(484a) Relative Permeability of scCO2 and Brine in Core from Potential CO2 Reservoirs

To predict the storage potential of CO₂ in geologic storage locations, we need to understand how CO₂ and brine flow in these reservoirs. This is difficult to do because CO₂ and brine flow differently under the high pressure and temperature conditions that exist in reservoirs. In addition, it is difficult to obtain accurate measurements of CO₂ and brine flow in cores that are representative of the formations being targeted for CO₂ injection.

The National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) is conducting research on the behavior of CO₂ and brine flow in reservoirs. NETL is using unsteady state relative permeability measurements to study CO₂ and brine flow, in addition to coupling this with non-destructive core analyses. The raw and processed data from these analyses are made publicly available on NETL’s Energy Data eXchange (www.edx.netl.doe.gov) for researchers and developers to use in planning field scale operations.

NETL’s research has shown that micro-scale fabric has an influence on the flow of CO₂ into brine saturated formations. These features are below the resolution of most well scale measurements, and below the resolution that would be expected in reservoir modeling efforts. Accounting for small scale features in the methods of upscaling flow parameters is an ongoing area of research.

The research being conducted by NETL is important for understanding the behavior of CO₂ and brine flow in reservoirs. This research will help us to predict the storage potential of CO₂ in reservoirs and to develop effective methods for CO₂ injection.