A fully coupled thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical model for CO 2 geological sequestration

Abstract The importance of thermal-hydrological-mechanical-chemical (THMC) interactions is well recognized in the procedure of CO2 geo-sequestration. Geo-mechanics and geo-chemistry may have significant effects on the aqueous phase composition, porosity and permeability of the formation, which in turn affect flow and transport processes. Using a mean stress formulation, geomechanical effects are considered such as stresses, displacements, and rock deformation in CO2 sequestration. Chemical equilibrium and kinetics are taken into account in the mass balance equation, which is able to quantitatively simulate fluid flow, solute transport and geo–chemical reaction in the operation of CO2 geo-sequestration. Since rock strength decreases with increasing amounts of reactive minerals, substantial dissolution/precipitation of rock composition may lead to significant changes in the mechanical behavior, a generic computational scheme has been developed to take the mechanical and chemical coupling effects into account. Based on these theories, a novel mathematical model of the THMC processes is developed in this paper. A fully coupled computational framework is proposed and used to simulate reactive transport of water, CO2 gas and species in subsurface formation with geomechanics. The novel frameworks are designed to keep a generalized computational structure for different THMC processes. The coupled THMC simulators focus on: (1) fluid and heat flow, solute transport in a three-phase mixture, (2) stress and displacement related to mean stress, (3) non-isothermal effects on fluid properties and reaction processes, and (4) the equilibrium and kinetics of water-rock and gas-rock chemical interactions. A practical reactive transport examples with cold supercritical CO2 injection into saline aquifer has been proposed to analyze the THMC processes quantitatively. It is indicated that the geochemical reactions do not have significant impact on pore pressure, mean stress and temperature. The thermal energy transport with low temperature significantly affects the mean stress and geochemical reactions in the saline aquifer. Low temperature accelerates equilibrium dissolution of gas and mineral, but slows down kinetic dissolution/precipitation of minerals, such as anorthite and kaolinite.

[1]  Karsten Pruess,et al.  TOUGHREACT User's Guide: A Simulation Program for Non-isothermal Multiphase Reactive geochemical Transport in Variable Saturated Geologic Media , 2004 .

[2]  T. J. Wolery,et al.  EQ3/6, a software package for geochemical modeling of aqueous systems: Package overview and installation guide (Version 7.0) , 1992 .

[3]  Karsten Pruess,et al.  TOURGHREACT: A Simulation Program for Non-isothermal MultiphaseReactive Geochemical Transport in Variably Saturated GeologicMedia , 2004 .

[4]  Yuedong Yao,et al.  The Transient Flow Analysis of Fluid in a Fractal, Double-Porosity Reservoir , 2012, Transport in Porous Media.

[5]  H. Herzog,et al.  Lifetime of carbon capture and storage as a climate-change mitigation technology , 2012, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[6]  Yu-Shu Wu,et al.  A Fully Coupled Model of Nonisothermal Multiphase Flow, Solute Transport and Reactive Chemistry in Porous Media , 2012 .

[7]  Donald L. Suarez,et al.  Two-dimensional transport model for variably saturated porous media with major ion chemistry , 1994 .

[8]  Xiaoliang Zhao,et al.  A simulation method for modified isochronal well testing to determine shale gas well productivity , 2015 .

[9]  Richard A. Feely,et al.  Impact of Anthropogenic CO2 on the CaCO3 System in the Oceans , 2004, Science.

[10]  C. Tsang,et al.  A study of caprock hydromechanical changes associated with CO2-injection into a brine formation , 2002 .

[11]  Xinwei Liao,et al.  The qualitative and quantitative fracture evaluation methodology in shale gas reservoir , 2015 .

[12]  Lingli Wei,et al.  Sequential Coupling of Geochemical Reactions With Reservoir Simulations for Waterflood and EOR Studies , 2012 .

[13]  Chin-Fu Tsang,et al.  Coupled thermal-hydraulic-mechanical phenomena in saturated fractured porous rocks: numerical approach , 1984 .

