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Electrochemically Enhanced Deposition of Minerals from Synthetic Reservoir Brine

Abstract

In this paper we ask the question whether or not electrochemically enhanced deposition of minerals can be utilized to
repair leakage paths existing in cement plugs in wells. Electrical polarization of two electrodes may result in oxygen
reduction and water electrolysis, where both processes change the local pH close to the two electrodes. The solution
close to the anode is becoming acidic while close to the cathode it is becoming alkaline. Since solubility of many
scaling minerals is pH dependent, precipitation of minerals on conductive surfaces can be induced by electrical
polarization. We test whether cathodic polarization of conductive surfaces can be used to facilitate deposition of
minerals from brines resembling reservoir fluids. As a model the reservoir formation water from the Gyda field was
chosen. The electrochemically enhanced deposition at 23 and 120 °C from a synthetic Gyda brine was tested by
polarizing at 5 V. The results show that cathodic polarization significantly enhanced precipitation of minerals from
the synthetic Gyda brine.
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Category

Academic chapter

Language

English

Author(s)

Affiliation

  • SINTEF Industry / Materials and Nanotechnology
  • SINTEF Industry / Applied Geoscience

Year

2021

Publisher

SINTEF akademisk forlag

Book

TCCS–11. CO2 Capture, Transport and Storage. Trondheim 22nd–23rd June 2021. Short Papers from the 11th International Trondheim CCS Conference

ISBN

9788253617145

Page(s)

218 - 223

View this publication at Norwegian Research Information Repository