MODELING NOVEL PLUME MANIPULATIONS STRATEGIES: ENGINEERED FLUID BARRIERS UTILIZING DENSE BRINE WASTE STREAMS, FLUE GAS, AND PURE CO2 INJECTANTS

Pressure and fluid frontal advancements associated with injecting substances into the subsurface is a critical study subject for the future of CO₂ sequestration and storage. If injection pressure exceeds the fracture gradient of the formation, fractures can propagate and cause formation damage, including formation / seal integrity, and underutilized pore volume in the reservoir for storage. On the other hand, smaller injection pressure results in less injectate being pumped into the reservoir, causing less economic conditions, longer injection times, and more wells needing to be drilled. In addition to pressure management problems, frontal advancement of injected substances also plays a major role in pore volume storage optimization and substance breakthrough from injector to producer. In the oil and gas industry, this has commonly been studied through the lens of conformance control. The purpose is to maximize pore space for storage and maximize time for injectant breakthrough from injector to producer. This work studied three injectants with two injection scenarios into the upper Madison reservoir of the Rock Springs Uplift, Wyoming. The injectants that were chosen for the study were fresh water, pure CO₂ (carbon dioxide), and a “flue gas” (20% CO₂ , 80% air (N₂ , O₂ ) mole percent basis, minor constituents ignored). The injection scenarios were a 1:1 injection / production volume, and astaggered production with constant injection. The type of modeling scheme used was a quarter 5-spot pattern, and was considered to be an "sector model" rather than a full field model. The rapid prototyping led to very beneficial viewing and quantifying of different injectant breaktrhough scenarios and pressure front advances for CO₂ storage in the Rock Springs Uplift.