Displacement and Dissolution Characteristics of CO$$_{}$$/Brine System in Unconsolidated Porous Media

This study investigated the dynamic displacement and dissolution of \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) in porous media at 313 K and 6/8 MPa. Gaseous (\(\hbox {gCO}_{2}\)) at 6 MPa and supercritical \(\hbox {CO}_{2 }(\hbox {scCO}_{2}) \) at 8 MPa were injected downward into a glass bead pack at different flow rates, following upwards brine injection. The processes occurring during \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) drainage and brine imbibition were visualized using magnetic resonance imaging. The drainage flow fronts were strongly influenced by the flow rates, resulting in different gas distributions. However, brine imbibition proceeded as a vertical compacted front due to the strong effect of gravity. Additionally, the effects of flow rate on distribution and saturation were analyzed. Then, the front movement of \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) dissolution was visualized along different paths after imbibition. The determined \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) concentrations implied that little \(\hbox {scCO}_{2}\) dissolved in brine after imbibition. The dissolution rate was from \(10^{-8}\) to \(10^{-9}\, \hbox {kg}\, \hbox {m}^{-3} \, \hbox {s}^{-1}\) and from \(10^{-6}\) to \(10^{-8}\, \hbox {kg}\, \hbox {m}^{-3} \, \hbox {s}^{-1}\) for \(\hbox {gCO}_{2}\) at 6 MPa and \(\hbox {scCO}_{2 }\) at 8 MPa, respectively. The total time for the \(\hbox {scCO}_{2}\) dissolution was short, indicating fast mass transfer between the \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) and brine. Injection of \(\hbox {CO}_{2}\) under supercritical conditions resulted in a quick establishment of a steady state with high storage safety.