Capillary trapping of CO2 in oil reservoirs: observations in a mixed-wet carbonate rock
File(s)EST Manuscript Revision Al-Menhali 2016.pdf (652.11 KB)
Accepted version
Author(s)
Al-Menhali, AS
Krevor, S
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Early deployment of carbon dioxide storage is likely to focus on injection into mature oil reservoirs, most of which occur in carbonate rock units. Observations and modeling have shown how capillary trapping leads to the immobilization of CO2 in saline aquifers, enhancing the security and capacity of storage. There are, however, no observations of trapping in rocks with a mixed-wet-state characteristic of hydrocarbon-bearing carbonate reservoirs. Here, we found that residual trapping of supercritical CO2 in a limestone altered to a mixed-wet state with oil was significantly less than trapping in the unaltered rock. In unaltered samples, the trapping of CO2 and N2 were indistinguishable, with a maximum residual saturation of 24%. After the alteration of the wetting state, the trapping of N2 was reduced, with a maximum residual saturation of 19%. The trapping of CO2 was reduced even further, with a maximum residual saturation of 15%. Best-fit Land-model constants shifted from C = 1.73 in the water-wet rock to C = 2.82 for N2 and C = 4.11 for the CO2 in the mixed-wet rock. The results indicate that plume migration will be less constrained by capillary trapping for CO2 storage projects using oil fields compared with those for saline aquifers.
Date Issued
2016-03-01
Date Acceptance
2016-01-26
Citation
Environmental Science & Technology, 2016, 50 (5), pp.2727-2734
ISSN
1520-5851
Publisher
American Chemical Society
Start Page
2727
End Page
2734
Journal / Book Title
Environmental Science & Technology
Volume
50
Issue
5
Copyright Statement
© 2016 The American Physical Society
Sponsor
Qatar Shell Research and Technology Center QSTP LLC
Identifier
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.est.5b05925
Grant Number
490000724
Subjects
Science & Technology
Technology
Life Sciences & Biomedicine
Engineering, Environmental
Environmental Sciences
Engineering
Environmental Sciences & Ecology
WETTABILITY LITERATURE SURVEY
RELATIVE PERMEABILITY
INTERFACIAL-TENSION
DIOXIDE STORAGE
BRINE
RECOVERY
DRAINAGE
CAPTURE
Calcium Carbonate
Carbon Dioxide
Carbon Sequestration
Carbonates
Groundwater
Models, Theoretical
Oil and Gas Fields
Wettability
Carbonates
Calcium Carbonate
Carbon Dioxide
Wettability
Models, Theoretical
Carbon Sequestration
Groundwater
Oil and Gas Fields
Environmental Sciences
Publication Status
Published
Date Publish Online
2016-02-10