The fluid flow consequences of CO2 migration from 1000 to 600 metres upon passing the critical conditions of CO2

The fluid flow consequences of CO2 migration from 1000 to 600 metres upon passing the critical conditions of CO2

van der Meer, L.G.H.(B.)
Hofstee, C.
Orlic, B.
TNO Bouw en Ondergrond

2009

The minimum injection depth for the storage of CO2 is normally set at 800 metres. At and beyond this depth in the subsurface conditions exist where CO2 is in a so-called critical state. The supercritical CO2 has a viscosity comparable to that of a normal gas and a liquid-like density, Due to the high density of the supercritical CO2, storing the CO2 in the supercritical state is the most efficient geological storage. The CO2 will therefore be injected below the transition zone between subcritical and supercritical conditions. In the case of CO2 storage in large aquifers, some part of the storage formation may lie at shallower depths where CO2 occurs in gas phase. The CO2 will also occur in the subcritical state (gas phase) in the case of an unintentional CO2 leak from an existing storage site. In both cases it is crucial to understand how the CO2 will behave when it reaches and passes this transition zone. In the case of intentional CO2 injection in a shallow aquifer this knowledge is important to determine both the injection strategy and the available storage capacity of the aquifer; in the case of leakage, safety and risk assessment. In this paper we present the results of a reservoir simulation study, supported by a literature study, that considers the principles of CO2 phase behaviour in the subsurface, and the implications for the injection strategy and storage volumes. © 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Geosciences
Carbon dioxide
Geological storage
Phase behaviour
Critical condition
Critical state
Fluid flow
Gasphase
Geological storage
High density
Normal gas
Phase behaviour
Reservoir simulation
Safety and risk assessment
Shallow aquifers
Storage capacity
Storage sites
Storage volumes
Subcritical state
Subsurface conditions
Supercritical CO
Supercritical condition
Supercritical state
Transition zones
Aquifers
Carbon dioxide
Critical current density (superconductivity)
Flow of fluids
Gas dynamics
Gases
Hydrogeology
Risk assessment
Risk management
Water injection

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Energy Procedia, 1 (1), 3213-3220

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