An Evaluation of Sharp Interface Models for CO2 -Brine Displacement in Aquifers

Understanding multiphase transport within saline aquifers is necessary for safe and efficient CO2 sequestration. To that end, numerous full-physics codes exist for rigorously modeling multiphase flow within porous and permeable rock formations. High-fidelity simulation with such codes is data- and computation-intensive, and may not be suitable for screening-level calculations. Alternatively, under conditions of vertical equilibrium, a class of sharp-interface models result in simplified relationships that can be solved with limited computing resources and geologic/fluidic data. In this study, the sharp-interface model of Nordbotten and Celia (2006a,2006b) is evaluated against results from a commercial full-physics simulator for a semi-confined system with vertical permeability heterogeneity. In general, significant differences were observed between the simulator and the sharp-interface model results. A variety of adjustments were made to the sharp-interface model including modifications to the fluid saturation and effective viscosity in the two-phase region behind the CO2 -brine interface. These adaptations significantly improved the predictive ability of the sharp interface model while maintaining overall tractability.