Numerical analysis of dual porosity coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical behaviour during CO2 sequestration in coal

This study presents a coupled dual porosity thermal-hydraulic-mechanical (THM) model of non-isothermal gas flow during CO2 sequestration in coal seams. Thermal behaviour is part of the disturbed physical and chemical condition of a coal seam caused by CO2 injection, and must be understood for accurate prediction of CO2 flow and storage. A new porosity-permeability model is included for consideration of the fracture-matrix compartment interaction. The new model is verified against an analytical solution and validated against experimental measurements, before being used to analyse coupled THM effects during CO2 sequestration in coal. A simulation of CO2 injection at a fixed rate shows the development of a cooling region within the coal seam due to the Joule-Thomson effect, with the temperature in the vicinity of the well declining sharply before recovering slowly. The temperature disturbance further from the well is more gradual by comparison. Under the simulation conditions studied, CO2 injection increases coal matrix porosity and decreases the porosity and permeability of the natural fracture network, especially in the vicinity of the injection well, due to adsorption-induced coal swelling. Compared with the effects of gas pressure and temperature, the matrix-fracture compartment interaction plays an important role in changes of porosity and permeability. Considering the temperature disturbance caused by CO2 injection under the set of representative conditions studied, the coupled model can provide an insight into the associated effects on CO2 flow and storage during its sequestration in coal seams.The first author gratefully acknowledges the financial support provided by the Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO), through the FLEXIS project. The financial support from the China Scholarship Council for the PhD studentship of the second author is also gratefully acknowledged