| dc.contributor.advisor |
Bryant , Steven L . |
|
| dc.contributor.committeeMember |
Sepehrnoori , Kamy |
|
| dc.creator |
Hernandez , Angelica Maria |
|
| dc.date.accessioned |
2012 -02 -20T17 :30 :12Z |
|
| dc.date.available |
2012 -02 -20T17 :30 :12Z |
|
| dc.date.created |
2011 -12 |
|
| dc.date.issued |
2012 -02 -20 |
|
| dc.date.submitted |
December 2011 |
|
| dc.identifier.uri |
http : / /hdl .handle .net /2152 /ETD -UT -2011 -12 -4521 |
|
| dc.description.abstract |
Leakage of stored bulk phase CO₂ is of particular risk to sequestration in deep saline aquifers due to the fact that when injected into typical saline aquifers , the CO₂ rich gas phase has lesser density than the aqueous phase resulting in buoyancy driven flow of the fluids . As the CO₂ migrates upward , the security of its storage depends upon the trapping mechanisms that counteract the migration . While there are a variety of trapping mechanisms the mechanism serving as motivation for this research is local capillary trapping . Local capillary trapping occurs during buoyancy -driven migration of bulk phase CO₂ within a saline aquifer (Saadatpoor , 2009 ) . When the rising CO₂ plume encounters a region where capillary entry pressure is locally larger than average , CO₂ accumulates beneath the region . While research is continued by means of numerical simulation , research at the bench scale is needed to validate the conclusions made from simulation work . Presented is the development of a bench scale experiment whose objective is to assess local capillary trapping . The initial step in accomplishing this objective is to understand the fluid dynamics of CO₂ and brine in a saline aquifer which is categorized as two phase immiscible buoyancy driven displacement . Parameters influencing this displacement include density , viscosity , wettability and heterogeneity . A bench scale environment created to be analogous to CO₂ and brine in a saline aquifer is created in a quasi -two dimensional experimental apparatus , which allows for observation of plume migration at ambient conditions . A fluid pair analogous to supercritical CO₂ and brine is developed to mimic the density and viscosity relationship found at pressure and temperature typical of storage aquifers . The influences of viscosity ratio , density differences , porous medium wettability and heterogeneity are observed in series of experimental sequences . Three different fluid pairs with different viscosity ratios and density differences are used to assess density and viscosity influences . Porous media of varying grain size and wettability are used to assess the influence of heterogeneity and wettability . Results are qualitatively consistent with theoretical results and those from previous works . |
|
| dc.format.mimetype |
application /pdf |
|
| dc.language.iso |
eng |
|
| dc.subject |
CO2 |
|
| dc.subject |
Buoyancy |
|
| dc.subject |
Deep saline aquifer |
|
| dc.title |
Observations of buoyant plumes in countercurrent displacement |
|
| dc.description.department |
Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering |
|
| dc.type.genre |
thesis |
* |
| dc.type.material |
text |
* |
| thesis.degree.name |
Master of Science in Engineering |
|
| thesis.degree.level |
Masters |
|
| thesis.degree.discipline |
Petroleum Engineering |
|
| thesis.degree.grantor |
University of Texas at Austin |
|
| thesis.degree.department |
Petroleum and Geosystems Engineering |
|
| dc.date.updated |
2012 -02 -20T17 :30 :25Z |
|
| dc.identifier.slug |
2152 /ETD -UT -2011 -12 -4521 |
|