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. – SaltPreCO2 research project

SaltPreCO2: The flow of reactive fluids and solute transport lead to fluid-rock interactions and dissolution–precipitation events inside the porous medium. See larger figure. Figure: SaltPreCO2.

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, the research project SaltPreCO2 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).

It is part of the Basic Research Program operated by the Polish National Science Centre in cooperation with the Research Council of Norway.

The SaltPreCO2 project is funded for the period of 2020-2023.

Cooperation

The SaltPreCO2 project is carried out in cooperation with researchers from AGH – University of Science and Technology in Krakow, Poland.

Masoudi, Mohammad; Nooraiepour, Mohammad & Hellevang, Helge (2022). The Effect of Preferential Nucleation Sites on the Distribution of Secondary Mineral Precipitates, 83rd EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition 2022. European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE). ISSN 978-90-73834-12-5. doi: 10.3997/2214-4609.202210445.
Nooraiepour, Mohammad; Masoudi, Mohammad & Hellevang, Helge (2022). Precipitation-Induced Geometry Evolution During Reactive Transport: Experimental and Numerical Insights into Stochastic Dynamics of Mineral Growth, 83rd EAGE Annual Conference & Exhibition 2022. European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE). ISSN 978-90-73834-12-5. doi: 10.3997/2214-4609.202210470.
Nooraiepour, Mohammad (2022). Clay Mineral Type and Content Control Properties of Fine-Grained CO2 Caprocks—Laboratory Insights from Strongly Swelling and Non-Swelling Clay–Quartz Mixtures. Energies. ISSN 1996-1073. 15(14). doi: 10.3390/en15145149. Full text in Research Archive
Sharifi, Javad; Nooraiepour, Mohammad; Mohammadkazem, Amiri & Mondol, Nazmul Haque (2022). -Developing a relationship between static Young’s modulus and seismic parameters. Journal of Petroleum Exploration and Production Technology. ISSN 2190-0558. doi: 10.1007/s13202-022-01546-6. Full text in Research Archive
Nooraiepour, Mohammad; Masoudi, Mohammad & Hellevang, Helge (2021). Probabilistic nucleation governs time, amount, and location of mineral precipitation and geometry evolution in the porous medium. Scientific Reports. ISSN 2045-2322. 11. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-95237-7. Full text in Research Archive
Nooraiepour, Mohammad; Masoudi, Mohammad; Shokri, Nima & Hellevang, Helge (2021). Probabilistic Nucleation and Crystal Growth in Porous Medium: New Insights from Calcium Carbonate Precipitation on Primary and Secondary Substrates. ACS Omega. ISSN 2470-1343. 6(42), p. 28072–28083. doi: 10.1021/acsomega.1c04147. Full text in Research Archive
Sharifi, Javad; Nooraiepour, Mohammad & Mondol, Md Nazmul Haque (2021). Application of the Analysis of Variance for Converting Dynamic to Static Young’s Modulus. In SPE, , (Eds.), SPE Europec featured at 82nd EAGE conference and exhibition, October 18-21, 2021, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Society of Petroleum Engineers. ISSN 9781613997918. doi: 10.3997/2214-4609.202012000.
Nooraiepour, Mohammad; Fazeli, Hossein; Masoudi, Mohammad & Hellevang, Helge (2021). Effect of Mineral Heterogeneity on Fracture Dissolution in Carbonate-Rich Caprocks During Subsurface Co2 Injection. In SPE, , (Eds.), SPE Europec featured at 82nd EAGE conference and exhibition, October 18-21, 2021, Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Society of Petroleum Engineers. ISSN 9781613997918. doi: 10.3997/2214-4609.202011174.
Fazeli, Hossein; Nooraiepour, Mohammad; Masoudi, Mohammad & Hellevang, Helge (2021). Effect of Mineral Heterogeneity on Fracture Dissolution in Carbonate-Rich Caprocks During Subsurface Co2 Injection. EAGE extended abstracts. doi: 10.3997/2214-4609.202011174. Show summary
Chemical interactions between CO2, brine, and caprock-forming minerals might lead to dissolution of the fractures present in the caprock of CO2 storage sites. One factor that can affect the chemically induced fracture alterations is mineral heterogeneity in the caprock. In this study, we investigate the effect of mineral heterogeneity on fracture dissolution of four carbonate-rich caprock samples, having different levels of heterogeneity, where CO¬2-rich brine flows through the fractured caprocks. A HPHT geomaterial microfluidic experimental setup is used to monitor the evolution of the fractures. Results indicate that the homogeneous caprock samples, i.e. the samples that are mainly composed of calcite, show a uniform fracture wall dissolution while fracture wall roughness increases for heterogeneous samples. The effluent chemistry analyses show that the sample-scale calcite dissolution rate decreases over time, which can be due to the mass transfer limitations in the boundary layer near the fracture wall (for the homogeneous sample) or in the altered layer formed around the fracture (for the heterogeneous samples). Microfluidic experiments were also done for one carbonate rich finegrained shale sample, which showed no detectable fracture alteration. However, the effluent analysis for the shale sample confirmed the calcite dissolution.

