The Influencing Factors of CO2 Utilization and Storage Efficiency in Gas Reservoir

Abstract

Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage (CCUS) technology is one of the most practical means to meet zero greenhouse gas emission goal of the Paris Agreement and to ensure profitability, which could achieve permanent sequestration of CO2. Due to the cost constraints of CCUS implementation, improving recovery and maximizing storage efficiency have become a critical part of ensuring economic efficiency. This research aims to analyze the effects of key factors on enhancing gas recovery and storage efficiency, combined with the validation of CO2 displacement and storage mechanisms. Therefore, long core experiments and different dimensional simulations were established based on R gas reservoir (one of the actual gas reservoirs in Northeast China), which were designed for sensitivity analyses of different influencing parameters and quantitative analyses of different storage mechanisms during CCUS process. When the conditions (temperature and pressure) were closer to the CO2 critical point, when the following parameters (the CO2 purity, the injection rate and the dip angle) became larger, when the reservoir rhythm was reversed and when the irreducible water was is in existence, the final displacement and storage effects became better because of weaker diffusion, stronger gravity segregation and slower CO2 breakthrough. The contributions of different storage mechanisms were quantified: 83.78% CO2 existed as supercritical fluid; 12.67% CO2 was dissolved in brine; and 3.85% CO2 reacted with minerals. Some supercritical and dissolved CO2 would slowly transform to solid precipitation over time. This work could provide theoretical supports for CCUS technology research and references for CCUS field application. At the same time, countries should further improve CCUS subsidy policies and make concerted efforts to promote the globalization and commercialization of CO2 transport.