Review on Experimental Investigation into Formation Damage during Geologic Carbon Sequestration: Advances and Outlook

Carbon capture and storage has been identified as an important and viable technology for climate change mitigation. The technology allows CO2 generated from largescale sources, such as power plants and other heavy industries, to be captured and stored in deep geological formations. However, when CO2 is stored in geological formations, there are possibilities of formation damage, which may reduce injectivity and storage capacity. In this study, formation damage during CO2 injection and storage is reviewed through different experimental studies. The study has shown that the interaction between CO2, formation water, and rock minerals often results in mineral dissolution and precipitation, which affect reservoir permeability and porosity, which could possibly cause formation damage, compromising the reservoir storage capacity. This study also reveals that formation damage could be caused by the precipitation of sulfate scales, salt, and carbonate minerals. Additionally, in several studies, rock minerals were observed to dissolve and create free particles that were transported to occupy pore spaces along the fluid flow path, reducing permeability and impacting CO2 injectivity and storage. It is worth noting that the reviewed experiments present short-term effects of formation damage on geological formations, while in reality, CO2 storage is a long-term project, thus eliciting the need for more studies in that regard.

Automated summary

Carbon capture and storage is an important technology for mitigating climate change, but it can lead to formation damage that affects storage capacity. This study reviews the experimental studies on the interaction between CO2, formation water, and rock minerals, which often result in mineral dissolution and precipitation, and the precipitation of scales and minerals can cause formation damage.