On CO2 fluid flow and heat transfer behavior in the subsurface, following leakage from a geologic storage reservoir

Geologic storage of CO2 is expected to produce plumes of large areal extent, and some leakage may occur along fractures, fault zones, or improperly plugged pre-existing wellbores. A review of physical and chemical processes accompanying leakage suggests a potential for self-enhancement. The numerical simulations presented here confirm this expectation, but reveal self-limiting features as well. It seems unlikely that CO2 leakage could trigger a high-energy run-away discharge, a so-called “pneumatic eruption,” but present understanding is insufficient to rule out this possibility. The most promising avenue for increasing understanding of CO2 leakage behavior is the study of natural analogues.

[1]  Stephen W. Pacala,et al.  Global Constraints on Reservoir Leakage , 2003 .

[2]  Tony Espie.  Understanding risk for the long term storage of co2 in geologic formations , 2005 .

[3]  Karsten Pruess.  Numerical simulations show potential for strong nonisothermal effects during fluid leakage from a geologic disposal reservoir for CO2 , 2005 .

[4]  P. Bergmo,et al.  The Long-Term Fate of CO2 Injected into an Aquifer , 2003 .

[5]  K. Pruess,et al.  Numerical Modeling of Aquifer Disposal of CO2 , 2003 .

[6]  William C. Evans,et al.  Carbon dioxide and helium emissions from a reservoir of magmatic gas beneath Mammoth Mountain, California , 1998 .

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

[8]  Eric W. Lemmon,et al.  Thermophysical Properties of Fluid Systems , 1998 .

[9]  Sally M. Benson,et al.  Lessons Learned from Natural and Industrial Analogues for Storage of Carbon Dioxide in Deep Geological Formations , 2002 .

[10]  Steven Benbow,et al.  Development of a FEP database for the geological storage of carbon dioxide , 2005 .

[11]  C. M. Gibson-Poole,et al.  Conducting comprehensive analyses of potential sites for geological CO2 storage , 2005 .

[12]  Mileva Radonjic,et al.  The effect of CO2 sequestration on oll well cements , 2005 .

[13]  Alexander Wokaun,et al.  Greenhouse Gas Control Technologies , 1999 .

[14]  Allan R. Chivas,et al.  Liquid carbon dioxide of magmatic origin and its role in volcanic eruptions , 1987, Nature.

[15]  Erik Lindeberg.  The Quality of a CO2 Repository: What Is the Sufficient Retention Time of CO2 Stored Underground , 2003 .

[16]  David G. Hawkins,et al.  No exit: thinking about leakage from geologic carbon storage sites , 2004 .

[17]  Rick Chalaturnyk,et al.  Methodology for assessing integrity of bounding seals (wells and caprock) for geological storage of CO2 , 2005 .

[18]  L. Durlofsky,et al.  Drift-Flux Modeling of Two-Phase Flow in Wellbores , 2005 .

[19]  William C. Evans,et al.  Origin of the lethal gas burst from Lake Monoun, Cameroun , 1987 .

[20]  Chin-Fu Tsang,et al.  Underground injection science and technology , 2005 .

[21]  Frank B. Walton,et al.  Geological storage of CO2: A statistical approach to assessing performance and risk , 2005 .

[22]  N. Zuber,et al.  Average volumetric concentration in two-phase flow systems , 1965 .

[23]  P. Browne,et al.  Characteristics of hydrothermal eruptions, with examples from New Zealand and elsewhere , 2001 .

[24]  Richard R. Hillis,et al.  Building geomechanical models for the safe underground storage of carbon dioxide in porous rock , 2003 .

[25]  A. R. Bowden,et al.  Assessing reservoir performance risk in CO2 storage projects , 2005 .

[26]  Karsten Pruess,et al.  Numerical simulation of CO2 leakage from a geologic disposal reservoir including transitions from super- to sub-critical conditions, and boiling of liquid of CO2 , 2003 .

[27]  M. Celia,et al.  Analytical solutions for leakage rates through abandoned wells , 2004 .

[28]  James P. Evans,et al.  Analysis of CO2 leakage through ‘low-permeability’ faults from natural reservoirs in the Colorado Plateau, east-central Utah , 2004, Geological Society, London, Special Publications.

[29]  Carlo Cardellini,et al.  Carbon dioxide Earth degassing and seismogenesis in central and southern Italy , 2004 .

[30]  Tobias P. Fischer,et al.  The relationship between fumarole gas composition and eruptive activity at Galeras Volcano, Colombia , 1996 .

[31]  K. Pruess.  Numerical studies of fluid leakage from a geologic disposal reservoir for CO{sub 2} show self-limiting feedback between fluid flow and heat transfer - article no. L14404 , 2005 .

[32]  K. Pruess.  ECO2N: A TOUGH2 Fluid Property Module for Mixtures of Water, NaCl, and CO2 , 2005 .

[33]  H. Tazieff.  Mechanisms of the Nyos carbon dioxide disaster and of so-called phreatic steam eruptions , 1989 .

[34]  K. Pruess.  Numerical Simulation of CO2 Leakage From a Geologic Disposal Reservoir, Including Transitions From Super- to Subcritical Conditions, and Boiling of Liquid CO2 , 2004 .

[35]  Yuji Sano,et al.  CO2-rich gases from Lakes Nyos and Monoun, Cameroon; Laacher See, Germany; Dieng, Indonesia, and Mt. Gambier, Australia—variations on a common theme , 1991 .

[36]  Richard R. Hillis,et al.  Estimating fault stability and sustainable fluid pressures for underground storage of CO2 in porous rock , 2004 .

[37]  Chin-Fu Tsang,et al.  Coupled hydromechanical effects of CO2 injection , 2005 .

[38]  Jan M. Nordbotten,et al.  Evaluation of the spread of acid-gas plumes injected in deep saline aquifers in western Canada as an analogue for CO2 injection into continental sedimentary basins , 2005 .

[39]  P. Zweigel,et al.  Towards a methodology for top seal efficacy assessment for underground CO2 storage , 2005 .

[40]  Karsten Pruess,et al.  Multiphase flow dynamics during CO2 disposal into saline aquifers , 2002 .

[41]  Jürgen E. Streit,et al.  Estimating rates of potential co2 loss from geological storage sites for risk and uncertainty analysis , 2005 .

[42]  O. F. Spencer,et al.  Natural gas engineering , 1954 .

[43]  David W. Keith,et al.  Carbon storage: the economic efficiency of storing CO2 in leaky reservoirs , 2003 .

[44]  Sally M. Benson,et al.  Implications of Surface Seepage on the Effectiveness of Geologic Storage of Carbon Dioxide as a Climate Change Mitigation Strategy , 2002 .

[45]  M. Celia,et al.  Quantitative estimation of CO2 leakage from geological storage: Analytical models, numerical models, and data needs , 2005 .

[46]  Ton Wildenborg,et al.  Long-term safety assessment of CO2 storage: The scenario approach , 2005 .

[47]  William C. Evans,et al.  Tracing and quantifying magmatic carbon discharge in cold groundwaters: lessons learned from Mammoth Mountain, USA , 2002 .