condensate recovery (EGCR) is still in a developmental stage as the mixing/interaction between the injected gas and resident reservoir fluid is yet to be extensively understood and the inability to optimize the recovery process has led to limited pilot trials. Carbon dioxide (CO2) injection into gas-condensate reservoirs for improved recovery and CO2 storage provides additional and favorable changes in phase and fluid flow behaviour making it economically more attractive compared to other injection gases. However, to make an informed decision, adequate phase and flow behaviour analysis are required to better forecast the reservoir performance under CO2 injection. In this research, appropriate experimental phase behaviour, EOS modeling, and unsteady-state flow tests have been conducted to determine the level of CO2/gas-condensate interaction including condensing/vaporizing mechanisms during CO2 Huff-n-Puff (HnP) injection. A CO2 HnP injection technique was followed to identify the best CO2 flooding conditions. A total of four HnP injection cycles with incremental CO2 volumes of 20, 40, 60, and 80 % of the initial resident fluid volume prior to depletion was considered. CO2 injection pressure and volume are optimized below the saturation pressure. The analysis is based on evaluating the level of interaction between CO2 and resident fluid at the maximum condensate saturation of the corresponding CO2-gas-condensate fluid mixture as determined in a phase equilibria cell. Appropriate experimental phase behaviour and core flood data were generated and analyzed to identify and quantify the level of condensing/vaporizing mechanisms which are vital for adequate optimization of the injection pressure and amount of injected CO2 for both enhanced gas and condensate recovery and CO2 storage purposes. The amount of gas, condensate, and CO2 produced at each core flood stage was recorded. These data allow bridging the gap between conflicting reports on the trend and level of CO2/gas-condensate fluid interactions at pressures below the dew point pressure (Pdew). They also provide a better knowledge of the governing mechanisms during CO2 flooding, which are required for designing appropriate CO2 HnP injection for reservoir engineering applications.

scholarly journals Theoretical Modeling of the Impact of Salt Precipitation on CO2 Storage Potential in Fractured Saline Reservoirs

ACS Omega ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 5 (24) ◽  
pp. 14776-14785
Author(s):  
Yen A. Sokama-Neuyam ◽  
Patrick Boakye ◽  
Wilberforce N. Aggrey ◽  
Nicholas O. Obeng ◽  
Francis Adu-Boahene ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Co2 Storage ◽  
Theoretical Modeling ◽  
Salt Precipitation ◽  
Storage Potential ◽  
The Impact

Predictive Modelling of CO2 Injectivity Impairment due to Salt Precipitation and Fines Migration During Sequestration

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad Aslam Md Yusof ◽  
Mohamad Arif Ibrahim ◽  
Muhammad Azfar Mohamed ◽  
Nur Asyraf Md Akhir ◽  
Ismail M Saaid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Flow Rate ◽  
Particle Concentration ◽  
Co2 Injection ◽  
Permeability Reduction ◽  
Salt Precipitation ◽  
Fines Migration ◽  
Change Models ◽  
Injection Flow Rate ◽  
Injection Flow ◽  
Brine Salinity

Abstract Recent studies indicated that reactive interactions between carbon dioxide (CO2), brine, and rock during CO2 sequestration can cause salt precipitation and fines migration. These mechanisms can severely impair the permeability of sandstone which directly affect the injectivity of supercritical CO2 (scCO2). Previous CO2 injectivity change models are ascribed by porosity change due to salt precipitation without considering the alteration contributed by the migration of particles. Therefore, this paper presents the application of response surface methodology to predict the CO2 injectivity change resulting from the combination of salt precipitation and fines migration. The impacts of independent and combined interactions between CO2, brine, and rock parameters were also evaluated by injecting scCO2 into brine saturated sandstone. The core samples were saturated with NaCl brine with salinity between 6,000 ppm to 100,000 ppm. The 0.1, 0.3, and 0.5 wt.% of different-sized hydrophilic silicon dioxide particles (0.005, 0.015, and 0.060 μm) were added to evaluate the effect of fines migration on CO2 injectivity alteration. The pressure drop profiles were recorded throughout the injection process and the CO2 injectivity alteration was represented by the ratio between the initial and final injectivity. The experimental results showed that brine salinity has a greater individual influence on permeability reduction as compared to the influence of particles (jamming ratio and particle concentration) and scCO2 injection flow rate. Moreover, the presence of both fines migration and salt precipitation during CO2 injection was also found to intensify the permeability reduction by 10%, and reaching up to threefold with increasing brine salinity and particle size. The most significant reductions in permeability were observed at higher brine salinities, as more salts are being precipitated out which, in turn, reduces the available pore spaces and leads to a higher jamming ratio. Thus, more particles were blocked and plugged especially at the slimmer pore throats. Based on comprehensive 45 core flooding experimental data, the newly developed model was able to capture a precise correlation between four input variables (brine salinity, injection flow rate, jamming ratio, and particle concentration) and CO2 injectivity changes. The relationship was also statistically validated with reported data from five case studies.

Pore–Scale Numerical Investigations of the Impact of Mineral Dissolution and Transport in Naturally Fractured Systems During CO2–Enriched Brine Injection

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiahui You ◽  
Kyung Jae Lee
Keyword(s):  
Dissolution Rate ◽  
Co2 Storage ◽  
Mineral Dissolution ◽  
Initial Time ◽  
Co2 Injection ◽  
Pore Scale ◽  
Acid Rock ◽  
Rock Interaction ◽  
Connected Area ◽  
The Impact

Abstract CO2 storage and sequestration are regarded as an effective approach to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. While injecting an enormous amount of CO2 into carbonate–rich aquifers, CO2 dissolves in the formation brine under the large pressure, and the subsequently formed CO2–enriched brine reacts with the calcite. Reaction–induced changes in pore structure and fracture geometry alter the porosity and permeability, giving rise to concerns of CO2storage capacity and security. Especially in the reservoir or aquifer with natural fractures, the fractures provide a highly permeable pathways for fluid flow. This study aims to analyze the acid–rock interaction and subsequent permeability evolution in the systems with complex fracture configurations during CO2 injection by implementing a pore–scale DBS reactive transport model. The model has been developed by expanding the functionality of OpenFOAM, which is an open–source code for computational fluid dynamics. A series of partial differential equations are discretized by applying the Finite Volume Method (FVM) and sequentially solved. Different fracture configurations in terms of fracture length, density, connection, and mineral components have been considered to investigate their impacts on the dynamic porosity–permeability relationship, dissolution rate, and reactant transport characteristics during CO2 storage. The investigation revealed several interesting findings. We found that calcium (Ca) concentration was low in the poorly connected area at the initial time. As CO2–enriched brine saturated the system and reacted with calcite, Ca started being accumulated in the system. However, Ca barely flowed out of the poor–connected area, and the concentration became high. Lengths of branches mainly influenced the dissolution rates, while they had slight impacts on the porosity–permeability relationship. While fracture connectivity had an apparent influence on the porosity–permeability relationship, it showed a weak relevance on the dissolution rate. These microscopic insights can help enhance the CO2 sealing capacity and guarantee environmental security.

Brine Chemistry Effects in Waterflood and CO2 Injection in Carbonate Reservoirs

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hemanta K. Sarma ◽  
Yi Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Co2 Injection ◽  
Sulfate Concentration ◽  
Water Barrier ◽  
Co2 Diffusion ◽  
Reservoir Conditions ◽  
Brine Chemistry ◽  
Incremental Oil Recovery ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Brine Salinity

It has been reported that the waterflood performance in carbonate reservoirs could be significantly ameliorated by tuning the injected brine salinity and ionic composition. Also, it is noted that the brine salinity affects the CO2 injection process. This study looked into such possible effects of brine chemistry on waterflood and CO2 injection for typical UAE carbonate reservoir conditions of high temperature and pressure (T = 120°C and P = 20.68MPa). Effects on waterflood performance were investigated experimentally by a series of flooding tests at temperatures of 70°C and 120°C. In addition, an imbibition test was conducted at 70°C, followed by wettability monitoring tests at 90°C to investigate the impact of brine salinity variations and ionic compositions on waterflood performance. The impact of brine salinity on CO2-brine system properties including CO2 solubility in brine, interfacial tension between CO2 and CO2-saturated brine, and density and viscosity of CO2-saturated brine were evaluated through correlation-based studies in conjunction with some experimental data. A mathematical pore-scale model was developed to assess the brine salinity effect on water-isolated oil recovery by CO2 diffusion through water barrier. This study led to the following findings: (1) Incremental oil recovery could be obtained by either reducing salinity or increasing sulfate concentration of the tertiary injected brine at both 70°C and 120°C. However, the incremental recovery was more remarkable at the higher temperature of 120°C. (2) At 70°C, lowering the water salinity is more effective than raising the sulfate concentration in injected water in terms of incremental oil recovery. It also exhibited a similar potential for increased oil recovery at 120°C. (3) Wettability monitoring tests showed that water-wetness of carbonate rock studied could be increased by either reducing the water salinity or increasing sulfate concentration of the surrounding water. This is consistent with the imbibition test, in which wettability alteration towards more water-wetness by low salinity water was noted. (4) Under typical UAE reservoir conditions, reducing the brine salinity could significantly enhance CO2 dissolution in brine, consequently inducing significant variation to the CO2-brine system properties. This would undoubtedly impact CO2 injection performance. (5) Under typical UAE reservoir conditions, the capacity and rate of CO2 diffusion through water barrier to oil phase could be significantly reinforced by lowering the brine salinity of the water barrier.

