A modelling study to evaluate the effect of impure CO2 on reservoir performance in a sandstone saline aquifer

Date published

2020-08-03

Free to read from

Supervisor/s

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Elsevier

Department

Type

Article

ISSN

2405-8440
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2020.e04597

Format

Citation

Aminu MD, Manovic V. (2020) A modelling study to evaluate the effect of impure CO2 on reservoir performance in a sandstone saline aquifer. Heliyon, Volume 6, Issue 8, Article number e04597

Abstract

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is expected to play a key role in meeting greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets. In the UK Southern North Sea, the Bunter Sandstone formation (BSF) has been identified as a potential reservoir which can store very large amounts of CO2. The formation has fairly good porosity and permeability and is sealed with both effective caprock and base rock, making CO2 storage feasible at industrial scale. However, when CO2 is captured, it typically contains impurities, which may shift the boundaries of the CO2 phase diagram, implying that higher costs will be needed for storage operations. In this study, we modelled the effect of CO2 and impurities (NO2, SO2, H2S) on the reservoir performance of the BSF. The injection of CO2 at constant rate and pressure using a single horizontal well injection strategy was simulated for up to 30 years, as well as an additional 30 years of monitoring. The results suggest that impurities in the CO2 stream affect injectivity differently, but the effects are usually encountered during early stages of injection into the BSF and may not necessarily affect cumulative injection over an extended period. It was also found that porosity of the storage site is the most important factor controlling the limits on injection. The simulations also suggest that CO2 remains secured within the reservoir for 30 years after injection is completed, indicating that no post-injection leakage is anticipated.

Description

Software Description

Software Language

Github

Keywords

Chemical engineering, Petroleum engineering, Energy sustainability, Geomechanics, Geotechnical engineering, Basin analysis, Reservoir engineering, Carbon capture and storage, Saline aquifer, Impurities in CO2, Reservoir performance, Storage capacity, Modelling and simulation

DOI

Rights

Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International

Relationships

Relationships

Supplements

Funder/s