Numerical Simulation: Field Scale Fluid Injection to a Porous Layer in Relevance to CO₂ Geological Storage

S. Kim[1], S. A. Hosseini[1], S. D. Hovorka[1]
[1]Bureau of Economic Geology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
Published in 2013

CO₂ geological storage can help to provide a “bridge” from a fossil-fuel dependent system to a more diversified energy portfolio. Pressure monitoring for an injection zone (IZ) and an above-zone monitoring interval (AZMI) has been under operation at a field-scale CO₂ injection site, Cranfield, MS. Recorded pressure data in the AZMI revealed a certain amount of increase with no evidence of direct fluid flow between the IZ and the AZMI. We therefore attempted to interpret the field-measurement data from a geomechanical perspective. We conducted numerical simulations in which fully coupled calculation between fluid flow and geomechanics was implemented. Numerical-simulation results using COMSOL Multiphysics® matched well with the field-measurement data obtained from the AZMI.

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