HR: 09:30h
AN: H11J-07    [Abstracts]
TI: Detailed Numerical Modeling of Leakage of CO₂ Through Wellbores Incorporating Complexities of Wellbore Details and Phase-Change in Large-Scale Reservoir Simulations
AU: * Pawar, R J
EM: rajesh@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, MS T003, Los Alamos, NM 87545, United States
AU: Zyvoloski, G A
EM: gaz@lanl.gov
AF: Los Alamos National Laboratory, MS T003, Los Alamos, NM 87545, United States
AB: One primary measure of performance for any proposed large-scale CO₂ sequestration operation will be how the system responds to potential wellbore failure and subsequent CO₂ migration during injection of large volumes of CO₂. This will require detailed numerical simulations which will incorporate realistic wellbore details and capture near-wellbore conditions in a coarse 3-dimensional grid. In this paper, we will present results of detailed numerical simulations of a large-scale CO₂ sequestration operation. The simulations are performed using FEHM, a multi-phase, heat and mass transfer simulator. We have developed a novel, computationally efficient approach to incorporate radial wellbores in a 3-dimensional Cartesian grid. With this approach the radial solution of fluid flow in the vicinity of wellbores is obtained at high grid resolution without a need for well functions such as the Peaceman approximation. The approach provides for flexible incorporation of wellbores in a computational grid without a need for grid refinement. Our study domain includes a hypothetical field site with a heterogeneous storage aquifer and multiple impermeable and permeable strata above it. CO₂ output from a typical coal-fired power plant is injected, over a period of 50 years. Simulation of injection and subsequent migration is performed while capturing the physics of non-isothermal, multi-phase fluid flow. Leakage of CO₂ through a wellbore within the field is simulated, both during and after the injection period, including any potential phase-change. We explore the sensitivity of predictions of CO₂ migration through wellbores to changes in values of parameters such as location of wellbore, completion properties and local rock properties.
DE: 1829 Groundwater hydrology
DE: 1847 Modeling
SC: Hydrology [H]
MN: 2007 Fall Meeting