Effect of injected CO2 on geochemical alteration of the Altmark gas reservoir in Germany

Abstract

Capturing CO2 from point sources and storing it in geologic formations is a potential option for allaying the CO2 level in the atmosphere. In order to evaluate the effect of geological storage of CO2 on rock-water interaction, batch experiments were performed on sandstone samples taken from the Altmark reservoir, Germany, under in situ conditions of 125 °C and 50 bar CO2 partial pressure. Two sets of experiments were performed on pulverized sample material placed inside a closed batch reactor in (a) CO2 saturated and (b) CO2 free environment for 5, 9 and 14 days. A 3M NaCl brine was used in both cases to mimic the reservoir formation water. For the “CO2 free” environment, Ar was used as a pressure medium. The sandstone was mainly composed of quartz, feldspars, anhydrite, calcite, illite and chlorite minerals. Chemical analyses of the liquid phase suggested dissolution of both calcite and anhydrite in both cases. However, dissolution of calcite was more pronounced in the presence of CO2. In addition, the presence of CO2 enhanced dissolution of feldspar minerals. Solid phase analysis by X-ray diffraction and Mossbauer spectroscopy did not show any secondary mineral precipitation. Moreover, Mossbauer analysis did not show any evidence of significant changes in redox conditions. Calculations of total dissolved solids’ concentrations indicated that the extent of mineral dissolution was enhanced by a factor of approximately 1.5 during the injection of CO2, which might improve the injectivity and storage capacity of the targeted reservoir. The experimental data provide a basis for numerical simulations to evaluate the effect of injected CO2 on long-term geochemical alteration at reservoir scale.