1770Accesses
190Citations
3Altmetric
Abstract
We study a sharp-interface mathematical model of CO2 migration in deep saline aquifers, which accounts for gravity override, capillary trapping, natural groundwater flow, and the shape of the plume during the injection period. The model leads to a nonlinear advection–diffusion equation, where the diffusive term is due to buoyancy forces, not physical diffusion. For the case of interest in geological CO2 storage, in which the mobility ratio is very unfavorable, the mathematical model can be simplified to a hyperbolic equation. We present a complete analytical solution to the hyperbolic model. The main outcome is a closed-form expression that predicts the ultimate footprint on the CO2 plume, and the time scale required for complete trapping. The capillary trapping coefficient and the mobility ratio between CO2 and brine emerge as the key parameters in the assessment of CO2 storage in saline aquifers. Despite the many approximations, the model captures the essence of the flow dynamics and therefore reflects proper dependencies on the mobility ratio and the capillary trapping coefficient, which are basin-specific. The expressions derived here have applicability to capacity estimates by capillary trapping at the basin scale.
This is a preview of subscription content,log in via an institution to check access.
Access this article
Subscribe and save
- Get 10 units per month
- Download Article/Chapter or eBook
- 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
- Cancel anytime
Buy Now
Price includes VAT (Japan)
Instant access to the full article PDF.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bachu S.: Screening and ranking of sedimentary basins for sequestration of CO2 in geological media in response to climate change. Environ. Geol.44, 277–289 (2003)
Bachu S., Gunther W.D., Perkins E.H.: Aquifer disposal of CO2: hydrodynamic and mineral trapping. Energy Conv. Manag.35(4), 269–279 (1994)
Bachu S. et al.: CO2 storage capacity estimation: methodology and gaps. Int. J. Greenhouse Gas Control1, 430–443 (2007)
Barenblatt G.I.: Scaling, Self-similarity, and Intermediate Asymptotics. Cambridge Texts in Applied Mathematics, Cambridge University Press, (1996)
Bear, J.: Dynamics of fluids in porous media. Elsevier, New York, reprinted with corrections, Dover, New York, 1988 (1972)
Bennion, D.B., Bachu, S.: Supercritical CO2 and H2S—brine drainage and imbibition relative permeability relationships for intergranular sandstone and carbonate formations. In: SPE Europec/EAGE Annual Conference and Exhibition, Vienna, Austria (SPE 99326) (2006)
Department of Energy NETL: Carbon Sequestration Atlas of the United States and Canada. (2007)http://www.netl.doe.gov/technologies/carbon_seq/refshelf/atlas/
Energy Information Administration: State energy-related carbon dioxide emissions estimates (2008)http://www.eia.doe.gov/oiaf/1605/ggrpt/excel/tbl_statefuel.xls
Ennis-King J., Paterson L.: Role of convective mixing in the long-term storage of carbon dioxide in deep saline formations. Soc. Pet. Eng. J.10(3), 349–356 (2005)
Flett, M., Gurton, R., Taggart, I.: The function of gas–water relative permeability hysteresis in the sequestration of carbon dioxide in saline formations. In: SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, Perth, Australia (SPE 88485) (2004)
Gunter W.D., Wiwchar B., Perkins E.H.: Aquifer disposal of CO2-rich greenhouse gases: Extension of the time scale of experiment for CO2-sequestering reactions by geochemical modeling. Miner. Pet59(1–2), 121–140 (1997)
Hesse, M.A., Tchelepi, H.A., Orr, F.M. Jr.: Scaling analysis of the migration of CO2 in saline aquifers. In: SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio, TX (SPE 102796) (2006)
Hesse M.A., Tchelepi H.A., Cantwel B.J., Orr F.M. Jr: Gravity currents in horizontal porous layers: transition from early to late self-similarity. J. Fluid Mech.577, 363–383 (2007)
