Dual Completion CO2 Sequestration Injection Method
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Solution Overview
Problem
Carbon dioxide sequestration methods face challenges in preventing leakage into potable aquifers due to the buoyancy of carbon dioxide and the need for multiple impermeable boundaries, which existing technologies have not adequately addressed.
Innovation Solution
A dual completion and injection method involving the simultaneous injection of supercritical carbon dioxide and a benign fluid, such as water, into specific layers of a formation, with the water injected at pressures equal to or slightly above the carbon dioxide layer pressure to prevent upward migration, using dual completion techniques and pressure sensors to manage the injection pressures effectively.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If multiple impermeable boundaries are used to prevent carbon dioxide leakage, then the safety and reliability of sequestration is improved, but the device complexity and difficulty of operation increase
Solution Approach 1:
The wellbore is divided into separate completion sections, with one section for carbon dioxide injection and another for benign fluid injection. Each section can be independently controlled and monitored, allowing the system to manage multiple boundaries and fluids without requiring a single complex integrated system.
Solution Approach 2:
A benign fluid (such as brine or water) is introduced as an intermediary substance in the formation layer above the cap rock. This intermediary fluid creates a pressure barrier that prevents carbon dioxide from migrating upward through the permeable layer, thereby protecting aquifers without requiring additional impermeable boundaries.
2Reliability
If carbon dioxide is injected at high pressure to ensure sequestration integrity, then the sequestration reliability is improved, but the risk of leakage into aquifers increases
Solution Approach 1:
Before carbon dioxide injection, a benign fluid is pre-injected into the permeable layer above the cap rock to establish a protective pressure barrier. This preliminary action creates a counter-pressure that prevents carbon dioxide from migrating upward, thereby preventing leakage into aquifers before it can occur.
Solution Approach 2:
The injection pressure of the benign fluid is carefully controlled to be equal to or slightly above the carbon dioxide layer pressure (corrected for gravitational head). This parameter change creates a pressure differential that prevents carbon dioxide migration while maintaining sequestration integrity.
3Reliability
If the entire zone above cap rock is perforated for water injection, then the effectiveness of preventing carbon dioxide migration is improved, but the water consumption and operational complexity increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of perforating the entire zone above the cap rock, the system perforates only the portion directly adjacent to the cap rock where the benign fluid injection is most effective. This localized approach reduces water consumption while maintaining the pressure barrier's effectiveness in preventing carbon dioxide migration.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This method significantly reduces carbon dioxide leakage into upper layers, achieving a leakage rate of less than 1% compared to baseline scenarios, thereby enhancing the integrity of the sequestration site and protecting nearby aquifers.
Implementation Method 1
The water is injected into its layer at a pressure at most equal to that of the sequestration layer corrected for the gravitational head of the respective fluids
Implementation Method 2
The water is injected into its layer at a pressure at most equal to that of the sequestration layer corrected for the gravitational head of the respective fluids
Implementation Method 3
the pressure which is equal to that of the sequestration layer corrected for the gravitational head of the respective fluids minus an entry capillary pressure of carbon dioxide into the nearly impermeable cap-rock layer
Data Source
AI summary
Carbon dioxide is sequestered in a formation using a dual completion and injection method that reduces or eliminates upward leak rates of the sequestered carbon dioxide. The dual completion and injection method involves the injection of a benign fluid such as brine (water) into a permeable layer of the formation located above the sequestration layer and which is separated form the sequestration layer by a nearly impermeable layer. The water is preferably injected at the same time the carbon dioxide is injected.