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Experimental study of crossover from capillary to viscous fingering for supercritical CO2 - water displacement in a homogeneous pore network

Journal Article · · Environmental Science & Technology, 47(1):212-218
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1021/es3014503· OSTI ID:1060113
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [2];  [2];  [1];  [2]
  1. Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing (China)
  2. Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
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Carbon sequestration in saline aquifers involves displacing resident brine from the pore space by supercritical CO2 (scCO2 ). The displacement process is considered unstable due to the unfavorable viscosity ratio (logM < 0). The unstable mechanisms that affect scCO2 - water displacement under reservoir conditions (i.e., 41 °C, 9 MPa) were investigated in a homogeneous micromodel. A wide range of injection rates (logCa = -7.61~-4.73) was studied in two sets of experiments: discontinuous-rate injection, where the micromodel was first cleaned and saturated with water before each injection rate was imposed, and continuous-rate injection, where the rate was increased after quasi-steady conditions were reached for a certain rate. For the discontinuous-rate experiments, capillary fingering and viscous fingering are the dominant mechanisms for low (logCa <= -6.61) and high injection rates (logCa >= -5.21), respectively. Crossover from capillary to viscous fingering was observed for logCa = -5.91~-5.21, resulting in a large decrease in scCO2 saturation. The discontinuous-rate experimental results confirmed the decrease in nonwetting fluid saturation during crossover from capillary to viscous fingering predicted by numerical simulations by Lenormand et al. (1988).1 Capillary fingering was the only mechanism that dominates all injection rates in the continuous-rate experiment, and resulted in monotonic increase in scCO2 saturation.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States). Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory (EMSL)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE
DOE Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1060113
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA--87244; 39094; 45993; AA7020000
Journal Information:
Environmental Science & Technology, 47(1):212-218, Journal Name: Environmental Science & Technology, 47(1):212-218 Journal Issue: 1 Vol. 47; ISSN 0013-936X
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

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Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory