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CO2 leakage through an abandoned well: problem-oriented benchmarks

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Abstract

The efficiency and sustainability of carbon dioxide (CO2) storage in deep geological formations crucially depends on the integrity of the overlying cap-rocks. Existing oil and gas wells, which penetrate the formations, are potential leakage pathways. This problem has been discussed in the literature, and a number of investigations using semi-analytical mathematical approaches have been carried out by other authors to quantify leakage rates. The semi-analytical results are based on a number of simplifying assumptions. Thus, it is of great interest to assess the influence of these assumptions. We use a numerical model to compare the results with those of the semi-analytical model. Then we ease the simplifying restrictions and include more complex thermodynamic processes including sub- and supercritical fluid properties of CO2 and non-isothermal as well as compositional effects. The aim is to set up problem-oriented benchmark examples that allow a comparison of different modeling approaches to the problem of CO2 leakage.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institut für Wasserbau, Lehrstuhl für Hydromechanik und Hydrosystemmodellierung, Universität Stuttgart, Pfaffenwaldring 61, 70569, Stuttgart, Germany

    Anozie Ebigbo, Holger Class & Rainer Helmig

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  1. Anozie Ebigbo
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  2. Holger Class
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  3. Rainer Helmig
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Correspondence to Holger Class.

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Ebigbo, A., Class, H. & Helmig, R. CO2 leakage through an abandoned well: problem-oriented benchmarks. Comput Geosci 11, 103–115 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10596-006-9033-7

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