Combined Multiscale Core Flooding and Digital Rock Workflow to Determine CO₂ Relative Permeability and Capillary Trapping in a Reservoir Sandstone
4 affiliations
- 1Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
- 2CSIRO Energy, 26 Dick Perry Ave, Newcastle, WA, 6151, Australia
- 3Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security, Toranomon Twin Building 2-10-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 105-0001, Japan
- 4INPEX Corporation, Akasaka Biz Tower, 5-3-1 Akasaka, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 107-6332, Japan
Abstract
Accurate characterization of CO₂-brine relative permeability and residual trapping is essential to design reliable carbon sequestration in geological formations. This study presents an integrated workflow that combines special core analysis (SCAL), digital rock physics (DRP) and pore-network modeling (PNM). This workflow is used to quantify and accurately assess the multiphase flow and capillary trapping of CO₂ in reservoir sandstones under subsurface-relevant conditions. This approach links pore-scale mechanisms with core-scale behavior using high-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to capture pore structures, fluid configuration and wettability, alongside PNM. The good agreement between the SCAL and DRP experimental results ensures consistent macroscopic flow properties for the two experiments conducted at different length scales. Both experimental results indicate limited CO₂ mobility in water-wet systems during drainage where limited viscous force is applied. The distribution of CO₂ ganglia volume obtained from micro-CT imaging narrows considerably after waterflooding, indicating successful CO₂ capillary trapping. Furthermore, PNM is used to match the measured relative permeability and capillary trapping. This matched PNM can then be used to predict conditions that are difficult to achieve experimentally, such as reaching the maximum CO₂ saturation after drainage and multiple hysteresis cycles to determine the Land trapping curve. The integrated workflow advances the mechanistic understanding of CO₂ transport and immobilization in geological formations, offering a robust tool for optimizing carbon storage strategies.
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BibTeX
@article{chai2026combined,
title = {{Combined Multiscale Core Flooding and Digital Rock Workflow to Determine CO₂ Relative Permeability and Capillary Trapping in a Reservoir Sandstone}},
author = {Rukuan Chai and Shehzad Ahmed and Sajjad Foroughi and Takashi Akai and Lionel Esteban and Michael B. Clennell and Miki Kouyama and Katsumo Takabayashi and Martin Julian Blunt and Branko Bijeljic},
journal = {Transport in Porous Media},
year = {2026},
month = jun,
doi = {10.1007/s11242-026-02327-z},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-026-02327-z},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Combined Multiscale Core Flooding and Digital Rock Workflow to Determine CO₂ Relative Permeability and Capillary Trapping in a Reservoir Sandstone
AU - Rukuan Chai
AU - Shehzad Ahmed
AU - Sajjad Foroughi
AU - Takashi Akai
AU - Lionel Esteban
AU - Michael B. Clennell
AU - Miki Kouyama
AU - Katsumo Takabayashi
AU - Martin Julian Blunt
AU - Branko Bijeljic
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/06/11
JO - Transport in Porous Media
DO - 10.1007/s11242-026-02327-z
UR - https://doi.org/10.1007/s11242-026-02327-z
AB - Accurate characterization of CO₂-brine relative permeability and residual trapping is essential to design reliable carbon sequestration in geological formations. This study presents an integrated workflow that combines special core analysis (SCAL), digital rock physics (DRP) and pore-network modeling (PNM). This workflow is used to quantify and accurately assess the multiphase flow and capillary trapping of CO₂ in reservoir sandstones under subsurface-relevant conditions. This approach links pore-scale mechanisms with core-scale behavior using high-resolution X-ray micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) to capture pore structures, fluid configuration and wettability, alongside PNM. The good agreement between the SCAL and DRP experimental results ensures consistent macroscopic flow properties for the two experiments conducted at different length scales. Both experimental results indicate limited CO₂ mobility in water-wet systems during drainage where limited viscous force is applied. The distribution of CO₂ ganglia volume obtained from micro-CT imaging narrows considerably after waterflooding, indicating successful CO₂ capillary trapping. Furthermore, PNM is used to match the measured relative permeability and capillary trapping. This matched PNM can then be used to predict conditions that are difficult to achieve experimentally, such as reaching the maximum CO₂ saturation after drainage and multiple hysteresis cycles to determine the Land trapping curve. The integrated workflow advances the mechanistic understanding of CO₂ transport and immobilization in geological formations, offering a robust tool for optimizing carbon storage strategies.
SN - 0169-3913
SN - 1573-1634
ER -