Simulation of CO2 Distribution Pattern in an Underground CO2 Injection Projected Calibrated by 3D Seismics (original) (raw)

In the ongoing aquifer CO2 disposal project in the Sleipner license (North Sea), underground CO2 is being monitored by time-lapse seismic. The CO2 is being injected close to the base of a high permeable, highly porous sand unit, the Utsira Sand. In an iterative process between seismic surveys and reservoir simulations, a reservoir model featuring the major controlling heterogeneities has been developed. Well-data and seismic data prior to injection shows that the sand is divided by nearly horizontal, discontinuous shales. From the 3-D seismic image after three years of injection, strong reflectors can be interpreted as CO2 accumulations identifying the major shale layers that control the vertical migration of CO2 from the injection point to the top of the formation. By modelling this flow in reservoir simulations, it can be inferred that the CO2 is transported in distinct columns between the shales rather than as dispersed bubbles over a large area. Improvement of the geological mod...