Project Summary
Previous modelling of the Precipice Sandstone suggests that dense CO2-rich formation water will migrate to the base of the sandstone and penetrate the Moolayember Formation. Results from ANLEC R&D study (7-0115-0236) indicated that the precursor of minerals in leachate is ankerite and other carbonate cement in the lower Precipice. Another ANLEC R&D study (7-1116-0295) has also shown that the Moolayember Formation has more complex and reactive mineralogy than the lower Precipice Sandstone. Given the mineralogical diversity, further experimental work is required to find out the likelihood of minerals mobilisation.
This project aims to characterise the mineralogy deeper in the Moolayember and understand its reactivity with injected CO2 when O2 is present in the GHG stream. This project will analyse eight additional Moolayember cores to get more information on formation mineralogy and geochemistry. Researchers will integrate results from benchtop experiments into 3D reactive transport model (RTM) to predict the interaction between the CO2 plume and the Moolayember Formation. The project will also try to resolve convergence issues caused by the presence of O2 in the plume.
