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DOE OSTI2016

Dynamic simulation of CO 2 -injection-induced fault rupture with slip-rate dependent friction coefficient

It is known that poro-elastic stress and effective stress reduction associated with deep underground fluid injection can potentially trigger shear rupture along pre-existing faults. We modeled an idealized CO 2 injection scenario, to assess the effects on faults in the first phase of a generic CO 2 aquifer storage operation. We used coupled multiphase fluid flow and geomechanical numerical modeling to evaluate the stress and pressure perturbations induced by fluid injection and the response of a nearby normal fault. Slip-rate dependent friction and inertial effects have been taken into account during rupture. Contact elements have been used to take into account the frictional behavior of the rupture plane. We investigated different scenarios of injection rate to induce rupture on the fault, employing various fault rheologies. Published laboratory data on CO 2 -saturated intact and crushed rock samples, representative of a potential target aquifer, sealing formation and fault gouge, have been used to define a scenario where different fault rheologies apply at different depths. Nucleation of fault rupture takes place at the bottom of the reservoir, in agreement with analytical poro-elastic stress calculations, depending on injection-induced reservoir inflation and the tectonic stress scenario. For the stress state considered here, the first triggered rupture always produces the largest rupture length and slip magnitude, both of which correlate with the fault rheology. Velocity weakening produces larger ruptures and generates larger magnitude seismic events. Heterogeneous faults have been considered including velocity-weakening or velocity strengthening sections inside and below the aquifer, with the upper sections being velocity-neutral. Nucleation of rupture in a velocity-strengthening section results in a limited rupture extension, both in terms of maximum slip and rupture length. For a heterogeneous fault with nucleation in a velocity-weakening section, the rupture may propagate into the overlying velocity-neutral section, if the extent of velocity-weakening and associated friction drop are large enough.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2012

Low Pore Connectivity in Natural Rock

As repositories for CO₂ and radioactive waste, as oil and gas reservoirs, and as contaminated sites needing remediation, rock formations play a central role in energy and environmental management. The connectivity of the rock's porespace strongly affects fluid flow and solute transport. This work examines pore connectivity and its implications for fluid flow and chemical transport. Three experimental approaches (imbibition, tracer concentration profiles, and imaging) were used in combination with network modeling. In the imbibition results, three types of imbibition slope [log (cumulative imbibition) vs. log (imbibition time)] were found: the classical 0.5, plus 0.26, and 0.26 transitioning to 0.5. The imbibition slope of 0.26 seen in Indiana sandstone, metagraywacke, and Barnett shale indicates low pore connectivity, in contrast to the slope of 0.5 seen in the well-connected Berea sandstone. In the tracer profile work, rocks exhibited different distances to the plateau porosity, consistent with the pore connectivity from the imbibition tests. Injection of a molten metal into connected pore spaces, followed by 2-D imaging of the solidified alloy in polished thin sections, allowed direct assessment of pore structure and lateral connection in the rock samples. Pore-scale network modeling gave results consistent with measurements, confirming pore connectivity as the underlying cause of both anomalous behaviors: imbibition slope not having the classical value of 0.5, and accessible porosity being a function of distance from the edge. A poorly connected porespace will exhibit anomalous behavior in fluid flow and chemical transport, such as a lower imbibition slope (in air–water system) and diffusion rate than expected from classical behavior.

Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory↗

DOE OSTI2024

Ensemble methods for quantification of potassium oxide in ChemCam Mars and laboratory spectra

In this paper we test new approaches for predicting the amount of element oxides in rock samples from the ChemCam instrument suite onboard the NASA Curiosity rover by focusing on K 2 O. Using the expanded dataset compiled by Gasda et al. (2021) with and without the Earth to Mars (E2M and NoE2M) transformation discussed in Clegg et al. (2017) we trained blended submodels using the “double blending” technique and compared these to ensemble methods (Random Forest, ExtraTrees, and Gradient Boosting Regression). We found that ensemble methods performed similar to blended submodels when looking at RMSE-P on the laboratory spectra and provided significant advantages when looking at spectra coming from Mars. For the full model, blended submodels achieved an RMSE-P of 0.62 and 0.60 (E2M and NoE2M respectively) while Gradient Boosting Regression resulted in a slightly improved RMSE-P of 0.59 and 0.60. More importantly, by employing a local RMSE-P estimation technique where model performance is evaluated based on nearby test samples we found that using ensemble methods can lower the quantification limit for K 2 O from the current value of ≈0.6 wt% to ≈0.08 wt% using Extra Trees and Random Forest. This would allow for a much larger range of K 2 O values to be quantified on Mars with greater certainty given that most targets seen on Mars tend to have <1 wt% K2O. Finally, we used both Mean Decrease in Impurity (MDI) and permutation importance techniques to investigate the wavelengths used by the ensemble methods and found that they correspond to known potassium emission lines. This suggests that ensemble methods can provide an easier to train and improved alternative to blended submodels for predicting potassium compositions from Laser Induced Breakdown Spectroscopy (LIBS) data.

37 INORGANIC, ORGANIC, PHYSICAL, AND ANALYTICAL CH↗

DOE OSTI2022

Impact of Concurrent Solubilization and Fines Migration on Fracture Aperture Growth in Shales during Acidized Brine Injection

Acidic hydraulic fracturing fluid chemically and physically alters shale rock fabric during injection and shut-in, creating a “reaction-altered zone” along the fracture faces. To better characterize the variable thickness and composition of this reaction-altered zone under advective flow, we take a coupled experimental and modeling approach. A fluidic cell, with six fiducial markers, is first fabricated to keep the rock sample in place during the core floods and to allow image alignment of acquired images. Then, we conduct a series of reactive core floods in a clay-rich siliceous Wolfcamp shale sample with 10 wt % carbonate, using a synthetic fracturing fluid under no confining stress and at room temperature. High-resolution computed tomography (CT) scans are periodically conducted to observe the spatial alteration of the fracture network. We then perform scanning electron microscopy (SEM-EDS) on the two orthogonal surfaces (fracture surface and freshly cut profile face) to generate high-resolution elemental maps that show the change in mineralogy, both with distance along a given flow path along a fracture surface and with depth from the fracture surface into the shale matrix. These results are contrasted against a two-dimensional (2D) advection-diffusion reaction model developed previously for batch reactions between shale and synthetic fracturing fluids. The model simulates the geochemical interaction occurring at the fracture/matrix interface and penetrating into the shale matrix during the reactive core flood. Both model and experimental results show that the acidic brine is neutralized during the core flood, corresponding to an increase in fracture aperture as a function of fluid volume injected with the greatest change near the inlet. SEM-EDS scans reveal significant dissolution of carbonates on the fracture surface without pyrite oxidation. The reactive transport model indicates that carbonate depletion into the shale interior should be observable, yet SEM-EDS shows no discernible loss of carbonate in the orthogonal profile face. The combination of these observations suggests an additional fracture evolution mechanism in the reactive system, i.e., fines migration. We show that fines migration enhances the access of fracturing fluid to the matrix resulting in a more pronounced fracture widening. Finally, we conclude that coupled mineral dissolution and fines migration govern fracture aperture growth during acidized brine injection. In this work, we effectively show the underlying risk of relying solely on models that do not include an important (transport) process that can alter the system significantly and propose a combined chemomechanical mechanism for fracture evolution appropriate for this shale mineralogy.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Reactive Transport Modeling of Shale–Fluid Interactions after Imbibition of Fracturing Fluids

Injection of hydraulic fracturing fluid (HFF) into shale formations for unconventional oil/gas production results in chemical reactions in the shale matrix. Our recent experimental study determined the depths to which different types of reactions between the shale matrix and the HFF extended. In the present study, we built continuum-scale reactive transport models to understand the coupling of chemical reactions and the transport of aqueous species in these shale–HFF systems. Calibration of the model with our previous experimental results reveals that it takes hours to months for the shale matrix to completely neutralize the imbibed acids, depending primarily upon the carbonate content of the shale. Both the HFF pH and pore pH affect the location of barite precipitation, resulting in unique barite precipitation profiles extending millimeters into calcite-rich Eagle Ford shale but only tens of micrometers into low-carbonate Marcellus shale. In addition, dissolved oxygen and extracted bitumen are key to reproducing the experimental observation of Fe(III) (oxyhydr)oxide formation in the shale matrix as a result of pyrite dissolution in the shales. A comparison between the modeling results of porosity in the present study to experimentally measured permeabilities in our previous study suggests that chemical reactions occurring at a greater depth than the observable reaction zone might have impacted permeability. Our model serves as a benchmark for efficiently modeling water–rock interactions in similar systems where bulk rock samples react with a solution in batch reactors. Important reactive transport processes were ascertained via modeling, which allows for quantitative prediction of shale–HFF interactions in shale matrices given the shale and HFF compositions.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2020

Permeability Hysteresis From Microchannels Opening During Dissolution/Reprecipitation Cycle

Abstract Permeability is a critical parameter for geological resources characterization. Its evolution with respect to porosity is particularly interesting and many research initiatives focus on deriving such relationships, to understand some hydraulic impacts of microstructure alteration. Permeability evolution from chemical reactions, for instance, can become complex as flow channels may open during rock dissolution. In this contribution, we show that this phenomenon can lead to irregular porosity‐permeability curves and permeability hysteresis after reprecipitation. Current approaches describing permeability as a simple function of porosity can therefore not capture this behavior, and we advocate instead the use of dynamic modeling for such scenarios. We demonstrate our approach by modeling a dissolution/precipitation cycle for a unit cell pore channel and quantify the process at larger scale on three different rock samples, whose microstructures are reconstructed from segmented micro‐Computerised Tomography scans.

Lesueur, Martin↗

DOE OSTI2021

Injection Parameters That Promote Branching of Hydraulic Cracks

Fluid injection into rock formations can either produce complex branched hydraulic fractures, create simple planar fractures, or be dominated by porous diffusion. Currently, the optimum injection parameters to create branched fractures are unknown. We conducted repeatable hydraulic fracturing experiments using analog-rock samples with controlled heterogeneity to quantify the fluid parameters that promote fracture branching. A large range of injection rates and fluid viscosities were used to investigate their effects on induced fracture patterns. Paired with a simple analytical model, our results identify the threshold at which fracture transitions from an isolated planar crack to branched cracks when closed natural fractures exist. These results demonstrate that this transition can be controlled by injection rate and fluid viscosity. In relation to the field practices, the present model predicts slickwater and lower viscosity fluid injections promote fracture branching, with the Marcellus shale used as an example.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2024

Pore‐Scale Modeling of Carbon Dioxide and Hydrogen Transport During Geologic Gas Storage

Abstract Geologic storage of CO 2 and H 2 are climate‐positive techniques for meeting the energy transition. While similar formations could be considered for both gases, the flow dynamics could differ due to differences in their thermophysical properties. We conduct a rigorous pore‐scale study of water/CO 2 and water/H 2 systems at relevant reservoir conditions in a Bentheimer rock sample using the lattice Boltzmann method to quantify the effects of capillary, viscous, inertial, and wetting forces during gas invasion. At similar conditions, H 2 invasion is weaker compared to CO 2 due to unfavorable viscosity ratios. Increasing flow rate, however, increases the breakthrough saturation for both gas systems in the range of capillary numbers studied. At isolated conditions of flow rate, viscosity ratio, and wettability, local inertial effects are found to be critical and show consistent increase in the invaded gas saturation. The effect of inertial forces persits for both gases across all field conditions tested.

58 GEOSCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2023

Use of FLOSIC for understanding anion-solvent interactions

An Achille’s heel of lower-rung density-functional approximations is that the highest-occupied-molecular-orbital energy levels of anions, known to be stable or metastable in nature, are often found to be positive in the worst case or above the lowest-unoccupied-molecular-orbital levels on neighboring complexes that are not expected to accept charge. A trianionic example, [Cr(C2O4)3]3−, is of interest for constraining models linking Cr isotope ratios in rock samples to oxygen levels in Earth’s atmosphere over geological timescales. Here we describe how crowd sourcing can be used to carry out self-consistent Fermi–Löwdin–Orbital-Self-Interaction corrected calculations (FLOSIC) on this trianion in solution. The calculations give a physically correct description of the electronic structure of the trianion and water. In contrast, uncorrected local density approximation (LDA) calculations result in approximately half of the anion charge being transferred to the water bath due to the effects of self-interaction error. Use of group-theory and the intrinsic sparsity of the theory enables calculations roughly 125 times faster than our initial implementation in the large N limit reached here. By integrating charge density densities and Coulomb potentials over regions of space and analyzing core-level shifts of the Cr and O atoms as a function of position and functional, we unambiguously show that FLOSIC, relative to LDA, reverses incorrect solute-solvent charge transfer in the trianion-water complex. In comparison to other functionals investigated herein, including Hartree–Fock and the local density approximation, the FLOSIC Cr 1s eigenvalues provide the best agreement with experimental core ionization energies.

Chemistry↗

DOE OSTI2017

SIMS analyses of the oldest known assemblage of microfossils document their taxon-correlated carbon isotope compositions

Analyses by secondary ion mass spectroscopy (SIMS) of 11 specimens of five taxa of prokaryotic filamentous kerogenous cellular microfossils permineralized in a petrographic thin section of the ~3,465 Ma Apex chert of northwestern Western Australia, prepared from the same rock sample from which this earliest known assemblage of cellular fossils was described more than two decades ago, show their δ 13 C compositions to vary systematically taxon to taxon from -31‰ to -39‰. These morphospecies-correlated carbon isotope compositions confirm the biogenicity of the Apex fossils and validate their morphology-based taxonomic assignments. Perhaps most significantly, the δ 13 C values of each of the five taxa are lower than those of bulk samples of Apex kerogen (-27‰), those of SIMS-measured fossil-associated dispersed particulate kerogen (-27.6‰), and those typical of modern prokaryotic phototrophs (-25 ± 10‰). The SIMS data for the two highest δ 13 C Apex taxa are consistent with those of extant phototrophic bacteria; those for a somewhat lower δ 13 C taxon, with nonbacterial methane-producing Archaea; and those for the two lowest δ 13 C taxa, with methane-metabolizing γ-proteobacteria. Although the existence of both methanogens and methanotrophs has been inferred from bulk analyses of the carbon isotopic compositions of pre-2,500 Ma kerogens, these in situ SIMS analyses of individual microfossils present data interpretable as evidencing the cellular preservation of such microorganisms and are consistent with the near-basal position of the Archaea in rRNA phylogenies.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

Ultra-small-angle neutron scattering with azimuthal asymmetry

Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) measurements from thin sections of rock samples such as shales demand as great a scattering vector range as possible because the pores cover a wide range of sizes. The limitation of the scattering vector range for pinhole SANS requires slit-smeared ultra-SANS (USANS) measurements that need to be converted to pinhole geometry. The desmearing algorithm is only successful for azimuthally symmetric data. Scattering from samples cut parallel to the plane of bedding is symmetric, exhibiting circular contours on a two-dimensional detector. Samples cut perpendicular to the bedding show elliptically dependent contours with the long axis corresponding to the normal to the bedding plane. A method is given for converting such asymmetric data collected on a double-crystal diffractometer for concatenation with the usual pinhole-geometry SANS data. Furthermore, the aspect ratio from the SANS data is used to modify the slit-smeared USANS data to produce quasi-symmetric contours. Rotation of the sample about the incident beam may result in symmetric data but cannot extract the same information as obtained from pinhole geometry.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗

DOE OSTI2015

Carbon and sulfur isotopic signatures of ancient life and environment at the microbial scale: Neoarchean shales and carbonates

An approach to coordinated, spatially resolved, in situ carbon isotope analysis of organic matter and carbonate minerals, and sulfur three- and four-isotope analysis of pyrite with an unprecedented combination of spatial resolution, precision, and accuracy is described. Organic matter and pyrite from eleven rock samples of Neoarchean drill core express nearly the entire range of δ 13 C, δ 34 S, Δ 33 S, and Δ 36 S known from the geologic record, commonly in correlation with morphology, mineralogy, and elemental composition. A new analytical approach (including a set of organic calibration standards) to account for a strong correlation between H/C and instrumental bias in SIMS δ 13 C measurement of organic matter is identified. Small (2–3 μm) organic domains in carbonate matrices are analyzed with sub-permil accuracy and precision. Separate 20- to 50-μm domains of kerogen in a single ~0.5 cm3 sample of the ~2.7 Ga Tumbiana Formation have δ 13 C = -52.3 ± 0.1‰ and -34.4 ± 0.1‰, likely preserving distinct signatures of methanotrophy and photoautotrophy. Pyrobitumen in the ~2.6 Ga Jeerinah Formation and the ~2.5 Ga Mount McRae Shale is systematically 13 C-enriched relative to co-occurring kerogen, and associations with uraniferous mineral grains suggest radiolytic alteration. A large range in sulfur isotopic compositions (including higher Δ 33 S and more extreme spatial gradients in Δ 33 S and Δ 36 S than any previously reported) are observed in correlation with morphology and associated mineralogy. Changing systematics of δ 34 S, Δ 33 S, and Δ 36 S, previously investigated at the millimeter to centimeter scale using bulk analysis, are shown to occur at the micrometer scale of individual pyrite grains. These results support the emerging view that the dampened signature of mass-independent sulfur isotope fractionation (S-MIF) associated with the Mesoarchean continued into the early Neoarchean, and that the connections between methane and sulfur metabolism affected the production and preservation of S-MIF during the first half of the planet's history.

59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES↗

DOE OSTI2016

Fracture Sustainability Test, Pre- and Post-Test Photomicrographs

The primary objective of this research is to understand how different rock types, mineral and fluid compositions, and fracture surface textures determine the longevity of fracture apertures, so that selection of reservoir rock can be economically optimized to reduce future refracturing. We are performing laboratory tests to study this in a custom apparatus at conditions relevant to EGS, with temperatures up to 250 degrees C (design maximum 300 degrees C). Our approach is to perform a number of long term (up to several months) laboratory experiments using relevant rock samples with different mineralogies to explore fracture sustainability under EGS conditions. We use an apparatus that allows direct application of a normal force on the fracture faces of a single fracture in a sample having a sheared, tensile fracture. We flow brine of a specified composition through the aperture, and simultaneously measure the fracture permeability and closure. We collect the effluent water for chemical and isotopic analysis. We are numerically modeling our tests and comparing experimental and numerical results. This submission includes photomicrographs of pre-test (unreacted) and post-test (reacted) samples from Brady well BCH-03 at various depths, Desert Peak well DP 35-13, and samples of Stripa granite. The photomicrographs are provided using uncrossed and crossed polarized light (xpl). UN is uncrossed nicols, CN and xpl are crossed nicols (crossed polars). The magnification listed is just referring to the objective lens that was used, not the total magnification of the images. With a 5x objective, the bottom dimension of an image is 1.75 mm. With 10x the bottom dimension of an image is 0.875 mm, and with 2x the bottom dimension of an image is 4.375 mm.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2021

Utah FORGE Well 16A(78)-32 X-ray Diffraction Data

This submission contains x-ray diffraction data taken from 3,600 to 10,987 feet deep in well 16A(78)-32 in the Roosevelt Hot Springs Geothermal Area as part of the Utah FORGE project. 78 rock samples were taken. Samples are taken in a range of ten feet at 100 foot increments. Mineral abundances are given in weight percent of the sample, with results rounded to the nearest whole number. Fields marked with tr (trace) indicate that mineral is present, but that its abundance calculated from the Rietveld refinement was less than one weight percent; that it was observed in the clay-sized fraction, but not the bulk; and/or that it was observed in low abundance during petrographic analyses. The samples were taken between 10/29/2020 and 12/24/2020 during the drilling of well 16A(78)-32.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2024

Utah FORGE: Fluid Injection Induced Shearing Experiments on Fractured Granitoid at Elevated Temperatures

This repository contains experimental data from a series of fluid injection-induced shearing tests conducted on Utah FORGE granitoid. The experiments were performed using an aluminum triaxial pressure vessel (TEMCO) apparatus at Pennsylvania State University. The primary aim was to investigate the impact of temperature on fault seismicity and to explore how different pre-stress ratios influence shearing behavior. The data includes results from experiments conducted under varying conditions of temperature, pre-stress ratios, and pore pressure increments. The rock samples used in these experiments were 60-grit granitoid with a single inclined fracture oriented at 60 degrees with respect to the horizontal cross-section. The dataset also includes measurements of normal stiffness at different temperatures and images of the experimental apparatus. The included README file details each experiential setup and outlines which data files represent which experimental conditions.

15 GEOTHERMAL ENERGY↗

DOE OSTI2025

Improved Calculation of the Young’s Modulus of Rectangular Prisms from Their Resonant Frequency Overtones by Identifying Appropriate Shear Constants

Young’s modulus is an important parameter for characterizing the strength of, and wave propagation through, a given material. This study improves the estimation of Young’s modulus using the impulse excitation technique based on an experimental analysis of 19 borosilicate glass bars. Analysis of the frequency equations relating Young’s modulus to the out-of-plane and in-plane flexural resonant frequencies of rectangular prisms has been conducted for both the fundamental frequency and its overtones at higher orders of vibration. Furthermore, the Young’s moduli of three novaculite rocks with various porosities were then measured up to the seventh order of vibration to validate the optimum shear constant equation for estimating Young’s modulus. Young’s modulus was found to be nearly frequency independent for these rock samples.

Impulse excitation↗

DOE OSTI2022

TASK3 Laboratory Experiments Data

Laboratory Experiments Data of TASK3 of DOE project DE- FE0031686. Each signal has its own excel file. 150 signals are sent through the rock sample per each load configuration. There were approximately 50 to 150 load combinations tested during the experiments. Experiments were repeated after changing the polarity direction of the transducers. Signals of these repeats are in separate folders called "Reverse". There are three formations tested from the Michigan Core and four formations tested from the FutureGen site. The "Code" folder contains the Python code developed to analyze the signals. Large Dataset, please contact EDXSupport@netl.doe.gov

core↗

DOE OSTI2012

Simulation Framework for Regional Geologic CO 2 Storage Along Arches Province of Midwestern United States

This report presents final technical results for the project Simulation Framework for Regional Geologic CO 2 Storage Infrastructure along Arches Province of the Midwest United States . The Arches Simulation project was a three year effort designed to develop a simulation framework for regional geologic carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) storage infrastructure along the Arches Province through development of a geologic model and advanced reservoir simulations of large-scale CO 2 storage. The project included five major technical tasks: (1) compilation of geologic, hydraulic and injection data on Mount Simon, (2) development of model framework and parameters, (3) preliminary variable density flow simulations, (4) multi-phase model runs of regional storage scenarios, and (5) implications for regional storage feasibility. The Arches Province is an informal region in northeastern Indiana, northern Kentucky, western Ohio, and southern Michigan where sedimentary rock formations form broad arch and platform structures. In the province, the Mount Simon sandstone is an appealing deep saline formation for CO 2 storage because of the intersection of reservoir thickness and permeability. Many CO 2 sources are located in proximity to the Arches Province, and the area is adjacent to coal fired power plants along the Ohio River Valley corridor. Geophysical well logs, rock samples, drilling logs, and geotechnical tests were evaluated for a 500,000 km2 study area centered on the Arches Province. Hydraulic parameters and historical operational information was also compiled from Mount Simon wastewater injection wells in the region. This information was integrated into a geocellular model that depicts the parameters and conditions in a numerical array. The geologic and hydraulic data were integrated into a three-dimensional grid of porosity and permeability, which are key parameters regarding fluid flow and pressure buildup due to CO 2 injection. Permeability data were corrected in locations where reservoir tests have been performed in Mount Simon injection wells. The geocellular model was used to develop a series of numerical simulations designed to support CO 2 storage applications in the Arches Province. Variable density fluid flow simulations were initially run to evaluate model sensitivity to input parameters. Two dimensional, multiple-phase simulations were completed to evaluate issues related to arranging injection fields in the study area. A basin-scale, multiple-phase model was developed to evaluate large scale injection effects across the region. Finally, local scale simulations were also completed with more detailed depiction of the Eau Claire formation to investigate to the potential for upward migration of CO 2 . Overall, the technical work on the project concluded that injection large-scale injection may be achieved with proper field design, operation, siting, and monitoring. Records from Mount Simon injection wells were compiled, documenting more than 20 billion gallons of injection into the Mount Simon formation in the Arches Province over the past 40 years, equivalent to approximately 60 million metric tons CO 2 . The multi-state team effort was useful in delineating the geographic variability in the Mount Simon reservoir properties. Simulations better defined potential well fields, well field arrangement, CO 2 pipeline distribution system, and operational parameters for large-scale injection in the Arches Province. Multiphase scoping level simulations suggest that injection fields with arrays of 9 to 50+ wells may be used to accommodate large injection volumes. Individual wells may need to be separated by 3 to 10 km. Injection fields may require spacing of 25 to 40 km to limit pressure and saturation front interference. Basin-scale multiple-phase simulations in STOMP reflect variability in the Mount Simon. While simulations suggest a total injection rate of 100 million metric tons per year (approximately to a 40% reduction of CO 2 emissions from large point sources across the Arches Province) may be feasible, some areas are more suitable due to favorable geology. Sustainable injection rates were higher in areas where there was higher thickness and reservoir permeability. Distribution of injection across well fields is an effective method to reduce pressure and CO 2 saturation front interference.

54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES↗