Impact of capillary hysteresis and trapping on vertically integrated models for CO2 storage

Vertically integrated models are frequently applied to study subsurface flow related to CO2 storage scenarios in saline aquifers. In this paper, we study the impact of capillary-pressure hysteresis and CO2 trapping on the integrated constitutive parameter functions. Our results show that for the initial drainage and a subsequent imbibition, trapping is the dominant contributor to hysteresis in integrated models. We also find that for advective processes like injection and plume migration in a sloped aquifer the correct treatment of the hysteretic nature of the capillary fringe is likely of secondary importance. However, for diffusive/dispersive processes such as a redistribution of the CO2 plume due to buoyancy and capillary forces, the hysteretic nature of the capillary fringe may significantly impact the final distribution of the fluids and the timescale of the redistribution. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.