A Strategy for Enhanced Carbon Storage: A Hybrid CO 2 and Aqueous Formate Solution Injection to Control Buoyancy and Reduce Risk

Marcos Vitor Barbosa Machado (), Mojdeh Delshad, Omar Ali Carrasco Jaim, Ryosuke Okuno and Kamy Sepehrnoori ()
Additional contact information
Marcos Vitor Barbosa Machado: Petrobras, Rio de Janeiro 20231-030, Brazil
Mojdeh Delshad: Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Omar Ali Carrasco Jaim: Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Ryosuke Okuno: Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA
Kamy Sepehrnoori: Hildebrand Department of Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 11, 1-18

Abstract: Conventional Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) operations use the direct injection of CO 2 in a gaseous phase from the surface as a carbon carrier. Due to CO 2 properties under reservoir conditions with lower density and viscosity than in situ brine, CO 2 flux is mainly gravity-dominated. CO 2 moves toward the top and accumulates below the top seal, thus reinforcing the risk of possible leakage to the surface through unexpected hydraulic paths (e.g., reactivated faults, fractures, and abandoned wells) or in sites without an effective sealing caprock. Considering the risks, the potential benefits of the interplay between CO 2 and an aqueous solution of formate ions (HCOO¯) were evaluated when combined to control CO 2 gravity segregation in porous media. Three combined strategies were evaluated and compared with those where either pure CO 2 or a formate solution was injected. The first strategy consisted of a pre-flush of formate solution followed by continuous CO 2 injection, and it was not effective in controlling the vertical propagation of the CO 2 plume. However, the injection of a formate solution slug in a continuous or alternated way, simultaneously with the CO 2 continuous injection, was effective in slowing down the vertical migration of the CO 2 plume and keeping it permanently stationary deeper than the surface depth.

Keywords: CCS; formate solution; buoyancy-driven flux; saline aquifers (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/11/2680/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1996-1073/17/11/2680/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:11:p:2680-:d:1406507

Access Statistics for this article

Energies is currently edited by Ms. Agatha Cao

More articles in Energies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().