Effect of reactive surface area of minerals on mineralization trapping of CO_2 in saline aquifers

The reactive surface area, an important parameter controlling mineral reactions, affects the amount of mineralization trapping of CO2 which affects the long-term CO2 storage. The effect of the reactive surface area on the mineralization trapping of CO2 was numerically simulated for CO2 storage in saline aquifers. Three kinds of minerals, including anorthite, calcite and kaolinite, are involved in the mineral reactions. This paper models the relationship between the specific surface area and the grain diameter of anorthite based on experimental data from literature （Brantley and Mellott, 2000）. When the reactive surface areas of anorthite and calcite decrease from 838 to 83.8 m^2/m^3, the percentage of mineralization trapping of CO： after 500 years decreases from 11.8% to 0.65%. The amount of dissolved anorthite and the amounts of precipitated kaolinite and calcite decrease significantly when the reactive surface areas ofanorthite and calcite decrease from 838 to 83.8 m2/m3. Calcite is initially dissolved in the brine and then precipitates during the geochemical reactions between CO2-H20 and the minerals. Different reactive surface areas of anorthite and calcite lead to different times from dissolution to precipitation. The pH of the brine decreases with decreasing reactive surface areas of anorthite and calcite which influences the acidity of the saline aquifer. The gas saturation between the upper and lower parts of the saline aquifer increases with decreasing reactive surface areas of anorthite and calcite. The mass density distribution of brine solution shows that the CO2^＋brine solution region increases with decreasing reactive surface areas ofanorthite and calcite.

Reactive Transport Modeling of Long-Term CO2 Sequestration Mechanisms at the Shenhua CCS Demonstration Project,China

Carbon dioxide injection into deep saline aquifers results in a variety of strongly coupled physical and chemical processes. In this study, reactive transport simulations using a 2-D radial model were performed to investigate the fate of the injected CO2, the effect of CO2-water-rock interactions on mineral alteration, and the long-term CO2 sequestration mechanisms of the Liujiagou Formation sandstone at the Shenhua CCS（carbon capture and storage） pilot site of China. Carbon dioxide was injected at a constant rate of 0.1 Mt/year for 30 years, and the fluid flow and geochemical transport simulation was run for a period of 10 000 years by the TOUGHREACT code according to the underground conditions of the Liujiagou Formation. The results show that different trapping phases of CO2 vary with time. Sensitivity analyses indicate that plagioclase composition and chlorite presence are the most significant determinants of stable carbonate minerals and CO2 mineral trapping capacity. For arkosic arenite in the Liujiagou Formation, CO2 can be immobilized by precipitation of ankerite, magnesite, siderite, dawsonite, and calcite for different mineral compositions, with Ca（2＋）, Mg（2＋）, Fe（2＋） and Na＋ provided by dissolution of calcite, albite（or oligoclase） and chlorite. This study can provide useful insights into the geochemistry of CO2 storage in other arkosic arenite（feldspar rich sandstone） formations at other pilots or target sites.

Rescue Hopes Fading Miners remain trapped beneath mud and water

Rescue work continues at a flooded mine in China’s eastern ShandongPr ovince where 172 people weretr apped on August 17, but hopes ofbr in g ing anyone out alive are dim-