Solid and Salt Precipitation Kinetics during CO2 Injection into Reservoir – SaltPreCO2
Safe and secure Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) relies on a good knowledge of chemical and mechanical processes that can occur during subsurface CO2 injection. These processes affect the fluid flow properties in porous media (matrix or fracture systems). In large CCS projects, the goal is to scale-up to gigatons (billion tons) of injected CO2 per year. On such huge CO2 storage operations, it is crucial to thoroughly investigate coupled processes at different length-scales, time-scales, and operational conditions. With the SaltPreCO2 project, we aim to get better knowledge about CO2 injectivity and containment.
Figure: The flow of reactive fluids and solute transport lead to fluid-rock interactions and dissolution–precipitation events inside the porous medium. Figure/illustration: SaltPreCO2. See larger figure.
About the project
In the SaltPreCO2 project, we focus on reactive transport and CO2-brine-rock interactions during subsurface injection of CO2 into saline aquifers. The project outcomes will help gain a better understanding of coupled hydraulic–mechanical–chemical (HMC) processes in porous media and predict dissolution-precipitation phenomena induced by CO2 plume movements deep in the Earth subsurface.
Objectives
To better understand and predict geoprocesses, this research project pursues the following goals:
- Develop state-of-the-art microfluidic systems coupled with Raman spectroscopy to determine real-time thermodynamic properties of the CO2-brine system in the presence of different solid substrates
- Recognize the underlying physics, dynamics, and influencing factors on CO2-induced solid and salt precipitation for a broad range of thermodynamic and geochemical conditions
- Investigate the influence of reactive fluids on crystal growth and mineral dissolution, and their impacts on the geomechanical properties in reservoir conditions
- Predict risks associated with the CO2 injection into saline aquifers based on a comprehensive and state-of-the-art understanding of the coupled HMC processes
Financing
The SaltPreCO2 project is awarded funding from the EEA and Norway Grants under the GREIG Program (grant number 690582) for the period of 2020-2023. It is part of the Basic Research Program operated by the Polish National Science Centre in cooperation with the Research Council of Norway.
Cooperation
The SaltPreCO2 project is carried out in cooperation with researchers from AGH – University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland.