Research Abstract
The sequestration of CO2 in deep geological formations is regarded as a technical strategy to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions. However, due to the inherently complex characteristics of natural formations, it still remains very challenging to predict the movement of CO2 in the subsurface with the accuracy that is required to ensure that the whole injection and storage operation is safe and effective. Some of the challenges include accounting for patterns of heterogeneity over a wide range of length-scales, complicated pore structures, and chemical reactions that may significantly alter the porous network of the rock.
The goal of this project is to develop and validate an experimental framework to study miscible displacements in heterogeneous and reactive porous media. To this aim, a combination of imaging techniques will be applied, including X-ray Computed Tomography (X-ray CT) and Positron Emission Tomography (PET). While X-ray CT is nowadays widely applied to image and quantify volumetric (and static) properties (e.g. saturation and porosity), PET allows for the dynamic imaging of flows and will be applied to quantify transport properties, such as dispersion coefficient.