OpenGeoSys-ChemApp: a coupled simulator for reactive transport in multiphase systems and application to CO2 storage formation in Northern Germany

Sequestration of CO₂ into a deep geological reservoir causes a complex interaction of different processes such as multiphase flow, phase transition, multicomponent transport, and geochemical reactions between dissolved CO₂ and the mineral matrix of the porous medium. A prognosis of the reservoir behaviour and the feedback from large-scale geochemical alterations require efficient process-based numerical models. For this purpose, the multiphase flow and multicomponent transport code OpenGeoSys-Eclipse have been coupled to the geochemical model ChemApp. The newly developed coupled simulator was successfully verified for correctness and accuracy of the implemented reaction module by benchmarking tests. The code was then applied to assess the impact of geochemical reactions during CO₂ sequestration at a hypothetical but typical Bunter sandstone formation in the Northern German Basin. Injection and spreading of 1.48 × 10⁷ t of CO₂ in an anticline structure of the reservoir were simulated over a period of 20 years of injection plus 80 years of post-injection time. Equilibrium geochemical calculations performed by ChemApp show only a low reactivity to the geochemical system. The increased acidity of the aqueous solution results in dissolution of small amounts of calcite, anhydrite, and quartz. Geochemical alterations of the mineral phase composition result in slight increases in porosity and permeability, which locally may reach up to +0.02 and 0.1 %, respectively.