TY - GEN
T1 - Role of structural trapping in preventing CO2 leakage through faulted caprock in Illinois Basin
AU - Bondarenko, N.
AU - Kim, H.
AU - Makhnenko, R.
AU - Podladchikov, Y.
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 57th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium. All Rights Reserved.
PY - 2023
Y1 - 2023
N2 - Preliminary analysis of the risks associated with on-going geologic carbon storage projects has to be conducted in conditions of limited knowledge about the participating rock formations to assess the feasibility of the potential injection site. Different sources of geomechanical data (e.g., geophysical well logging and laboratory testing) are utilized to initialize numerical models for the preliminary assessment. Both data sources are associated with intrinsic limitations, increasing the uncertainty in the model prediction. In this work, one of the potential CO2 injection sites in the Illinois Basin is considered for the potential leakage through the local fault system in the vicinity of the injection well, with a special attention given to the comparison of the well-log and laboratory geomechanical data. The conducted analysis shows that while the use of geophysical well log is beneficial to make a preliminary assessment, it cannot capture complex sensitivity of material properties to state of stress, temperature, and pore fluid composition. An additional challenge during the preliminary assessment is the presence of formations which properties are unknown or highly uncertain (e.g., properties of the damage zone surrounding the small-scale fault system). It is demonstrated that the numerical model could be significantly simplified for the initial assessment, and consideration of the worst-case scenario can help to overcome the uncertainties in material properties. Preliminary risk assessment suggests that the risk of leakage through the adjacent fault system in the considered case is moderate due to the structural trapping of the injected CO2.
AB - Preliminary analysis of the risks associated with on-going geologic carbon storage projects has to be conducted in conditions of limited knowledge about the participating rock formations to assess the feasibility of the potential injection site. Different sources of geomechanical data (e.g., geophysical well logging and laboratory testing) are utilized to initialize numerical models for the preliminary assessment. Both data sources are associated with intrinsic limitations, increasing the uncertainty in the model prediction. In this work, one of the potential CO2 injection sites in the Illinois Basin is considered for the potential leakage through the local fault system in the vicinity of the injection well, with a special attention given to the comparison of the well-log and laboratory geomechanical data. The conducted analysis shows that while the use of geophysical well log is beneficial to make a preliminary assessment, it cannot capture complex sensitivity of material properties to state of stress, temperature, and pore fluid composition. An additional challenge during the preliminary assessment is the presence of formations which properties are unknown or highly uncertain (e.g., properties of the damage zone surrounding the small-scale fault system). It is demonstrated that the numerical model could be significantly simplified for the initial assessment, and consideration of the worst-case scenario can help to overcome the uncertainties in material properties. Preliminary risk assessment suggests that the risk of leakage through the adjacent fault system in the considered case is moderate due to the structural trapping of the injected CO2.
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U2 - 10.56952/ARMA-2023-0640
DO - 10.56952/ARMA-2023-0640
M3 - Conference contribution
AN - SCOPUS:85177870078
T3 - 57th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium
BT - 57th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium
PB - American Rock Mechanics Association (ARMA)
T2 - 57th US Rock Mechanics/Geomechanics Symposium
Y2 - 25 June 2023 through 28 June 2023
ER -