Assessment of Long-term CO2 Trapping Mechanisms at the Ketzin Pilot Site (Germany) by Coupled Numerical Modelling

Abstract

To assess the long-term reservoir stabilisation at the Ketzin pilot site (Germany), the contribution of the four CO2 trapping mechanisms (structural, residual, dissolution and mineralisation trapping) was determined by numerical modelling. In the first step, dynamic flow simulations were undertaken using a reservoir simulator. The second step comprised batch simulations applying a geochemical simulator. Coupling between both simulators was achieved by time-step dependent integration of water saturation calculated in the reservoir simulations. After a simulation time of 16,000 years, about 98.3% of the injected CO2 is dissolved in the formation fluid and 1.5% mineralised, while residual trapping contributes with 0.2% and structural trapping is negligible.