Pore-Scale Investigation of the Impacts of Transverse Mixing and Solution Chemistry on Mineral Precipitation Relevant to CO2 Sequestration
EMSL Project ID
42321
Abstract
Transverse mixing limited reactive transport resulting in mineral precipitation impact groundwater remediation and geological sequestration of CO2, due to reductions in effective porosity and permeability. In this project, microfluidic pore structures etched into silicon wafers (i.e., micromodels) will be used as two-dimensional model groundwater systems to study the effects of transverse mixing and solution chemistry on mineral precipitation reaction under both ambient and sequestration conditions (temperature and pressure). Solutions containing dissolved mineral cations and carbonate will be introduced through two separate inlets and allowed to mix along the center of the micromodel. Optical images of the micromodel will be taken using a microscope equipped with a digital camera at selected time points to determine mineral formation rates. Mineral phases formed in the mixing zone will be characterized by Raman confocal microscopy and micro X-Ray diffraction spectroscopy. Results from this study will elucidate mineral precipitation reaction mechanisms in flow-through porous media system under complex solution chemistry and conditions relevant to CO2 sequestration. This research represents the first step in fundamental understanding of pore-scale coupled flow and geochemical reaction that impact CO2 sequestration.
Project Details
Project type
Exploratory Research
Start Date
2010-10-25
End Date
2011-10-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Team Members
Related Publications
Botto, J., S.J. Fuchs, B.W. Fouke, A.F. Clarens, J.T. Freiburg, P.M. Berger, C.J. Werth, Effects of mineral surface properties on supercritical CO2 wettability in a siliciclastic reservoir, ACS Energy Fuels, , 31(5), 5275-5285, 2017.
Boyd V, H Yoon, C Zhang, M Oostrom, NJ Hess, BW Fouke, AJ Valocchi, and CJ Werth. 2014. "Influence of Mg2+ on CaCO3 precipitation during subsurface reactive transport in a homogeneous silicon-etched pore network." Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta 135:321-335. doi:10.1016/j.gca.2014.03.018
Shuai D, CM Wang, A Genc, and CJ Werth. 2011. "A New Geometric Method Based on Two-Dimensional Transmission Electron Microscopy for Analysis of Interior versus Exterior Pd Loading on Hollow Carbon Nanofibers." The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters 2(9):1082–1087. doi:10.1021/jz2003815
Zhang C, M Oostrom, JW Grate, TW Wietsma, and MG Warner. 2011. "Liquid CO2 Displacement of Water in a Dual-Permeability Pore Network Micromodel." Environmental Science & Technology 45(17):7581-7588. doi:10.1021/es201858r