HR: 1340h
AN: GC13A-1225    [Abstracts]
TI: Accelerating the dissolution of stored CO₂ in aquifers
AU: * Keith, D W
EM: keith@ucalgary.ca
AF: University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Canada
AU: Leonenko, Y
EM: T2N 1N4
AF: University of Calgary, 2500 University Drive NW, Calgary, AB T2N 1N4 Canada
AB: It is possible to engineer CO₂ storage in aquifers by accelerating the dissolution of CO₂ in brines in order to reduce the long term risk of leakage. Such reservoir engineering can be accomplished through the use of wells and pumps to transport CO₂ or brines within the reservoir in order to increase contact between CO₂ and undersaturated brines accelerating the rate of dissolution and residual gas trapping. Using a commercial multiŠphase reservoir-simulator and an idealized reservoir geometry we investigate the effect of pumping undersatuŠrated brines from distant points in the reservoir to the `bubble' of free-phase CO₂ confined under a caprock. Brine pumping can increase the rate of dissolution by more a factor of ten. The energy required for pumping can be small compared to the energy cost of CO₂ capture and compression. The lifetime CO₂ emissions from running the brine pump can, for example, be less than 1% of amount of CO₂ in storage. Such reservoir engineering techniques can be used to increase storage efficiencies and could decrease the risk of leakage at comparatively low cost.
DE: 1699 General or miscellaneous
SC: Global Climate Change [GC]
MN: Fall Meeting 2005