Rapid determination of supercritical CO2 and brine relative permeability using an unsteady-state flow method

Moore, Johnathan E.; Holcomb, Paul; Crandall, Dustin; King, Seth; Choi, Jeong-Hoon; Brown, Sarah; Workman, Scott

doi:10.1016/j.advwatres.2021.103953

Title: Rapid determination of supercritical CO₂ and brine relative permeability using an unsteady-state flow method

Journal Article · Fri May 21 00:00:00 EDT 2021 · Advances in Water Resources

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2021.103953· OSTI ID:1878220

Moore, Johnathan E. ^[1];

^[1]; Crandall, Dustin ^[2];

^[3]; Choi, Jeong-Hoon ^[1];

^[4]; Workman, Scott ^[5]

National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); Leidos Research Support Team (LRST), Morgantown, WV (United States)
National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States)
National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); Leidos Research Support Team (LRST), Morgantown, WV (United States); Sandia National Lab (SNL). Carlsbad, NM (United States)
National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); Leidos Research Support Team (LRST), Morgantown, WV (United States); West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey (WVGES), Morgantown, WV (United States)
National Energy Technology Lab. (NETL), Morgantown, WV (United States); WE2 Support Services, Morgantown, WV (United States)

In this study, relative permeability of supercritical CO₂ (scCO₂) and brine was determined in reactive and non-reactive rock cores using a combination of unsteady-state methodology and computed tomography. Experiments were conducted using a medical grade CT scanner to determine saturation using a custom Python script. The saturation and differential pressure across the core were then used to derive four empirical constants to calculate relative permeability. This methodology increases temporal efficiency while reducing experimental complexity. Additionally, we show that the method can be used to determine scCO₂ relative permeability in a wide range of lithologies and flow rates, and with the ability to account for matrix dissolution during scCO₂ flooding.

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Research Organization:: National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL), Pittsburgh, PA, Morgantown, WV, and Albany, OR (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE); USDOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM)

Grant/Contract Number:: 89243318CFE000003; DE-FE0004000

OSTI ID:: 1878220

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1785768

Journal Information:: Advances in Water Resources, Vol. 153; ISSN 0309-1708

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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