Modeling of the Heat Transfer Between a CO2 Sequestration Well and the Surrounding Geological FormationB. Sponagle, M. Amadu, D. Groulx, and M. Pegg
Mechanical Engineering, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
Process Engineering and Applied Science, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada
In a carbon sequestration system CO2 would be pumped down a well and into a reservoir at supercritical temperatures and pressures. An important consideration is the long term stability of the reservoir.
The goal of these simulations is to thermally model the injection well and investigate the temperature gradient developed in the cap rock. Ultimately, results from this study will lead to an assessment of the thermal stresses in the cap rock.
COMSOL Multiphysics 4.2 was used to model the heat transfer between an injection assembly and the surrounding geology. The CO2 is injected at 318K and 100 bar. The natural temperature gradient in the earth crust (~25K/km) is modeled and boundary conditions were selected to produce a semi-infinite system.
- sponagle_paper.pdf - 0.47MB