Assessing the carbon sequestration potential of basalt using X-ray micro-CT and rock mechanics
Assessing the carbon sequestration potential of basalt using X-ray micro-CT and rock mechanics
Mineral carbonation in basaltic rock provides a permanent storage solution for the mitigation of anthropogenic CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. 3D X-ray micro-CT (XCT) image analysis is applied to a core sample from the main basaltic reservoir of the CarbFix site in Iceland, which obtained a connected porosity of 2.05–8.76%, a reactive surface area of 0.10–0.33mm−1 and a larger vertical permeability (2.07×10−10m2) compared to horizontal permeability (5.10×10−11m2). The calculations suggest a CO2 storage capacity of 0.33 Gigatonnes at the CarbFix pilot site. The XCT results were compared to those obtained from a hydromechanical test applied to the same sample, during which permeability, electrical resistivity and volumetric deformation were measured under realistic reservoir pressure conditions. It was found that permeability is highly stress sensitive, dropping by two orders of magnitude for a −0.02% volumetric deformation change, equivalent to a mean pore diameter reduction of 5μm. This pore contraction was insufficient to explain such a permeability reduction according to the XCT analysis, unless combined with the effects of clay swelling and secondary mineral pore clogging. The findings provide important benchmark data for the future upscaling and optimisation of CO2 storage in basalt formations.
CO2 sequestration, Geological storage, basalt, Permeability, X-ray micro-CT , Image-based modelling
146-156
Callow, Ben, James
19f1a5fe-cabd-4c49-a84f-dc7de0e3c462
Falcon-Suarez, Ismael
9e8022b5-8799-4326-8d5b-0ed46de3b25a
Ahmed, Sharif
37570e92-ba6b-4e03-9144-c70fa7722c51
Matter, Juerg
abb60c24-b6cb-4d1a-a108-6fc51ee20395
March 2018
Callow, Ben, James
19f1a5fe-cabd-4c49-a84f-dc7de0e3c462
Falcon-Suarez, Ismael
9e8022b5-8799-4326-8d5b-0ed46de3b25a
Ahmed, Sharif
37570e92-ba6b-4e03-9144-c70fa7722c51
Matter, Juerg
abb60c24-b6cb-4d1a-a108-6fc51ee20395
Callow, Ben, James, Falcon-Suarez, Ismael, Ahmed, Sharif and Matter, Juerg
(2018)
Assessing the carbon sequestration potential of basalt using X-ray micro-CT and rock mechanics.
International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, 70, .
(doi:10.1016/j.ijggc.2017.12.008).
Abstract
Mineral carbonation in basaltic rock provides a permanent storage solution for the mitigation of anthropogenic CO2 emissions in the atmosphere. 3D X-ray micro-CT (XCT) image analysis is applied to a core sample from the main basaltic reservoir of the CarbFix site in Iceland, which obtained a connected porosity of 2.05–8.76%, a reactive surface area of 0.10–0.33mm−1 and a larger vertical permeability (2.07×10−10m2) compared to horizontal permeability (5.10×10−11m2). The calculations suggest a CO2 storage capacity of 0.33 Gigatonnes at the CarbFix pilot site. The XCT results were compared to those obtained from a hydromechanical test applied to the same sample, during which permeability, electrical resistivity and volumetric deformation were measured under realistic reservoir pressure conditions. It was found that permeability is highly stress sensitive, dropping by two orders of magnitude for a −0.02% volumetric deformation change, equivalent to a mean pore diameter reduction of 5μm. This pore contraction was insufficient to explain such a permeability reduction according to the XCT analysis, unless combined with the effects of clay swelling and secondary mineral pore clogging. The findings provide important benchmark data for the future upscaling and optimisation of CO2 storage in basalt formations.
Text
IJGGC2340_BenCallow_etal_2018
- Accepted Manuscript
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 12 December 2017
e-pub ahead of print date: 20 February 2018
Published date: March 2018
Keywords:
CO2 sequestration, Geological storage, basalt, Permeability, X-ray micro-CT , Image-based modelling
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 418472
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/418472
ISSN: 1750-5836
PURE UUID: 21f4d089-e27f-4dfa-bc32-139898d03811
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 09 Mar 2018 17:30
Last modified: 13 Dec 2024 05:03
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
Ismael Falcon-Suarez
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics
