Rate dependency of capillary heterogeneity trapping for CO2 storage

TL;DR

This study investigates how flow rate influences capillary heterogeneity trapping of CO2 in porous media, combining experiments and analytical modeling to improve understanding of trapping mechanisms relevant for storage.

Contribution

It provides the first experimental quantification and analytical model of rate-dependent capillary heterogeneity trapping in layered porous media.

Findings

Flow rate affects saturation trapping, approaching a 1:1 relation at low flow rates.

Capillary heterogeneity trapping can be quantitatively modeled and scaled to field conditions.

Experimental results confirm the theoretical prediction of flow rate dependence.

Abstract

In this paper, we experimentally quantify and analytically model rate dependent capillary heterogeneity trapping. Capillary heterogeneity trapping enhances non-wetting fluid trapping beyond pore-scale residual trapping through the isolation of non-wetting phase upstream of heterogeneities in the continuum capillary pressure characteristics. Whilst residual trapping is largely insensitive to the range of flow regimes prevalent in engineered reservoir settings, continuum theory anticipates that capillary heterogeneity trapping will be more sensitive to the balance of viscous and capillary forces that occur. We perform steady-state drainage and imbibition multiphase flow experiments at varying flow rate on a layered Bentheimer sample with in-situ medical X-ray CT scanning to quantify saturation. Saturation discontinuities are observed upstream of capillary pressure barriers as a result of capillary pressure discontinuities, trapping the non-wetting phase at a saturation greater than pore-scale residual trapping alone. We confirm the flow rate dependence predicted by theory whereby the relationship between the initial and residual saturations approach a 1:1 dependence as flow rate is decreased. We develop a one-dimensional analytical model to quantify the proportion of capillary heterogeneity trapping in the system and the dimensionless trapping length scale, which agrees with the experimental data and allows for rapid estimates of trapping up to the field-scale.