Numerical Simulation of Multiphase Hydromechanical Processes Induced by CO2 Injection into Deep Saline Aquifers

Numerical Simulation of Multiphase Hydromechanical Processes Induced by CO2 Injection into Deep Saline Aquifers In this paper, the conceptual modeling and the numerical simulation of two-phase flow during CO2 injection into deep saline aquifers is presented. The work focuses on isothermal short-term processes in the vicinity of the injection well. Governing differential equations are based on balance laws for mass and momentum, and completed by constitutive relations for the fluid and solid phases as well as their mutual interactions. Constraint conditions for the partial saturations and the pressure fractions of CO2 and brine are defined. To characterize the stress state in the solid matrix, the effective stress principle is applied. The coupled problem is solved using the in-house scientific code OpenGeoSys (an open source finite element code) and verified with benchmarks.