scholarly journals Simulation of Immiscible Water-Alternating-CO2 Flooding in the Liuhua Oilfield Offshore Guangdong, China

Energies ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 2130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Hu ◽  
Pengchun Li ◽  
Linzi Yi ◽  
Zhongxian Zhao ◽  
Xuanhua Tian ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Oil Recovery ◽  
Carbon Capture ◽  
Co2 Storage ◽  
Simulation Models ◽  
Co2 Injection ◽  
Co2 Flooding ◽  
Full Field ◽  
Water Alternating Gas ◽  
Production History ◽  
And Storage

In this paper, the immiscible water-alternating-CO2 flooding process at the LH11-1 oilfield, offshore Guangdong Province, was firstly evaluated using full-field reservoir simulation models. Based on a 3D geological model and oil production history, 16 scenarios of water-alternating-CO2 injection operations with different water alternating gas (WAG) ratios and slug sizes, as well as continuous CO2 injection (Con-CO2) and primary depletion production (No-CO2) scenarios, have been simulated spanning 20 years. The results represent a significant improvement in oil recovery by CO2 WAG over both Con-CO2 and No-CO2 scenarios. The WAG ratio and slug size of water affect the efficiency of oil recovery and CO2 injection. The optimum operations are those with WAG ratios lower than 1:2, which have the higher ultimate oil recovery factor of 24%. Although WAG reduced the CO2 injection volume, the CO2 storage efficiency is still high, more than 84% of the injected CO2 was sequestered in the reservoir. Results indicate that the immiscible water-alternating-CO2 processes can be optimized to improve significantly the performance of pressure maintenance and oil recovery in offshore reef heavy-oil reservoirs significantly. The simulation results suggest that the LH11-1 field is a good candidate site for immiscible CO2 enhanced oil recovery and storage for the Guangdong carbon capture, utilization and storage (GDCCUS) project.

Impact of faults and compartmentalisation on geological carbon storage estimates in highly faulted basins

2017 ◽  
Vol 57 (2) ◽  
pp. 789
Author(s):  
Jorik W. Poesse ◽  
Ludovic P. Ricard ◽  
Allison Hortle
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Storage ◽  
Storage Capacity ◽  
Co2 Storage ◽  
Fault Reactivation ◽  
Hydrocarbon Exploration ◽  
Co2 Injection ◽  
Exploration And Production ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Fault Permeability ◽  
The Impact

Faults have extensively been studied for hydrocarbon exploration and production; however, previous studies on fault behaviour for geological carbon storage have focused on sealing capacity or reactivation potential during injection or post-injection phases. Little is known on the impact of faults for estimating storage capacity in highly faulted basins. A geological conceptual model of a representative compartment was designed to identify the key drivers of storage capacity estimates in highly faulted basins. An uncertainty quantification framework was then designed upon this model to address the impact of geological uncertainties such as fault permeability, reservoir injectivity, compartment geometry and closure on the compartment storage capacity. Pressure-limited storage capacity was estimated from numerical simulation of CO2 injection under the constraints of maximum bottom hole pressure and fault reactivation pressure. Interpretation of the simulation results highlights that (1) two injection regimes are observed: borehole- or fault-controlled, (2) storage capacity can vary more than an order of magnitude, (3) fault and reservoir permeability can be regarded as the most influential properties with respect to storage capacity, (4) compartment geometry mainly influences the injection regime controlling the storage capacity and (5) the large sensitivity of storage capacity to the type of enclosure and fault permeability indicates that pressure build-up at the fault is often the deciding factor for CO2 storage capacity.

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