Impact of the capillary fringe in vertically integrated models for CO2 storage

[1] This paper investigates vertically integrated equilibrium models for CO2 storage. We pay particular attention to the importance of including the effect of fine-scale capillary forces in the integrated equations. This aspect has been neglected in previous work, where the fluids are segregated by a sharp interface. Our results show that the fine-scale capillary forces lead to qualitative and quantitative alterations of the integrated equations. Interestingly, while such forces are dispersive on the fine scale, they lead to self-sharpening of the solution on the integrated scale. We discuss these aspects for injection, leakage, and long-term migration through the application by comparison to common sharp interface models proposed in the literature.

[1]  Ruben Juanes,et al.  Upscaling of Capillary Trapping Under Gravity Override: Application to CO2 Sequestration in Aquifers , 2008 .

[2]  F. Brezzi,et al.  Mathematical models and finite elements for reservoir simulation : single phase, multiphase and multicomponent flows through porous media , 1988 .

[3]  G. Chavent.  Mathematical models and finite elements for reservoir simulation , 1986 .

[4]  Martin J. Blunt,et al.  Design of carbon dioxide storage in aquifers , 2009 .

[5]  Jan M. Nordbotten,et al.  Impact of capillary forces on large-scale migration of CO2 , 2010 .

[6]  Ruben Juanes,et al.  The Footprint of the CO2 Plume during Carbon Dioxide Storage in Saline Aquifers: Storage Efficiency for Capillary Trapping at the Basin Scale , 2010 .

[7]  S Pacala,et al.  Stabilization Wedges: Solving the Climate Problem for the Next 50 Years with Current Technologies , 2004, Science.

[8]  Hamdi A. Tchelepi,et al.  Gravity currents with residual trapping , 2008, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[9]  G. I. Barenblatt.  Scaling: Self-similarity and intermediate asymptotics , 1996 .

[10]  Hamdi A. Tchelepi,et al.  Numerical simulation of immiscible two-phase flow in porous media , 2006 .

[11]  John C. Martin.  Partial Integration of Equations of Multiphase Flow , 1968 .

[12]  Jan M Nordbotten,et al.  Practical Modeling Approaches for Geological Storage of Carbon Dioxide , 2009, Ground water.

[13]  Andrew W. Woods,et al.  The effect of drainage on the capillary retention of CO2 in a layered permeable rock , 2009, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[14]  K. H. Coats,et al.  The Use of Vertical Equilibrium in Two-Dimensional Simulation of Three-Dimensional Reservoir Performance , 1971 .

[15]  Jan M. Nordbotten,et al.  Similarity solutions for fluid injection into confined aquifers , 2006, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[16]  Andrew W. Woods,et al.  Gravity-driven flows in porous layers , 1995, Journal of Fluid Mechanics.

[17]  L. Lake,et al.  Enhanced Oil Recovery , 2017 .

[18]  Jan M. Nordbotten,et al.  Field-scale application of a semi-analytical model for estimation of CO2 and brine leakage along old wells , 2011 .

[19]  Yannis C. Yortsos,et al.  A theoretical analysis of vertical flow equilibrium , 1995 .

[20]  Jan M. Nordbotten,et al.  Quantifying Transient Soil Moisture Dynamics Using Multipoint Direct‐Current Resistivity in Homogeneous Sand , 2011, Vadose Zone Journal.

[21]  Jan M. Nordbotten,et al.  Vertical equilibrium with sub-scale analytical methods for geological CO2 sequestration , 2009 .

[22]  N. N. Mikhailov,et al.  Groundwater mound damping , 1983 .

[23]  Jan M. Nordbotten,et al.  An improved analytical solution for interface upconing around a well , 2006 .

[24]  Martin J. Blunt,et al.  Relative permeabilities from two- and three-dimensional pore-scale network modelling , 1991 .

[25]  J. M. Nordbotten,et al.  Upslope plume migration and implications for geological CO2 sequestration in deep, saline aquifers , 2008 .