How pressure buildup and CO[subscript 2] migration can both constrain storage capacity in deep saline aquifers

A promising way to mitigate global warming is to sequester CO[subscript 2] in deep saline aquifers. In order to determine which aquifers are the best for sequestration, it is helpful to estimate how much CO[subscript 2] they can store. Currently, this is difficult because both the pressure buildup f...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: MacMinn, Christopher W., Szulczewski, Michael L., Juanes, Ruben
Other Authors: Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
Format: Article
Language:en_US
Published: Elsevier 2014
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/92030
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7370-2332
Description
Summary:A promising way to mitigate global warming is to sequester CO[subscript 2] in deep saline aquifers. In order to determine which aquifers are the best for sequestration, it is helpful to estimate how much CO[subscript 2] they can store. Currently, this is difficult because both the pressure buildup from injection and the volume of available pore space have been identified as constraints, but have not been compared to determine which is more important. In this study, we evaluate their relative importance using simple, but dynamic models of how pressure rises during injection and how CO[subscript 2] becomes trapped in the pore space. Our results show that the more important constraint depends on the properties of the aquifer and how the CO[subscript 2] is injected.