HR: 09:15h
AN: H11J-06    [Abstracts]
TI: Measurements and Modeling of Capillary Pressure Behavior for Carbon Dioxide Sequestration Applications in Aquifers
AU: * Plug, W
EM: willemjan@horizon-ep.com
AF: Horizon Energy Partners BV, Prinses Margrietplantsoen 81, The Hague, 2595 BR, Netherlands
AU: Bruining, J
EM: j.bruining@tudelft.nl
AF: Department of Geotechnology, Delft University of Technology, Stevinweg 1, Delft, 2628 CN, Netherlands
AB: Modeling of storage of carbon dioxide (CO₂) in heterogeneous aquifers requires experiments of the capillary pressure as function of temperature and pressure. We present a method with which drainage and imbibition capillary pressures can be measured as a function of saturation at various temperature ( T) and pressure ( P) conditions. The measurements are carried out at ( T, P) conditions of practical interest. The capillary pressure curves are obtained for the unconsolidated sand-distilled-water-CO₂ system. The experimental results show a decrease of drainage and imbibition capillary pressure for increasing CO₂ pressures and pronounced dissolution rate effects for gaseous CO₂. Significant capillary pressure fluctuations and negative values during imbibition are observed at near critical conditions. To understand the effects of dissolution on capillary pressure and the cumulative water production, a quasi-1D, fully implicit numerical model is developed. Moreover, the measurement procedure is validated by this model, which simulates the drainage experiments. The simulator is based on the upstream finite volume method that incorporates the CO₂- H₂O phase behavior, mass transfer and dissolution of one phase into another.
DE: 1847 Modeling
DE: 1857 Reservoirs (surface)
DE: 1859 Rocks: physical properties
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting