Modeling CO₂ flow in support of a shallow subsurface controlled leakage field test

Abstract

Controlled release of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the soil and atmosphere is performed to test detection and monitoring tools, for which several field laboratories were established by a number of institutions worldwide. Numerical simulations of CO2 behavior in the shallow subsurface region are other forms of validation and verification of the leakage pathways and destinations. These studies aim to improve monitoring and verification of CO2 in case of unexpected leakages for public assurance. In this work, we present the results of a numerical modeling study conducted to simulate the injection of CO2 as carried out during a field test in Viamão, southern Brazil, where 20 kg day–1 of CO2 was pumped for 30 days through a vertical well 3 m below ground in an altered granitic soil. Multiphase flow simulations were performed with the TOUGH2/EOS7CA software for unsaturated porous media, using field data and injection parameters, including sensitivity tests to permeability direction, diffusivity, and boundary conditions. Results with increased horizontal permeabilities are in better agreement with the field observations. In this condition, mass balance calculations indicate approximately 90% of injected CO2 (20 kg day–1 during 30 days) remains in the soil after 180 days from injection start, consistent with the measured flow through the soil–atmosphere interface. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Hydrogeological characterization and extended seasonal hydrogeochemical monitoring of a CO₂ controlled-release experimental site: the case of TECNOPUC-Viamão, Rio Grande do Sul state, Southern Brazil

“…The study area is located at the Scienti c and Technological Park of Ponti cal Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul (PUCRS), known as 'TECNOPUC', in the municipality of Viamão, in Rio Grande do Sul, the southernmost state of Brazil (Melo et al 2017; Iglesias et al 2019). In this place, a small-scale CO release experimental site was established in 2015 (coordinates: 22J 494315 mE/6671940 mN), covering an area of approximately 6,000 m 2 (Fig.…”