J. (Jarmo) Savelkoel

Research description

Microfluidic experiments of

supercritical CO2 injected into brine

Objective

Inspired by the promising technology of carbon capture and storage (CCS), we will experimentally investigate the thermodynamic states and the hydrodynamic patterns of supercritical CO2 injected into saline (salty solutions) in a microfluidic channel (~100um in size) under different injection rates. There are two crucial and insightful objectives:

1. the multiphase flow of supercritical CO2 and saline at pore scale, and

2. the hydrodynamic observations at the pore scale for CO2-EOR (Enhanced Oil Recovery) applications.

Motivation & State-of-the-art

To mitigate the CO2 concentration in the atmosphere, the recently proposed CCS technology consists of transporting and storing pressurized CO2 into underground geological formations, including depleted oil fields and saline formations. Microfluidic investigations of the injection of supercritical CO2 into brine at the pore scale provide insights into the detailed flow patterns and into the mechanism of CO2 storage. However, such studies are currently rather rare. The Gardeniers group has recently carried out experimental investigations of injecting supercritical CO2 into ethanol and methanol in microfluidic channels 1. With the existing device and experimental expertise, we will conduct microscopic observations of supercritical CO2 injected into brine in microchannels. The experimental results of the flow patterns and thermodynamic regimes, which currently are lacking in literature, are crucial for understanding and assessing the transport and storage of CO2 in the CCS technology.