Through targeted experiments and advanced numerical simulations spanning scales from micrometers to meters, we will capture the realistic physics behind this phenomenon to predict and mitigate the impact of salt precipitation and dissolution on reservoir hydrodynamics and geomechanics in saline aquifers.
The Saltation project aims to significantly advance the understanding of salt precipitation during CO2 storage, addressing a critical challenge for the safe and efficient deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies. Salt precipitation can clog pore spaces, reduce injectivity, and compromise wellbore integrity, posing significant risks to large-scale CCS projects.
The project tackles critical knowledge gaps and challenges, including replicating realistic reservoir conditions in laboratory experiments, mapping salt structures based on flow and transport regimes, quantifying rock mechanical impacts of cyclic salt precipitation and dissolution, and integrating multiscale data into predictive models. To address these challenges, Saltation employs an interdisciplinary approach, integrating expertise from reservoir engineering, geochemistry, geomechanics, hydrodynamics, electron microscopy, X-ray µCT, image analysis, and computational modeling.
This approach allows for a comprehensive investigation of the complex multiphysics phenomena involved in salt precipitation and dissolution during CO2 storage. Using innovative experimental setups, advanced monitoring techniques, and hierarchical statistical modeling, the project will deliver key outcomes such as a comprehensive phase diagram for salt precipitation, a stochastic framework for porosity-permeability relationships, and best practices for monitoring and mitigating salt-induced injectivity losses. By enhancing our understanding of salt precipitation and dissolution, Saltation will contribute to global climate mitigation efforts by improving the safety, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness of CCS.
The findings also have broader applications in fields such as geothermal energy, hydrogen storage, and cultural heritage preservation. Through training students and sharing data via open science practices, the project aims to build capacity and foster collaboration within the CCS research community.