[14]  C. Appelo.  Cation and proton exchange, pH variations, and carbonate reactions in a freshening aquifer , 1994 .

[15]  H. Marbler,et al.  Geomechanical and geochemical effects on sandstones caused by the reaction with supercritical CO2: an experimental approach to in situ conditions in deep geological reservoirs , 2013, Environmental Earth Sciences.

[16]  Kamy Sepehrnoori,et al.  A compositional simulator for modeling surfactant enhanced aquifer remediation, 1 Formulation , 1996 .

[17]  William D. Gunter,et al.  SOLMINEQ.88; a computer program for geochemical modeling of water-rock interactions , 1988 .

[18]  J. Ague,et al.  Geochemical modeling of steady state fluid flow and chemical reaction during supergene enrichment of porphyry copper deposits , 1989 .

[19]  Pierre Samier,et al.  A Practical Iterative Scheme for Coupling Geomechanics With Reservoir Simulation , 2008 .

[20]  T. S. Nguyen,et al.  Description of the computer code FRACON , 1996 .

[21]  D. L. Parkhurst,et al.  User's guide to PHREEQC (Version 2)-a computer program for speciation, batch-reaction, one-dimensional transport, and inverse geochemical calculations , 1999 .

[22]  A. Gens,et al.  Coupled Thermo-Hydro-Mechanical and Chemical Analysis of Expansive Clay Subjected to Heating and Hydration , 2007 .

[23]  E. C. Childs.  Dynamics of fluids in Porous Media , 1973 .

[24]  A. Lasaga.  Chemical kinetics of water‐rock interactions , 1984 .

[25]  A. Busch,et al.  Chemical-mechanical coupling observed for depleted oil reservoirs subjected to long-term CO2-exposure - A case study of the Werkendam natural CO2 analogue field , 2015 .

[26]  Malgorzata Peszynska,et al.  Coupled fluid flow and geomechanical deformation modeling , 2003 .

[27]  David L. Parkhurst,et al.  Phreeqe--A Computer Program for Geochemical Calculations , 1980 .

[28]  Yu-Shu Wu,et al.  A NOVEL FULLY COUPLED GEOMECHANICAL MODEL FOR CO2 SEQUESTRATION IN FRACTURED AND POROUS BRINE AQUIFERS , 2012 .

[29]  Ronglei Zhang.  Numerical simulation of thermal hydrological mechanical chemical processes during CO2 geological sequestration , 2007 .

[30]  Van Genuchten,et al.  A closed-form equation for predicting the hydraulic conductivity of unsaturated soils , 1980 .

[31]  Liange Zheng,et al.  On the impact of temperatures up to 200 °C in clay repositories with bentonite engineer barrier systems: A study with coupled thermal, hydrological, chemical, and mechanical modeling , 2015 .

[32]  Antonin Settari,et al.  Advances in Coupled Geomechanical and Reservoir Modeling With Applications to Reservoir Compaction , 2001 .

[33]  H. L. Miller,et al.  Climate Change 2007: The Physical Science Basis , 2007 .

[34]  Liange Zheng.  A Coupled THMC model of FEBEX mock-up test , 2010 .

[35]  Peter Engesgaard,et al.  A geochemical transport model for redox-controlled movement of mineral fronts in groundwater flow systems: A case of nitrate removal by oxidation of pyrite , 1992 .

[36]  Gudmundur S. Bodvarsson,et al.  A modeling approach for analysis of coupled multiphase fluid flow, heat transfer, and deformation in fractured porous rock , 2002 .

[37]  P. Winterfeld,et al.  DEVELOPMENT OF AN ADVANCED THERMAL-HYDROLOGICAL-MECHANICAL MODEL FOR CO2 STORAGE IN POROUS AND FRACTURED SALINE AQUIFERS , 2012 .

[38]  T. N. Narasimhan,et al.  Redox‐controlled multiple‐species reactive chemical transport: 1. Model development , 1989 .

[39]  P. Longuemare,et al.  Geomechanics in Reservoir Simulation: Overview of Coupling Methods and Field Case Study , 2002 .

