Experimental study on effects of geologic heterogeneity in enhancing dissolution trapping of supercritical CO2

Dissolution trapping is one of the primary mechanisms that enhance the storage security of supercritical carbon dioxide (scCO(2)) in saline geologic formations. When scCO(2) dissolves in formation brine produces an aqueous solution that is denser than formation brine, which leads to convective mixing driven by gravitational instabilities. Convective mixing can enhance the dissolution of CO2 and thus it can contribute to stable trapping of dissolved CO2. However, in the presence of geologic heterogeneities, diffusive mixing may also contribute to dissolution trapping. The effects of heterogeneity on mixing and its contribution to stable trapping are not well understood. The goal of this experimental study is to investigate the effects of geologic heterogeneity on mixing and stable trapping of dissolved CO2. Homogeneous and heterogeneous media experiments were conducted in a two-dimensional test tank with various packing configurations using surrogates for scCO(2) (water) and brine (propylene glycol) under ambient pressure and temperature conditions. The results show that the density-driven flow in heterogeneous formations may not always cause significant convective mixing especially in layered systems containing low-permeability zones. In homogeneous formations, density-driven fingering enhances both storage in the deeper parts of the formation and contact between the host rock and dissolved CO2 for the potential mineralization. On the other hand, for layered systems, dissolved CO2 becomes immobilized in low-permeability zones with low-diffusion rates, which reduces the risk of leakage through any fault or fracture. Both cases contribute to the permanence of the dissolved plume in the formation.