Unveiling the Beneficial Effects of N<sub>2</sub> as a CO<sub>2</sub> Impurity on Fluid-Rock Reactions during Carbon Sequestration in Carbonate Reservoir Aquifers: Challenging the Notion of Purer Is Always Better
Chao Zhang, Pengfei Li, Zengmin Lun, Zihan Gu, Zhaomin Li
Abstract
CO 2 -enhanced oil recovery (CO 2 -EOR) is widely used in reservoir development, but its implementation is often limited by scarce pure CO 2 sources and high carbon capture costs. Flue gas from steam injection boilers typically contains 10–15% CO 2 and 80–85% N 2, both of which serve as effective gas displacement agents. Injecting flue gas or CO 2 /N 2 mixtures into reservoirs can reduce carbon emissions, sequester CO 2, and enhance recovery. Therefore, this study proposes a concept of enriching rather than capturing flue gas for storage, with a focus on how N 2 as an impurity affects the safety of CO 2 storage. This study examines interactions between gas mixtures with varying CO 2 enrichment rates (with N 2 impurities) and minerals. It performs microarea analyses of aged rocks using ultradepth-of-field microscope and atomic force microscopy (AFM), assesses calcite wettability via contact angle tests, and evaluates CO 2 storage column height under experimental conditions. Results indicate that with a CO 2 enrichment of at least 50%, adding N 2 creates additional dissolution pits on calcite surfaces. The calcite matrix exhibits optimal water-wettability at 50–75% CO 2 enrichment, facilitating greater CO 2 storage column heights. This suggests coinjecting N 2 and CO 2 can enhance long-term CO 2 storage safety and reduce capture costs.