Modeling of geomechanical proceses during injection in amultilayered reservoir-caprock system and implications on sitecharacterization
In this paper we present results of a numerical simulationof the potential for fault reactivation and hydraulic fracturingassociated with CO2 injection in a multilayered reservoir-caprock system,and discuss its implications on site characterization. The numericalsimulation is performed using the coupled processes simulator TOUGH-FLAC(Rutqvist et al. 2002, Rutqvist and Tsang, 2003), and is an extension ofearlier numerical studies of a single caprock system (Rutqvist and Tsang,2002). In this study, CO2 is injected for 30 years in a 200 meter thickpermeable saline water formation located at 1600 meters depth (Figure 1).The injection formation is overlaid by several layers of caprocks, whichare intersected by a permeable fault zone allowing upward migration ofthe CO2 within the multilayered system (see Table 1 for materialproperties). The potential for fault slip or fracturing are calculated,based on the time-dependent evolution and local distribution of fluidpressure and the three-dimensional stress field, including importantporo-elastic stresses.The numerical results are discussed with respect tothe site-characterization strategy that would be recommended forevaluation of maximum sustainable injection pressure at an industrial CO2injection site.
- Research Organization:
- Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
- Sponsoring Organization:
- USDOE Director, Office of Science; Environmental ProtectionAgency
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC02-05CH11231
- OSTI ID:
- 908498
- Report Number(s):
- LBNL--61032; BnR: 400408000
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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