Numerical simulation of potential site for CO2 sequestration in a depleted oil reservoir in northern Thailand

Abstract

Due to the effects of an anthropogenic global warming, the concern about the emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the environment has increased in various industries like petroleum industry. Currently, the use of the geological storage techniques, such as carbon capture and sequestration (CCS), is the most promising way to mitigate these emissions. The objective of this study on a numerical simulation is to investigate CO2 onshore geological storage in the depleted oilfields in the North of Thailand. The geological modelling is a critical step in proving the suitability of a geologic formation for a CCS project. The simulations of the pressure build-up, CO2 plume movement and the amount of CO2 stored are the main points of this research. The development of the 3D reservoir model is performed by means of CMG-GEM, and CMG-WINPROP. This study performs how CO2 sequestration is injected with the flow rate of 1000–4000 tons/day into a reservoir with a depth of 2120-2161 m. The result indicates that CO2 moves up to the top formation. Moreover, 0.583 Mt of CO2 can be stored into the reservoir. This presents the preliminary study for the CO2 sequestration in Northern Thailand, which aids in the next phase of CCS projects in Thailand.