Assessing the carbon sequestration potential of basalt using X-ray micro-CT and rock mechanics

Callow, Ben; Falcon-Suarez, Ismael; Ahmed, Sharif; Matter, Juerg

doi:10.1016/j.ijggc.2017.12.008

Title: Assessing the carbon sequestration potential of basalt using X-ray micro-CT and rock mechanics

Journal Article · 20 February 2018 · International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2017.12.008 · OSTI ID:1538337

Callow, Ben ^[1]; Falcon-Suarez, Ismael ^[1]; Ahmed, Sharif ^[1]; Matter, Juerg ^[1]

University of Southampton (United Kingdom)

Mineral carbonation in basaltic rock provides a permanent storage solution for the mitigation of anthropogenic CO₂ emissions in the atmosphere. 3D X-ray micro-CT (XCT) image analysis is applied to a core sample from the main basaltic reservoir of the CarbFix site in Iceland, which obtained a connected porosity of 2.05–8.76%, a reactive surface area of 0.10–0.33 mm^-1 and a larger vertical permeability (2.07 × 10^-10 m²) compared to horizontal permeability (5.10 × 10^-11 m²). The calculations suggest a CO₂ storage capacity of 0.33 Gigatonnes at the CarbFix pilot site. The XCT results were compared to those obtained from a hydromechanical test applied to the same sample, during which permeability, electrical resistivity and volumetric deformation were measured under realistic reservoir pressure conditions. It was found that permeability is highly stress sensitive, dropping by two orders of magnitude for a -0.02% volumetric deformation change, equivalent to a mean pore diameter reduction of 5 μm. This pore contraction was insufficient to explain such a permeability reduction according to the XCT analysis, unless combined with the effects of clay swelling and secondary mineral pore clogging. Here the findings provide important benchmark data for the future upscaling and optimisation of CO₂ storage in basalt formations.

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Research Organization:: Columbia Univ., New York, NY (United States); Univ. of Southampton (United Kingdom)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE); European Union’s Horizon 2020; USDOE

Grant/Contract Number:: FE0004847; 654462

OSTI ID:: 1538337

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1496438

Journal Information:: International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Vol. 70, Issue C; ISSN 1750-5836

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 45 works

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58 GEOSCIENCES
CO2 sequestration
geological storage
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permeability
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Title: Assessing the carbon sequestration potential of basalt using X-ray micro-CT and rock mechanics

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