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Study of Fluid Displacement Processes and Sequestration of CO2 in Coal Reservoirs Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

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Abstract

Geological sequestration of carbon dioxide (CO2) is one of the key methods to attain peak CO2 emissions and carbon neutrality in unworkable or abandoned coal seams. To study displacement characteristics and effect of geological sequestration of CO2 in water-saturated coal seams, the pore structure of coal samples from three different mines was first investigated by nuclear magnetic resonance technique. Then, the CO2 was injected into water-saturated coal sample, and helium was used as the control group. Next, the CO2-injected coal sample was sealed with water. Finally, water was returned by unloading pressure. The results showed that the pores of the three types of coals were mainly micropores and transition pores. Moreover, the fractal dimension of the pores was distributed in the range of 2.236–2.655. The displacement experiment found that the water displaced by CO2 and helium was mainly movable water in macropores, but there were significant differences in the displacement characteristics of the two. On the whole, the amount of water displaced by CO2 was more than that by helium, and the difference between the water volume displaced by CO2 and helium was reflected mainly in the adsorption of CO2 on the coal surface. CO2 occupied the adsorption sites on the coal matrix surface, which reduced the interaction between water and coal matrix surface and improved the displacement efficiency. In contrast, helium did not show adsorption capacity on the coal surface. In the water injection stage, water can only enter the larger pores due to the retention and adsorption of CO2 in the coal. The water saturation of the coal sample after the return drainage increased by 10.24% compared with that before water injection, indicating that the water injected into the coal sample was not discharged completely. This study provides an experimental basis for investigating the characteristics of pore structure in coal, CO2 displacement in water-saturated coal seams, and CO2 geological sequestration.

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Acknowledgments

The project was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (U1910205, 42272197).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Energy Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China

    Jingyu Wang, Songhang Zhang, Shuheng Tang & Zhaodong Xi

  2. Key Laboratory of Marine Reservoir Evolution and Hydrocarbon Enrichment Mechanism, Ministry of Education, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China

    Jingyu Wang, Songhang Zhang, Shuheng Tang & Zhaodong Xi

  3. Coal Reservoir Laboratory of National Engineering Research Center of CBM Development and Utilization, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, 100083, China

    Jingyu Wang, Songhang Zhang, Shuheng Tang & Zhaodong Xi

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Wang, J., Zhang, S., Tang, S. et al. Study of Fluid Displacement Processes and Sequestration of CO2 in Coal Reservoirs Using Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Nat Resour Res 32, 2787–2804 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-023-10257-6

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