Potential Benefits of Horizontal Wells for CO<sub>2</sub> Injection to Enhance Storage Security and Reduce Leakage Risks
This study used numerical simulations of CO<sub>2</sub> storage to identify the benefits of horizontal wells for geological carbon storage, such as enhancing CO<sub>2</sub> trapped in porous media due to relative permeability and capillary hysteresis. Two injection schemes we...
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| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-11-01
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| Series: | Applied Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/23/12830 |
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| author | Marcos Vitor Barbosa Machado Mojdeh Delshad Kamy Sepehrnoori |
| author_facet | Marcos Vitor Barbosa Machado Mojdeh Delshad Kamy Sepehrnoori |
| author_sort | Marcos Vitor Barbosa Machado |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This study used numerical simulations of CO<sub>2</sub> storage to identify the benefits of horizontal wells for geological carbon storage, such as enhancing CO<sub>2</sub> trapped in porous media due to relative permeability and capillary hysteresis. Two injection schemes were tested: one using a vertical injector and the other employing a horizontal well. The results revealed two main findings. Firstly, the horizontal injection well effectively prevented or minimized CO<sub>2</sub> penetration into the caprock across various sensitivity scenarios and over a thousand years of CO<sub>2</sub> redistribution. Secondly, horizontal wells provided a safe approach to trapping CO<sub>2</sub>, increasing its entrapment as a residual phase by up to 19% within the storage site. This, in turn, reduced or prevented any unexpected events associated with CO<sub>2</sub> leakage through the caprock. Additionally, the paper proposes a practical method for designing the optimal length of a horizontal well. This method considers a combination of two parameters: the additional CO<sub>2</sub> that can be trapped using a horizontal well and the gravity number. In the case of the reservoir model of this study, a horizontal branch with a length of 2000 m was found to be the most effective design in enhancing CO<sub>2</sub> entrapment and reducing CO<sub>2</sub> buoyancy. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:54:59Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a3087845df0b4280b3eddd85d4e52c90 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-3417 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T01:54:59Z |
| publishDate | 2023-11-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Applied Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-a3087845df0b4280b3eddd85d4e52c902023-12-08T15:11:51ZengMDPI AGApplied Sciences2076-34172023-11-0113231283010.3390/app132312830Potential Benefits of Horizontal Wells for CO<sub>2</sub> Injection to Enhance Storage Security and Reduce Leakage RisksMarcos Vitor Barbosa Machado0Mojdeh Delshad1Kamy Sepehrnoori2PETROBRAS, Rio de Janeiro 20231-030, RJ, BrazilHildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USAHildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USAThis study used numerical simulations of CO<sub>2</sub> storage to identify the benefits of horizontal wells for geological carbon storage, such as enhancing CO<sub>2</sub> trapped in porous media due to relative permeability and capillary hysteresis. Two injection schemes were tested: one using a vertical injector and the other employing a horizontal well. The results revealed two main findings. Firstly, the horizontal injection well effectively prevented or minimized CO<sub>2</sub> penetration into the caprock across various sensitivity scenarios and over a thousand years of CO<sub>2</sub> redistribution. Secondly, horizontal wells provided a safe approach to trapping CO<sub>2</sub>, increasing its entrapment as a residual phase by up to 19% within the storage site. This, in turn, reduced or prevented any unexpected events associated with CO<sub>2</sub> leakage through the caprock. Additionally, the paper proposes a practical method for designing the optimal length of a horizontal well. This method considers a combination of two parameters: the additional CO<sub>2</sub> that can be trapped using a horizontal well and the gravity number. In the case of the reservoir model of this study, a horizontal branch with a length of 2000 m was found to be the most effective design in enhancing CO<sub>2</sub> entrapment and reducing CO<sub>2</sub> buoyancy.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/23/12830CO<sub>2</sub> trapping mechanismsCCShorizontal wellscaprock integritysaline aquifer |
| spellingShingle | Marcos Vitor Barbosa Machado Mojdeh Delshad Kamy Sepehrnoori Potential Benefits of Horizontal Wells for CO<sub>2</sub> Injection to Enhance Storage Security and Reduce Leakage Risks Applied Sciences CO<sub>2</sub> trapping mechanisms CCS horizontal wells caprock integrity saline aquifer |
| title | Potential Benefits of Horizontal Wells for CO<sub>2</sub> Injection to Enhance Storage Security and Reduce Leakage Risks |
| title_full | Potential Benefits of Horizontal Wells for CO<sub>2</sub> Injection to Enhance Storage Security and Reduce Leakage Risks |
| title_fullStr | Potential Benefits of Horizontal Wells for CO<sub>2</sub> Injection to Enhance Storage Security and Reduce Leakage Risks |
| title_full_unstemmed | Potential Benefits of Horizontal Wells for CO<sub>2</sub> Injection to Enhance Storage Security and Reduce Leakage Risks |
| title_short | Potential Benefits of Horizontal Wells for CO<sub>2</sub> Injection to Enhance Storage Security and Reduce Leakage Risks |
| title_sort | potential benefits of horizontal wells for co sub 2 sub injection to enhance storage security and reduce leakage risks |
| topic | CO<sub>2</sub> trapping mechanisms CCS horizontal wells caprock integrity saline aquifer |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3417/13/23/12830 |
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