Hesse M.A., Orr F.M. Jr, Tchelepi H.A.: Gravity currents with residual trapping. J. Fluid Mech.611, 35–60 (2008)
Huppert H.E., Woods A.W.: Gravity-driven flows in porous media. J. Fluid Mech.292, 55–69 (1995)
IPCC: Special report on carbon dioxide capture and storage. In: Metz, B., et al. (eds.) Cambridge University Press (2005)
Juanes, R., MacMinn, C.W.: Upscaling of capillary trapping under gravity override: application to CO2 sequestration in aquifers. In: SPE/DOE Symposium on Improved Oil Recovery, Tulsa, OK (SPE 113496) (2008)
Juanes, R., Spiteri, E.J., Orr, F.M. Jr., Blunt, M.J.: Impact of relative permeability hysteresis on geological CO2 storage. Water Resour Res.42, W12418 (2006). doi:10.1029/2005WR004806
Kochina I.N., Mikhailov N.N., Filinov M.V.: Groundwater mound damping. Int. J. Eng. Sci.21, 413–421 (1983)
Kumar A., Ozah R., Noh M., Pope G.A., Bryant S., Sepehrnoori K., Lake L.W.: Reservoir simulation of CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers. Soc. Pet. Eng. J.10(3), 336–348 (2005)
Lax P.D.: Hyperbolic systems of conservation laws, II. Comm. Pure Appl. Math.10, 537–566 (1957)
Lyle S., Huppert H.E., Hallworth M., Bickle M., Chadwick A.: Axisymmetric gravity currents in a porous medium. J. Fluid Mech.543, 293–302 (2005)
MacMinn, C.W., Juanes, R.: Integrating CO2 dissolution into analytical models for geological CO2 storage. In: 61st Annual Meeting of the APS Division of Fluid Dynamics, San Antonio, TX (2008a)
MacMinn, C.W., Juanes, R.: Post-injection spreading and trapping of CO2 in saline aquifers. Comput. Geosci. (Submitted) (2008b)
Mo, S., Zweigel, P., Lindeberg, E., Akervoll, I.: Effect of geologic parameters on CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers. In: 14th Europec Biennial Conference, Madrid, Spain (SPE 93952) (2005)
Nicot J.P.: Evaluation of large-scale CO2 storage on fresh-water sections of aquifers: an example from the Texas Gulf Coast Basin. Int. J. Greenhouse Gas Control2(4), 582–593 (2008)
Nordbotten J.M., Celia M.A., Bachu S.: Analytical solution for CO2 plume evolution during injection. Transp. Porous Media58(3), 339–360 (2005)
Riaz A., Hesse M., Tchelepi H.A., Orr F.M. Jr: Onset of convection in a gravitationally unstable, diffusive boundary layer in porous media. J. Fluid Mech.548, 87–111 (2006)
Smoller J.: Shock waves and reaction-diffusion equations. Springer-Verlag, New York (1994)
Szulczewski M.L., Juanes R.: A simple but rigorous model for calculating CO2 storage capacity in deep saline aquifers at the basin scale. Energy Procedia (Proc GHGT-9)1(1), 3307–3314 (2009). doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2009.02.117
Vella D., Huppert H.E.: Gravity currents in a porous medium at an inclined plane. J. Fluid Mech.555, 353–362 (2006)
Yortsos Y.C.: A theoretical analysis of vertical flow equilibrium. Transp. Porous Media18, 107–129 (1995)
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 77 Massachusetts Ave., Bldg. 48-319, Cambridge, MA, 02139, USA
Ruben Juanes, Christopher W. MacMinn & Michael L. Szulczewski
- Ruben Juanes
You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
- Christopher W. MacMinn
You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
- Michael L. Szulczewski
You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar
Corresponding author
Correspondence toRuben Juanes.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Juanes, R., MacMinn, C.W. & Szulczewski, M.L. The Footprint of the CO2 Plume during Carbon Dioxide Storage in Saline Aquifers: Storage Efficiency for Capillary Trapping at the Basin Scale.Transp Porous Med82, 19–30 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-009-9420-3
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
Share this article
Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:
Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article.
Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative