Modeling Hydrogeological and Geomenchanical Processes Related toCO2 Injection in a Faulted Multilayer System
Abstract
This paper presents a numerical study of coupled hydrological and geomechanical processes during a deep underground injection of supercritical CO{sub 2} in a hypothetical brine aquifer. We consider a multilayer system in which the injection zone is situated below a sequence of caprock and aquifer layers that are intersected by a vertical fault zone. The fault zone consists of highly fractured shale across the first caprock layers that are located just above the injection zone. Initially, the fractured shale zones are considered sealed with minerals, but we allow fractures (and the fractured zones) to open as a result of injection induced reductions in effective stresses. Our results indicate that even when assuming a very sensitive relationship between effective stress and fractured-zone permeability, the injection-induced changes in permeability across are only moderate with largest changes occurring in the first caprock layer, just above the injection zone. As a result, the upward leakage rate remains relatively small and therefore changes in fluid pressure and hydromechanical effects in overlying zones are also relatively small for the case studied in this paper.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE. Office of the Chief Financial OfficerAssistantSecretary Range: 400000000 - 40ZZZZZZZ. Cost of Reimbursable Work andCooperative Work -Other Federal Entities, Cost of Reimbursable Work andCooperative Work -Other Federal Entities
- OSTI Identifier:
- 920327
- Report Number(s):
- LBNL-58998
R&D Project: G4W009; BnR: 400408000; TRN: US200818%%1132
- DOE Contract Number:
- DE-AC02-05CH11231
- Resource Type:
- Conference
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 8th International Conference on GreenhouseControl Technologies, Trondheim, Norway, 2006
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; AQUIFERS; BRINES; CARBON DIOXIDE; FRACTURES; GREENHOUSE GASES; PERMEABILITY; SHALES; SIMULATION; STRESSES
Citation Formats
Rutqvist, Jonny, Birkholzer, Jens, and Tsang, Chin-Fu. Modeling Hydrogeological and Geomenchanical Processes Related toCO2 Injection in a Faulted Multilayer System. United States: N. p., 2006.
Web.
Rutqvist, Jonny, Birkholzer, Jens, & Tsang, Chin-Fu. Modeling Hydrogeological and Geomenchanical Processes Related toCO2 Injection in a Faulted Multilayer System. United States.
Rutqvist, Jonny, Birkholzer, Jens, and Tsang, Chin-Fu. Sun .
"Modeling Hydrogeological and Geomenchanical Processes Related toCO2 Injection in a Faulted Multilayer System". United States.
doi:. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/920327.
@article{osti_920327,
title = {Modeling Hydrogeological and Geomenchanical Processes Related toCO2 Injection in a Faulted Multilayer System},
author = {Rutqvist, Jonny and Birkholzer, Jens and Tsang, Chin-Fu},
abstractNote = {This paper presents a numerical study of coupled hydrological and geomechanical processes during a deep underground injection of supercritical CO{sub 2} in a hypothetical brine aquifer. We consider a multilayer system in which the injection zone is situated below a sequence of caprock and aquifer layers that are intersected by a vertical fault zone. The fault zone consists of highly fractured shale across the first caprock layers that are located just above the injection zone. Initially, the fractured shale zones are considered sealed with minerals, but we allow fractures (and the fractured zones) to open as a result of injection induced reductions in effective stresses. Our results indicate that even when assuming a very sensitive relationship between effective stress and fractured-zone permeability, the injection-induced changes in permeability across are only moderate with largest changes occurring in the first caprock layer, just above the injection zone. As a result, the upward leakage rate remains relatively small and therefore changes in fluid pressure and hydromechanical effects in overlying zones are also relatively small for the case studied in this paper.},
doi = {},
journal = {},
number = ,
volume = ,
place = {United States},
year = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2006},
month = {Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2006}
}