oa Characterising Rock Heterogeneity from an Offshore Dutch CO2 Storage Site

This research investigates how heterogeneity affects CO2 flow behavior in subsurface reservoir rocks, with specific application to the Aramis CO2 storage project in the Netherlands. Understanding these heterogeneity effects is critical for developing accurate numerical simulations and optimizing carbon storage strategies. The study emphasizes that standard relative permeability and trapping models often fail to account for variations caused by heterogeneity, highlighting the necessity for site-specific experimental analyses.

The research examines brine-nitrogen flow dynamics as a proxy for CO2 behavior in reservoir samples from the Aramis site, a large-scale initiative designed to permanently store CO2 in depleted North Sea gas fields. Using medical CT imaging during steady-state flow experiments, the researchers visualize real-time fluid saturation distributions to assess how heterogeneity impacts displacement efficiency.

Coreflooding experiments performed on two samples with different porosities, permeabilities, and heterogeneity patterns reveal significant variations in fluid behavior. The results demonstrate that rock heterogeneity can either enhance or impede CO2 migration, directly affecting swept volumes and trapping efficiency. These findings underscore the importance of site-specific analysis for accurate reservoir predictions and contribute to improving predictive capabilities for geological carbon sequestration at the Aramis site and similar storage formations worldwide.