Simulation of CO2 sequestration in saline aquifers

Abstract

In recent years, global warming has become a serious issue in the petroleum industry and is continuously increasing over time. One of the key factors contributing to this situation is the accumulation of a large amount of Carbon Dioxide (CO2) in the atmosphere. Currently, to minimize the amount of CO2 in the atmosphere and address climate change, we need to consider effective methods for CO2 capture and storage; this is also a critical goal of Net Zero projects worldwide. In this study, the author constructed four CO2 storage models corresponding to four different trapping mechanisms, applied to the saline aquifer beneath the Meleiha oilfield in Egypt. The research was conducted with the support of three computer tools: Computer Modeling Group Ltd 2015, Techlog 2015, and Excel. The four trapping mechanisms include Structural trapping, which relies on geological structures to sequestration CO2, with the most important element being the caprock; residual gas trapping, which is based on capillary forces, was modeled by using Land's model; solubility trapping, which focuses on the dissolution of CO2 in saline water, and to clearly understand this mechanism, the author used the Peng-Robinson equation of state and Henry's law to simulate the processes involved; mineralization trapping involves CO2 reacting with components in saline water and mineral constituents present in rocks, and the author studied and used typical chemical equations to demonstrate the stable storage capacity of this trapping mechanism. The author assessed the contribution of each trapping mechanism to CO2 storage capacity and wellbore stability through pressure parameters.