Geologic CO 2 sequestration in basalt reservoirs is predicated on permanent CO 2 isolation via rapid mineralization reactions. This process is supported by a substantial body of evidence, including laboratory experiments documenting rapid mineralization rates, regional storage estimates indicating large, accessible storage reservoirs, and two successful pilot‐scale studies. Nevertheless, there remains significant uncertainty in the behavior of CO 2 flow within basalt fracture networks, particularly in the context estimating physical trapping potential in early time and as CO 2 undergoes phase change. In this study, a Monte Carlo numerical model is designed to simulate a supercritical CO 2 plume infiltrating a low‐permeability flood basalt entablature. The fracture network model is based on outcrop‐scale LiDAR mapping of Columbia River Basalt, and CO 2 flow is simulated within fifty equally probable realizations of the fracture network. The spatial distribution of fracture permeability for each realization is randomly drawn from a basalt aperture distribution, and ensemble results are analyzed with e‐type estimates to compute mean and standard deviation of fluid pressure and CO 2 saturation. Results of this model after 10 years of simulation suggest that (1) CO 2 flow converges on a single dominant flow path, (2) CO 2 accumulates at fracture intersections, and (3) variability in permeability can account for a 1.6 m depth interval within which free CO 2 may change phase from supercritical fluid to subcritical liquid or gas. In the context of CO 2 sequestration in basalt, these results suggest that physical CO 2 trapping may be substantially enhanced as carbonate minerals precipitate within the basalt fracture network.
Gierzynski, Alec O. and Pollyea, Ryan M.. "Three‐Phase CO <sub>2</sub> Flow in a Basalt Fracture Network." Water Resources Research, vol. 53, no. 11, Nov. 2017. https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR021126
Gierzynski, Alec O., & Pollyea, Ryan M. (2017). Three‐Phase CO <sub>2</sub> Flow in a Basalt Fracture Network. Water Resources Research, 53(11). https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR021126
Gierzynski, Alec O., and Pollyea, Ryan M., "Three‐Phase CO <sub>2</sub> Flow in a Basalt Fracture Network," Water Resources Research 53, no. 11 (2017), https://doi.org/10.1002/2017WR021126
@article{osti_1408533,
author = {Gierzynski, Alec O. and Pollyea, Ryan M.},
title = {Three‐Phase CO <sub>2</sub> Flow in a Basalt Fracture Network},
annote = {Abstract Geologic CO 2 sequestration in basalt reservoirs is predicated on permanent CO 2 isolation via rapid mineralization reactions. This process is supported by a substantial body of evidence, including laboratory experiments documenting rapid mineralization rates, regional storage estimates indicating large, accessible storage reservoirs, and two successful pilot‐scale studies. Nevertheless, there remains significant uncertainty in the behavior of CO 2 flow within basalt fracture networks, particularly in the context estimating physical trapping potential in early time and as CO 2 undergoes phase change. In this study, a Monte Carlo numerical model is designed to simulate a supercritical CO 2 plume infiltrating a low‐permeability flood basalt entablature. The fracture network model is based on outcrop‐scale LiDAR mapping of Columbia River Basalt, and CO 2 flow is simulated within fifty equally probable realizations of the fracture network. The spatial distribution of fracture permeability for each realization is randomly drawn from a basalt aperture distribution, and ensemble results are analyzed with e‐type estimates to compute mean and standard deviation of fluid pressure and CO 2 saturation. Results of this model after 10 years of simulation suggest that (1) CO 2 flow converges on a single dominant flow path, (2) CO 2 accumulates at fracture intersections, and (3) variability in permeability can account for a 1.6 m depth interval within which free CO 2 may change phase from supercritical fluid to subcritical liquid or gas. In the context of CO 2 sequestration in basalt, these results suggest that physical CO 2 trapping may be substantially enhanced as carbonate minerals precipitate within the basalt fracture network. },
doi = {10.1002/2017WR021126},
url = {https://www.osti.gov/biblio/1408533},
journal = {Water Resources Research},
issn = {ISSN 0043-1397},
number = {11},
volume = {53},
place = {United States},
publisher = {American Geophysical Union (AGU)},
year = {2017},
month = {11}}