Non-isothermal reactive transport modelling of dissolved CO2 leaking through a fractured caprock

• Geological storage of CO2 is considered as one of the mitigation actions for climate change adverse effects. However, some fraction of CO2 dissolved in the brine following injection, may leak from the reservoir through permeable zones such as conducting fractures. In this study we perform the reactive transport modelling of single-phase brine saturated with dissolved CO2 (CO2aq) along a conducting fracture in a clay-rich caprock. This study investigates the role of temperature and various reaction systems on the fate of migrating CO2aq, its geochemical interactions with the carbonate minerals, its conversion in geochemical reactions and associated medium porosity and permeability evolutions along the transport pathway.About 0.64% of leaking CO2aq is found converted into other ions in its geochemical interactions with calcite (simplified geochemical system). Addition of mineral dolomite in the geochemical system (extended geochemical system) results in up to 11% higher mass conversion of CO2 in reactions as compared to the simplified geochemical system. Considering extended geochemical system and heat transport by moving brine resulted in about 27.34% higher mass conversion of CO2 in reactions as compared to the simplified geochemical system. A combination of extended geochemical system, heat transport and sorption resulted in about 82.59% higher mass conversion of CO2 compared to the simplified geochemical system. Leaking CO2aq travelled less than 250 m along the fractured pathway, for a velocity of nearly 19 m/year in the fracture, due to retardation caused by mass stored in aqueous and adsorbed states.

Ämnesord

TEKNIK OCH TEKNOLOGIER  -- Naturresursteknik -- Mineral- och gruvteknik (hsv//swe)

ENGINEERING AND TECHNOLOGY  -- Environmental Engineering -- Mineral and Mine Engineering (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Reactive transport

Brine carrying dissolved CO2

Conducting fracture

Kinetics of calcite and dolomite

Heat transport

Sorption

Tillämpad matematik och beräkningsmatematik

Applied and Computational Mathematics

Chemical Engineering

Kemiteknik

Byggvetenskap

Civil and Architectural Engineering

Land and Water Resources Engineering

Mark- och vattenteknik

Publikations- och innehållstyp

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