[40]  Karsten Pruess,et al.  TOUGHREACT - A simulation program for non-isothermal multiphase reactive geochemical transport in variably saturated geologic media: Applications to geothermal injectivity and CO2 geological sequestration , 2006, Comput. Geosci..

[41]  Robert L. Street,et al.  A Groundwater Mass Transport and Equilibrium Chemistry Model for Multicomponent Systems , 1985 .

[42]  A. C. Bumb,et al.  Stress-Dependent Permeability and Porosity of Coal and Other Geologic Formations , 1988 .

[44]  R. W. Ostensen.  The Effect of Stress-Dependent Permeability on Gas Production and Well Testing , 1986 .

[45]  Thomas Kohl,et al.  Coupled hydraulic, thermal and mechanical considerations for the simulation of hot dry rock reservoirs , 1995 .

[46]  C. Steefel,et al.  A coupled model for transport of multiple chemical species and kinetic precipitation/dissolution rea , 1994 .

[47]  A FULLY COUPLED MODEL OF NONISOTHERMAL MULTIPHASE FLOW, GEOMECHANICS, AND CHEMISTRY DURING CO2 SEQUESTRATION IN BRINE AQUIFERS , 2012 .

[48]  Yu-Shu Wu,et al.  Non-Darcy displacement in linear composite and radial aquifer during CO2 sequestration , 2014 .

[49]  A. Settari,et al.  New Iterative Coupling Between a Reservoir Simulator and a Geomechanics Module , 2004 .

[50]  Olaf Kolditz,et al.  Object‐oriented finite element analysis of thermo‐hydro‐mechanical (THM) problems in porous media , 2007 .

[51]  Yousif K. Kharaka,et al.  A Compilation of Rate Parameters of Water-Mineral Interaction Kinetics for Application to Geochemical Modeling , 2004 .

[52]  Gour-Tsyh Yeh,et al.  A Model for Simulating Transport of Reactive Multispecies Components: Model Development and Demonstration , 1991 .

[53]  B. Hitchon,et al.  Aquifer disposal of carbon dioxide : hydrodynamic and mineral trapping : proof of concept , 1996 .

[54]  Corinne Le Quéré,et al.  Climate Change 2013: The Physical Science Basis , 2013 .

[55]  B. Metz.  IPCC special report on carbon dioxide capture and storage , 2005 .

[56]  A. Walter,et al.  Modeling of multicomponent reactive transport in groundwater-2 , 1994 .

[57]  K. Pruess,et al.  Thermohydrological conditions and silica redistribution near high‐level nuclear wastes emplaced in saturated geological formations , 1988 .

[58]  Karsten Pruess,et al.  Modeling non-isothermal multiphase multi-species reactive chemical transport in geologic media , 1997 .

[59]  James P. Evans,et al.  The Green River Natural Analogue as a field laboratory to study the long-term fate of CO2 in the subsurface , 2015 .

[60]  Kamy Sepehrnoori,et al.  Development of a Three Phase, Fully Implicit, Parallel Chemical Flood Simulator , 2009 .

[61]  D. K. Davies,et al.  Stress-dependent permeability: Characterization and modeling , 2001 .

[62]  E. Maier‐Reimer,et al.  Anthropogenic ocean acidification over the twenty-first century and its impact on calcifying organisms , 2005, Nature.

[63]  Fritz Stauffer,et al.  Modeling of reactive groundwater transport governed by biodegradation , 1994 .

[64]  Yu-Shu Wu,et al.  Sequentially coupled THMC model for CO2 geological sequestration into a 2D heterogeneous saline aquifer , 2015, Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering.

[65]  Yu-Shu Wu,et al.  Coupled Geomechanical and Reactive Geochemical Model for Fluid and Heat Flow: Application for Enhanced Geothermal Reservoir , 2013, All Days.

[66]  Kathryn L. Nagy,et al.  Chemical weathering rate laws and global geochemical cycles , 1994 .