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The chemical dissolution and physical migration of minerals induced during CO2 laboratory experiments: their relevance for reservoir quality

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Abstract

The characterization of the quality and storage capacity of geological underground reservoirs is one of the most important and challenging tasks for the realization of carbon capture and storage (CCS) projects. One approach for such an evaluation is the upscaling of data sets achieved by laboratory CO2 batch experiments to field scale. (Sub)-microscopic, petrophysical, tomographic, and chemical analytical methods were applied to reservoir sandstone samples from the Altmark gas field before and after static autoclave batch experiments at reservoir-specific conditions to study the relevance of injected CO2 on reservoir quality. These investigations confirmed that the chemical dissolution of pore-filling mineral phases (carbonate, anhydrite), associated with an increased exposure of clay mineral surfaces and the physical detachment and mobilization of such clay fines (illite, chlorite) are most appropriate to modify the quality of storage sites. Thereby the complex interplay of both processes will affect the porosity and permeability in opposite ways—mineral dissolution will enhance the rock porosity (and permeability), but fine migration can deteriorate the permeability. These reactions are realized down to ~µm scale and will affect the fluid–rock reactivity of the reservoirs, their injectivity and recovery rates during CO2 storage operations.

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Acknowledgments

This contribution resembles results from studies performed in the framework of the collaborative projects CLEAN and H2STORE, sponsored within the special R&D programs “Geotechnologien” and “Energiespeicher” of the German Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF). We deeply appreciate the funding of the BMBF (grant nos. FSU Jena: 03G0704G, 03SF0434A and TU Clausthal: 03G0704R, 03SF0434C). We thank GDF SUEZ E&P DEUTSCHLAND GmbH, Lingen, Germany for support and sample supply. Special thanks for the comments of Prof. J. Barth (University Erlangen/Nürnberg, Germany) and two anonymous reviewers, which strongly improved this contribution.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Friedrich Schiller University Jena, Institute for Geosciences, Burgweg 11, 07749, Jena, Germany

    Dieter Pudlo, Steven Henkel & Reinhard Gaupp

  2. Clausthal University of Technology, Institute of Petroleum Engineering (ITE), Agricolastrasse 10, 38678, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany

    Viktor Reitenbach, Daniel Albrecht & Leonhard Ganzer

  3. Johannes Gutenberg-University Mainz, Institute for Geosciences, Johann Joachim-Becherweg 21, 55099, Mainz, Germany

    Frieder Enzmann

  4. Technical University Munich, Chair of Soil Sciences, Emil-Ramann-Straße 2, 85354, Freising, Germany

    Katja Heister & Geertje Pronk

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  1. Dieter Pudlo
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  2. Steven Henkel
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  3. Viktor Reitenbach
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  4. Daniel Albrecht
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  8. Leonhard Ganzer
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  9. Reinhard Gaupp
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Correspondence to Dieter Pudlo.

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Pudlo, D., Henkel, S., Reitenbach, V. et al. The chemical dissolution and physical migration of minerals induced during CO2 laboratory experiments: their relevance for reservoir quality. Environ Earth Sci 73, 7029–7042 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4411-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4411-x

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