Reactive fluid transport
CO2 & Water: Mutual dissolution
Carbon storage in geologic saline aquifers has been suggested to reduce carbon emissions into the atmosphere. CO2 enters supercritical state at temperature and pressure conditions reached when reservoir depths exceed ~800m (T>304.1K and P>7.38MPa). The solubility of supercritical CO2 in water can reach 1~2 moles/L. In the presence of CO2, water with hydrogen ions (H+) and aqueous carbon dioxide CO2(aq) acidifies to pH~3, and prompts mineral dissolution.
CO2 solubility with respect to pressure & temperature conditions
Pore-network model study: CO2-dissolved fluid flow into a porous medium
The evolution of reactive fluid flow depends on mineral reactivity, advection and diffusion. Reactive fluid flow through porous media has been studied using equivalent continuum models, single-flow channel or wormhole models, lattice Boltzman pore-scale models, and both network and discrete fracture network models. In particular, pore-network simulations capture pore-scale phenomena and upscale them to predict macro-scale behavior and properties. However, mineral dissolution during reactive fluid flow adds complexity to the pore-network simulation. We developed a network simulation code to investigate fluid-mineral interaction when acidified water flows through a porous network. Main focus is on saline aquifers in carbonate formations in the context of CO2 geologic storage. Please refer to "Kim, S. and Santamarina, J.C. (2015) "Reactive fluid flow in CO2 storage reservoirs – Pore network model study." Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology, doi: 10.1002/ghg.1487" for study results in detail.
Example of pore-network simulations: CO2-dissolved fluid flow into a tube+node structure