View all works in Cristin

Masoudi, Mohammad; Nooraiepour, Mohammad & Hellevang, Helge (2022). On the effect of probabilistic nucleation on the distribution of mineral precipitates in porous media. EGU General Assembly Conference Abstracts. doi: 10.5194/egusphere-egu22-8398.
Nooraiepour, Mohammad; Masoudi, Mohammad; Shokri, Nima & Hellevang, Helge (2022). Heterogeneous nucleation and precipitation on solid surfaces: Experimental observation of calcium carbonate formation on primary and secondary substrates.
Nooraiepour, Mohammad (2022). Career Development Event for the PhDs and Early Career Researchers.
Masoudi, Mohammad; Nooraiepour, Mohammad & Hellevang, Helge (2022). How the Probabilistic Nature of the Nucleation Process Affects and Controls the Distribution of Mineral Precipitates in Porous Media.
Nooraiepour, Mohammad; Masoudi, Mohammad & Hellevang, Helge (2022). new probabilistic framework for nucleation and mineral growth in porous media helps bridge between different spatial and temporal scales— Theory, experiments and simulations.
Nooraiepour, Mohammad & Hellevang, Helge (2021). Reactive transport and geometry evolution of the porous medium: A geochemical perspective.
Masoudi, Mohammad; Nooraiepour, Mohammad; Berntsen, Andreas Nicolas & Hellevang, Helge (2021). How to bridge between different time and length scales using a new probabilistic approach for mineral nucleation and growth.
Masoudi, Mohammad; Nooraiepour, Mohammad; Berntsen, Andreas Nicolas & Hellevang, Helge (2021). A new probabilistic nucleation model to predict crystal growth in porous medium.
Nooraiepour, Mohammad; Masoudi, Mohammad; Fazeli, Hossein & Hellevang, Helge (2021). Geometry evolution and fracture alteration controlled by spatial mineral heterogeneity during CO2 sequestration -A reactive transport study.
Nooraiepour, Mohammad & Hellevang, Helge (2021). Coupled THMC processes during subsurface CO2 injection.
Nooraiepour, Mohammad (2021). A pore-scale perspective into the dissolution and precipitation processes in porous media.
Hellevang, Helge; Nooraiepour, Mohammad; Masoudi, Mohammad & Fazeli, Hossein (2020). Statistical Model for Mineral Nucleation and Growth.
Tjoflot, Gunn Kristin & Nooraiepour, Mohammad (2020). Porous Media Tea Time Talks – A new webinar series. [Internet]. https://www.mn.uio.no/geo/english/research/projects/saltprec.
Nooraiepour, Mohammad & Hellevang, Helge (2020). Solid precipitation in porous reservoir rocks near the injection well: State of the art.
Nooraiepour, Mohammad (2020). Imaging and modeling of fluid-rock processes — Insights from realistic geometry of porous media .