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Application of X-ray CT investigation of CO2–brine flow in porous media

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Abstract

A clear understanding of two-phase flows in porous media is important for investigating CO2 geological storage. In this study, we conducted an experiment of CO2/brine flow process in porous media under sequestration conditions using X-ray CT technique. The flow properties of relative permeability, porosity heterogeneity, and CO2 saturation were observed in this experiment. The porous media was packed with glass beads having a diameter of 0.2 mm. The porosity distribution along the flow direction is heterogeneous owing to the diameter and shape of glass beads along the flow direction. There is a relationship between CO2 saturation and porosity distribution, which changes with different flow rates and fractional flows. The heterogeneity of the porous media influences the distribution of CO2; moreover, gravity, fractional flows, and flow rates influence CO2 distribution and saturation. The relative permeability curve was constructed using the steady-state method. The results agreed well with the relative permeability curve simulated using pore-network model.

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Acknowledgments

Thanks to the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51106019), the National Program on Key Basic Research Project (973 Program) of China (Grant No. 2011CB707304). This work was also supported by the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (DUT13LAB01).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Key Laboratory of Ocean Energy Utilization and Energy Conservation of Ministry of Education, Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, 116024, China

    Lanlan Jiang, Yu Liu, Yongchen Song, Mingjun Yang, Yuechao Zhao, Jiafei Zhao, Yi Zhang & Zijian Shen

  2. Research Institute of Innovative Technology for the Earth, Kizugawa City, Kyoto, 619-0292, Japan

    Ziqiu Xue

  3. Department of Energy Sciences, Tokyo Institute Technology, Nagatsuta, Yokohama, 226-8502, Japan

    Tetsuya Suekane

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  1. Lanlan Jiang
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  2. Yu Liu
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  3. Yongchen Song
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  4. Mingjun Yang
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  5. Ziqiu Xue
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  6. Yuechao Zhao
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  7. Jiafei Zhao
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  8. Yi Zhang
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  9. Tetsuya Suekane
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  10. Zijian Shen
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Correspondence to Yu Liu.

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Jiang, L., Liu, Y., Song, Y. et al. Application of X-ray CT investigation of CO2–brine flow in porous media. Exp Fluids 56, 91 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-015-1959-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-015-1959-x

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