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Link Between CO 2 ‐Induced Wettability and Pore Architecture Alteration
Author(s) -
Wang Heng,
Alvarado Vladimir,
Smith Erik R.,
Kaszuba John P.,
Bagdonas Davin A.,
McLaughlin J. Fred,
Quillinan Scott Austin
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
geophysical research letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.007
H-Index - 273
eISSN - 1944-8007
pISSN - 0094-8276
DOI - 10.1029/2020gl088490
Subject(s) - petrophysics , wetting , capillary pressure , porosity , relative permeability , supercritical fluid , permeability (electromagnetism) , geology , mineralogy , macropore , capillary action , materials science , chemical engineering , porous medium , petroleum engineering , mesoporous material , geotechnical engineering , chemistry , composite material , organic chemistry , biochemistry , membrane , engineering , catalysis
Changes in pore (throat) size, surface roughness, and mineralogy induced by supercritical CO 2 ‐water‐rock reactions impact petrophysical properties such as porosity, permeability, and especially wettability. Herein, we show that these changes directly impact relative permeability and capillary pressure curves, a fact rarely studied in the literature. In this work, we show that CO 2 contact angle changes emerge after Madison Limestone samples were soaked for 400 hr in CO 2 ‐enriched brine. Coreflooding results show that the water production rate and cumulative water production increased after the rock was exposed to carbonic acid. Moreover, the mercury capillary pressure decreased in mesopores and macropores, indicating the increase of size in these pores due to reactions. This compounded wettability and pore network alteration can directly affect CO 2 injectivity, migration, and storage capacity. This fundamental insight into CO 2 geological storage processes should aid practitioners to reduce uncertainties in forecasting CO 2 distribution via injection simulation.