Integrated thermo-poro-mechanical characterization for CO₂ Sequestration at deep aquifer conditions

MetaRock Laboratories, 2703 Highway 6 S, Houston, Texas, U.S.A.

^* Corresponding author: sudarshan@metarocklab.com

Abstract

Modelling and forecasting of injected CO₂ plume behaviour is an essential step in the baseline, monitoring, and verification [BMV] process in the CO₂ sequestration lifecycle. The goal of reduction of uncertainty through forecasting models, can be better realized by accounting for the thermo-poro-mechanical nature of the deep subsurface reservoir systems. The current study focusses on developing and refining a laboratory workflow which will help in generating representative static and dynamic datasets at ambient and deep aquifer conditions. The workflow involves characterizing the poroelastic Biot coefficient and mechanical properties at ambient, high temperatures and at reservoir representative stress conditions. This information will be combined with the dataset from a CO₂ flood experiment which replicates the displacement of brine by super critical CO₂ at ambient and high temperatures and at reservoir representative stresses. Resistivity and acoustic signals will be monitored throughout the flood experiment. Existing analytical models for fluid substitution such as the Biot-Gassmann-Brie populated with representative data will be evaluated for finding the best description of the experimental observations. The integrated results of the workflow are meant to help develop better informed static and dynamic models improving the confidence in the BMV process of CCUS.