Presenter
Shaina Kelly, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Earth and Environmental Engineering
Columbia University in the City of New York
Description
Geologic sequestration of CO2 and storage and cycling of H2 are critical decarbonization pathways. In this work we combine experimental and numerical multiphase reactive transport assessments of brine and non-aqueous (e.g., CO2, H2, and hydrocarbons) fluid flows to assess the petrophysical implications of fluid-mineral interactions during injection and drainage scenarios, particularly carbon storage and mineralization. Specifically, pore-scale, multiphase computational fluid dynamics (CFD) models are implemented in various sedimentary to mafic/ultramafic rocks rock geometries to assess the interplay between wettability, capillary trapping, thin films, and dissolution-nucleation-precipitation in in porous media. The models yield key porous media transport petrophysical properties that inform core-scale and reservoir-scale engineering storage and recovery metrics including: porosity-permeability, accessible reactive surface area, brine-gas capillary pressure-saturation (Pc-Sw), and relative permeability (Kr-Sw). Petrophysical measurements such as NMR are used in conjunction with reactive core flow experiments and the models to determine the magnitude and distribution of changes in accessible pore space with coupled flow and fluid-rock interaction processes. Budding work focuses on linking and calibrating the precipitation models with microfluidic geometries and sintered mineral packs with tunable properties including porosity, permeability, and reactive mineral inclusions.
