Micromodel Experiments on CO2 Storage in Saline Aquifer

This study is based on microscale experiments where CO2/brine analogue fluids have been injected in glass micromodels to visualize flow patterns and investigate the influence of capillary and viscous forces. Fluids and injection parameters are in the range of practical flow (Bond numbers in the order of 10-3 and capillary numbers of 10-4) and displacements have been visualized at pore scale to observe the interaction between CO2 and brine in a network. The aim of the experiments was to develop a better understanding of the role of flow rate on multiphase flow of CO2 brine systems. Experiments clearly show instability of the flow pattern. It is also clear that by increasing the injection rate by a large factor the displacement becomes more compacted and ramified than in the slower experiments This effect is seen clearly in the presented results, both in pattern and saturation changes, even though the rate changes are relatively moderate.