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CO2 geo-sequestration can significantly contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Out of all geological CO2 storage sites, mature oil fields are often considered primary targets for CO2 sequestration as one of Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS) approaches where the operation cost can be offset by enhancing oil recovery and utilising the existing facilities. However, a geological formation with large volumetric capacity (pore volume) is not necessarily an appropriate candidate for CO2 storage and CO2 injectivity plays equally an important role for site selection to store CO2. Therefore, evaluation of CO2 dynamic storage capacity (injectivity) and ultimate CO2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR) are key elements for a successful CO2 storage – EOR project. CO2 EOR was considered as a suitable tertiary oil recovery approach after very short and inefficient primary and secondary oil recoveries in Yanchang oil field, the second largest tight oil field in China, located at Ordos Basin in north western China. This paper describes the acquisition of essential dynamic data from a reservoir in Yanchang oil field to evaluate its CO2 injectivity/dynamic storage capacity. For that, numerical reservoir simulation was utilised to model and history match the target reservoir. The history matched model was then used to numerically perform several testing scenarios resulting in the selection and design of the most appropriate test. A unique two-stage well testing approach was proposed to inject water and CO2 into one well and observe the pressure at two monitoring wells for a total testing period of about one year. It accurately estimates formation effective permeability in both the water flooded zone (test stage 1) and the CO2 flooded zone (test stage 2) at the injecting well. Also, it qualitatively estimates the water and CO2 fronts in the reservoir as well as CO2 injectivity using data at the injecting well. The radius of investigation (ROI) significantly increases by adding two monitoring wells to the existing injecting well. Using two monitoring wells also identifies heterogeneities and lateral anisotropy in the reservoir. The recently acquired field data, as part of this well testing program, indicate that the reservoir characteristics at the monitoring wells are significantly different from each other, suggesting the existence of considerable heterogeneity/anisotropy in the reservoir. The results generated by this well test are included in the reservoir model to reduce uncertainties for the future CO2-EOR field development plan. Finally, more informative decisions can be made on whether or not a field is suitable for a CO2-EOR project to unlock further oil resources from tight formations.

In CO2 storage projects, CO2 usually enters the target reservoir at a lower temperature than that of the surrounding rock and its density is increased. The injection temperature affects how much CO2 can be stored. In this work we investigate the impact of heat exchange during CO2 injection into the Surat Basin, Australia, using integrated reservoir modelling. We evaluate the aquifer storage and sealing capacities, as well as pressure build up and CO2 plume migration. Flow simulations of CO2 injection into the Precipice Sandstone were conducted with injection temperature from 40 to 80°C. The modelling domain consists of the reservoir sandstone, an overlying transition zone (muddy sandstone) and above it, the ultimate seal. The distribution of porosity, permeability and capillary pressure is heterogeneous. Heat exchange between rock and fluids was enabled in the commercial simulator to evaluate changes in fluid properties due to wellbore cooling. The initial temperature was set to 80°C. The injector’s wellbore pressure drop is modelled honouring a constant well head pressure of 15,000 kPa. The maximum allowed bottom-hole pressure is 90% of a thermally reduced fracturing pressure. The viscosity of water and CO2 increases during cooling of the near wellbore zone; thus, pressure build up grows faster in the case of lower injection temperatures. Although the bottom-hole pressure becomes higher, injection rate is constrained by well head pressure. Heat exchange also increases the density and saturation of CO2 at the plume edge, which causes a sharper and faster advancing front. Higher pressure in the reservoir forces fluids to migrate to the transition zone, which also reduces its temperature. CO2 flows preferentially through the lowest capillary pressure channels and is able to permeate slightly into the transition zone. These physical conditions at the bottom of the well (lower temperature and higher pressure) lead to a denser CO2 plume and a greater mass is stored in the reservoir each year. This work analyses non-isothermal injection of CO2 into an aquifer using integrated reservoir modelling. It illustrates how reservoir cooling may increase the rate of CO2 storage and slight migration to the transition zone.

Twelve clastic core samples from the Walloon Coal Measures, Surat Basin were tested for disintegration in artificially produced fluids varying in ionic strength. XRD data confirm the presence of smectite (water sensitive clay) in the samples. Flow-through rock disintegration experiments demonstrate that the higher the concentration of smectite and soluble plagioclase is, the quicker rock disintegrates in artificial low ionic strength fluid. Pre-soaking of rocks with high ionic strength fluid reduces rock disintegration rate in low ionic strength fluids. This is explained by very strong clay-clay and clay-sand attraction forces, evidenced through zeta-potential measurements, which inhibit rock degradation. For the studied samples it is clear that rock disintegration rate is proportional to fluid velocity. Experimental rock disintegration data are fitted by a power erosion model with two adjusted parameters: fluid ionic strength and Reynolds number. The experimental results satisfactorily agree with theoretical data. Rock disintegration rates are calculated as released particle volume per thickness of interburden layer per day at a fixed Reynolds number and low ionic strength. The laboratory work suggests that keeping wells under strong ionic fluid during shut-in times and a reduction of water production rate will preserve rock integrity for a longer period of time.

This study examines the suitability of thermal methods, especially DTS (Distributed Temperature Sensing) cables (in the annulus or behind casing) to monitor the fate of injected CO2 for emissions reduction purposes. The static temperature signal of CO2 stored in pores of sandstone and claystone examples is calculated as a function of porosity, CO2 saturation, and CO2-filled reservoir thickness. The dynamic temperature signal associated with the movement of CO2 in the well and the porous rock is discussed and results of numerical simulations are presented. The detectability of these temperature signals is assessed and found to be useful in detecting leakage over short time intervals and saturation changes in the storage reservoir over the longer term.