CO₂ movement monitoring and verification in a fractured Mississippian carbonate reservoir during EOR at Wellington Field in South Kansas

This study benefits from the availability of unique field data on tracking of injected CO₂ plume movement in the reservoir using results of reservoir fluid chemical composition monitoring, CO₂ plume and injection impact delineation, and studying effects of faults and naturally occurring fractures on fluid movement gathered from a field located in Kansas, USA. Approximately 20,000 metric tons of CO₂ were injected in the top sequence of the Mississippian age carbonate reservoir at Wellington Field in South Central Kansas to evaluate potential for CO₂ Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) and to estimate potential of transitioning to geologic CO₂ storage through EOR. This paper focuses on tracking of CO₂ plume movement in the reservoir using results of reservoir fluid chemical composition monitoring, CO₂ plume and injection impact delineation, and studying effects of faults and naturally occurring fractures on fluid movement at the Wellington Field. We found that one of the identified and mapped faults worked as a partial barrier to CO₂ movement and the associated damage zone and fracture network performed as a flow conduit, determining CO₂ flow paths.