Abstract
Summary Recent trends toward carbon net zero and the push to develop renewable energy as an alternative to fossil fuels have resulted in major environmental focus on decarbonization projects with emphasis on carbon capture, utilization, and storage (CCUS).
A range of scale-related issues can impact the efficiency of CCUS. These include halite and iron sulfide scale deposition during supercritical, dry carbon dioxide (CO2) injection, and dissolution of carbonate cements and minerals in reservoir rocks, which impact both cement and reservoir rock integrity, resulting in potential CO2 and methane (CH4) leaks. In addition, during CO2 utilization for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and water injection/disposal, calcium and iron carbonate/hydroxide deposition can occur in downhole production tubing and throughout topside production facilities.
Effective scale management strategies will be essential to maintain a safe, sustainable, and efficient CCUS process and to minimize CO2 footprint for any adopted scale control process. In this paper, we explore some aspects of scale risk and scale management for calcium carbonate deposition during carbon capture and CO2 injection/storage in different lithology scenarios. We also include halite, microbial-induced calcium carbonate, and iron sulfide deposition, along with highlights of both conventional and unconventional scale management approaches.
The impact of well completion, cement type, and CO2 injection rates on CCUS and the selected scale management process are discussed in addition to laboratory data which were generated for proof of concept for controlled barium sulfate (BaSO4) mineral scale deposition to reduce the potential for CO2 and CH4 leaks and protect the wellbore and cement integrity. Also explored are the scale risk and management strategies for CO2 utilization through disposal in a calcareous sandstone and CO2 water alternating gas (WAG) injection in a carbonate reservoir, which demonstrate the possibility to apply reservoir management strategies to reduce or minimize the scale risk in these scenarios.
A range of scale-related issues can impact the efficiency of CCUS. These include halite and iron sulfide scale deposition during supercritical, dry carbon dioxide (CO2) injection, and dissolution of carbonate cements and minerals in reservoir rocks, which impact both cement and reservoir rock integrity, resulting in potential CO2 and methane (CH4) leaks. In addition, during CO2 utilization for enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and water injection/disposal, calcium and iron carbonate/hydroxide deposition can occur in downhole production tubing and throughout topside production facilities.
Effective scale management strategies will be essential to maintain a safe, sustainable, and efficient CCUS process and to minimize CO2 footprint for any adopted scale control process. In this paper, we explore some aspects of scale risk and scale management for calcium carbonate deposition during carbon capture and CO2 injection/storage in different lithology scenarios. We also include halite, microbial-induced calcium carbonate, and iron sulfide deposition, along with highlights of both conventional and unconventional scale management approaches.
The impact of well completion, cement type, and CO2 injection rates on CCUS and the selected scale management process are discussed in addition to laboratory data which were generated for proof of concept for controlled barium sulfate (BaSO4) mineral scale deposition to reduce the potential for CO2 and CH4 leaks and protect the wellbore and cement integrity. Also explored are the scale risk and management strategies for CO2 utilization through disposal in a calcareous sandstone and CO2 water alternating gas (WAG) injection in a carbonate reservoir, which demonstrate the possibility to apply reservoir management strategies to reduce or minimize the scale risk in these scenarios.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1-17 |
| Number of pages | 17 |
| Journal | SPE Journal |
| Early online date | 5 Jun 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 5 Jun 2025 |
