Reactive transport at the pore-scale: Geological Labs on Chip studies (GLoCs) for CO<SUB>2</SUB> storage in saline aquifers

International audienceThe near well bore of CO2 injection in saline aquifer is the main sensitive part of the targeted carbone storage reservoirs. The recent development of microfluidics tools mimicking porous media of geological reservoirs allowed studying physical, physico-chemical and thermodynamic mechanisms. We used the GLoCs "Geological Labs on Chip" to study dynamic and reactive transport processes at the pore scale induced by the CO2 geological storage. The present work is a first attempt to reproduce, by reactive transport modeling, an experiment of calcium carbonate precipitation during the co-injection of two aqueous solutions in a GLoC device. For that purpose, a new kinetics model, based on the transition-state-theory and on surface complexation modeling, was developed to describe the co-precipitation of amorphous calcium carbonate (ACC) and calcite. ACC precipitates and creates surface complexation sites from which calcite can nucleate and create new surface complexation sites. When the kinetics of calcite precipitation are fast enough, the consumption of matter leads to the dissolution of ACC. The modeling results were first compared to batch experiments (from the literature) and then applied with success to dynamic experiment observations carried out on a GLoC device (from the literature). On the other hand, we evaluated the solubility of CO2 in capillary waters that increases between 5 to 10 folds for reservoir conditions (200 bar and 100°C) compared to the bulk water. The GLoCs tools started to address an excellent and much finer degree of processes control (reactive transport processes, mixing effects, minerals precipitation and dissolution kinetics, etc.) thanks to in situ analysis and characterization techniques, allowing access in real time to relevant properties. Current investigations focus on key parameters influencing the flowing dynamics and trapping mechanisms (relative permeability, capillary conditions, kinetics of dissolution and precipitation of minerals)