CO2-brine mass transfer patterns and interface dynamics under geological storage conditions

Abstract

CO2 geological storage is a promising carbon negative technology with important application prospects. Dissolution trapping is a reliable method throughout the life cycle of a storage project, because it plays a significant role in minimizing risks. A comprehensive understanding of its mechanism is challenging due to the complex mass transfer process controlled by numerous physical and chemical factors, which needs to be clarified at different scales but still significantly limited in current research. Investigating CO2-brine interfacial mass transfer in real rock cores during imbibition provides valuable insights into the behavior of CO2 in geological formations. This study conducted a series of pore-scale CO2-brine interfacial mass transfer experiments during imbibition in three rock cores using an X-ray micro-computed tomography machine. The dissolution patterns and interface dynamics during the dissolving processes were discussed systematically. The results indicate that the overall slice-averaged and per-cluster mass transfer coefficient between CO2 and brine is in the order of 10−8 m/s, but its specific value depends on the dissolution patterns and bubble sizes. Various dissolution patterns were found in different rock cores. A core-length dissolution finger was formed in the Berea core, causing higher per-cluster mass transfer coefficients around the finger, while lower coefficients elsewhere in the dissolution experiments. The interfacial mass transfer process, coupled with gravity instability, induced remobilization of isolated CO2 bubbles at a much lower capillary number than the critical capillary number. The remobilization of CO2 bubbles can even occur at single-pore scale. CO2 remobilization also created a phenomenon similar to intermittent pathway flow. Interface dynamics of CO2 dissolving processes were revealed for the first time, giving rise to non-uniform dissolutions in CO2 singlets, ganglia, and clusters, respectively.