Physics mechanisms of fines detachment and migration during CO2-water corefloods

• DOI: 10.48550/arxiv.2403.14343
• Publication Date: 2024-03-21
• Authors: C. Nguyen; Grace Loi; Thomas Russell; Yi Yang; N. N. Zulkifli; Mohammad Amir; A. A. Abdul Manap; Siti Rohaida Mohd...; Alexander Badalyan; Pavel Bedrikovetsky; Abbas Zeinijahromi
• Keywords: Physics - Geophysics; FOS: Physical sciences; Geophysics (physics.geo-ph)

One of the key risks for a Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) is injectivity decline. Evaporation connate brine in near-wellbore region during CO2 injection may result drying-up rock yielding mobilisation and migration clay particles leading to decline permeability consequent loss well injectivity. Influx reservoir into dried-up zone yields accumulation precipitated salt This paper presents results eight coreflooding experiments aiming investigation effect dry-out, fines migration, precipitation injection. Pressure drops across cores, saturation produced concentration versus Pore Volume Injected (PVI) have been measured. All lab tests exhibit following features: intensive production at very beginning gas-water period reduced-rate overall evaporation continuous disappearance late stage; abrupt increase gas middle evaporation, non-monotonic rate pressure drop. To explain these phenomena, we distinguished three sequential regimes detachment two-phase displacement: (i) moving menisci; (ii) pendular rings residual water; (iii) dry flux, found that conditions our corefloods, possible regime only. Fines explained by simultaneous occurrence unstable displacement water micro-heterogeneous rock.