Hydrothermodynamic mixing of fluids across phases in porous media

Amooie, Mohammad Amin; Soltanian, Mohamad Reza; Moortgat, Joachim

doi:10.1002/2016gl072491

Cited by 52 publications

(29 citation statements)

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“…The individual components that contribute to the time evolution of the domain-averaged CO 2 variance are linked to the fundamental character of convective mixing and its growth rate [48]. In this work, we investigate mixing for miscible, two-component, compressible transport in porous media with impermeable boundaries but subject to a CO 2 influx (source terms or dissolution flux) from the top boundary.…”

Section: Global Characteristic Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solutal convection in porous media: Comparison between boundary conditions of constant concentration and constant flux

2018

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We numerically examine solutal convection in porous media, driven by the dissolution of carbon dioxide (CO2) into water-an effective mechanism for CO2 storage in saline aquifers. Dissolution is associated with slow diffusion of free-phase CO2 into the underlying aqueous phase followed by density-driven convective mixing of CO2 throughout the water-saturated layer. We study the fluid dynamics of CO2 convection in the single aqueous-phase region. A comparison is made between two different boundary conditions in the top of the formation: (i) a constant, maximum aqueous-phase concentration of CO2, and (ii) a constant, low injection-rate of CO2, such that all CO2 dissolves instantly and the system remains in single phase. The latter model is found to involve a nonlinear evolution of CO2 composition and associated aqueous-phase density, which depend on the formation permeability. We model the full nonlinear phase behavior of water-CO2 mixtures in a confined domain, consider dissolution and fluid compressibility, and relax the common Boussinesq approximation. We discover new flow regimes and present quantitative scaling relations for global characteristics of spreading, mixing, and a dissolution flux in two-and three-dimensional media for both boundary conditions. We also revisit the scaling behavior of Sherwood number (Sh) with Rayleigh number (Ra), which has been under debate for porous-media convection. Our measurements from the solutal convection in the range 1, 500 Ra 135, 000 show that the classical linear scaling Sh ∼ Ra is attained asymptotically for the constant-concentration case. Similarly linear scaling is recovered for the constant-flux model problem. The results provide a new perspective into how boundary conditions may affect the predictive powers of numerical models, e.g., for both the short-term and long-term dynamics of convective mixing rate and dissolution flux in porous media at a wide range of Rayleigh numbers.

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Section: Global Characteristic Measuresmentioning

confidence: 99%

Solutal convection in porous media: Comparison between boundary conditions of constant concentration and constant flux

2018

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“…When a gas phase is injected into a porous medium saturated with brine or oil, both liquid and gas phases migrate under the same pressure gradient. The fluid velocities depend non‐linearly on phase saturations and their properties (e.g., density and viscosity) . As illustrated in Fig.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The fluid velocities depend non-linearly on phase saturations and their properties (e.g., density and viscosity). [57][58][59] As illustrated in Fig. 6, for the PMCH tracer, arrival times vary tremendously for different depths within each observation well.…”

Section: Breakthrough Curves In Observation Wells F2 and F3mentioning

confidence: 99%

Transport of perfluorocarbon tracers in the Cranfield Geological Carbon Sequestration Project

et al. 2018

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A field‐scale carbon dioxide (CO2) injection pilot project was conducted by the Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership (SECARB) at Cranfield, Mississippi. Two associated campaigns in 2009 and 2010 were carried out to co‐inject perfluorocarbon tracers (PFTs) and sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) with CO2. Tracers in gas samples from two observation wells were analyzed to construct breakthrough curves. In this work, we present the field data and numerical modeling of the flow and transport of CO2, brine, and tracers. A high‐resolution static model of the formation geology in the detailed area study (DAS) was used to capture the impact of connected flow pathways created by fluvial channels on breakthrough curves and breakthrough times of PFTs and SF6 tracers. We use the cubic‐plus‐association (CPA) equation of state, which takes into account the polar nature of water molecules, to describe the phase behavior of CO2–brine‐tracer mixtures. Our simulated results show good agreement for the 2009 tracer campaign in Cranfield, while a larger discrepancy emerges by 2010. The combination of multiple tracer injection pulses with detailed numerical simulations proves to be a powerful tool in constraining both formation properties and how complex flow paths develop over time. © 2018 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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“…Ideally, relative permeability formulations should be calibrated to experimental measurements of the specific site of interest. The importance of choice of relative permeability functions in two‐phase simulations (CO 2 ‐water) for CO 2 geological sequestration is manifested in previous work (Al‐Khdheeawi et al, ; Amooie et al, b; Gershenzon et al, ; Jia et al, ; Moodie et al, ; Soltanian et al, ). Because it is easier to measure relative permeability in two‐phase systems (water‐gas, water‐oil, or oil‐gas), experimental data sets for three‐phase systems (water‐oil‐gas) are very limited.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Impact of Three‐Phase Relative Permeability and Hysteresis Models on Forecasts of Storage Associated With CO₂‐EOR

Jia

McPherson

Pan

et al. 2018

Water Resources Research

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Geological CO2 sequestration in conjunction with enhanced oil recovery (CO2‐EOR) includes complex multiphase flow processes compared to CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers. Two of the most important factors affecting multiphase flow in CO2‐EOR are three‐phase relative permeability and associated hysteresis, both of which are difficult to measure and are usually represented by numerical interpolation models. The purpose of this study is to improve understanding of (1) the relative impacts of different three‐phase relative permeability models and hysteresis models on CO2 trapping mechanisms, and (2) uncertainty associated with these two factors. Four different three‐phase relative permeability models and three hysteresis models were applied to simulations of an active CO2‐EOR site, the SACROC unit located in western Texas. To eliminate possible bias of deterministic parameters, we utilized a sequential Gaussian simulation technique to generate 50 realizations to describe heterogeneity of porosity and permeability, based on data obtained from well logs and seismic survey. Simulation results of forecasted CO2 storage suggested that (1) the choice of three‐phase relative permeability model and hysteresis model led to noticeable impacts on forecasted CO2 sequestration capacity; (2) impacts of three‐phase relative permeability models and hysteresis models on CO2 trapping are small during the CO2‐EOR injection period, and increase during the post‐EOR CO2 injection period; (3) the specific choice of hysteresis model is more important relative to the choice of three‐phase relative permeability model; and (4) using the recommended three‐phase WAG (Water‐Alternating‐Gas) hysteresis model may increase the impact of three‐phase relative permeability models and uncertainty due to heterogeneity.

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Hydrothermodynamic mixing of fluids across phases in porous media

Cited by 52 publications

References 74 publications

Solutal convection in porous media: Comparison between boundary conditions of constant concentration and constant flux

Solutal convection in porous media: Comparison between boundary conditions of constant concentration and constant flux

Transport of perfluorocarbon tracers in the Cranfield Geological Carbon Sequestration Project

Impact of Three‐Phase Relative Permeability and Hysteresis Models on Forecasts of Storage Associated With CO₂‐EOR

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Hydrothermodynamic mixing of fluids across phases in porous media

Cited by 52 publications

References 74 publications

Solutal convection in porous media: Comparison between boundary conditions of constant concentration and constant flux

Solutal convection in porous media: Comparison between boundary conditions of constant concentration and constant flux

Transport of perfluorocarbon tracers in the Cranfield Geological Carbon Sequestration Project

Impact of Three‐Phase Relative Permeability and Hysteresis Models on Forecasts of Storage Associated With CO2‐EOR

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Impact of Three‐Phase Relative Permeability and Hysteresis Models on Forecasts of Storage Associated With CO₂‐EOR