Rate Dependency of Capillary Heterogeneity Trapping for CO ₂ Storage

Abstract In this paper, we experimentally quantify and analytically model rate dependent capillary heterogeneity trapping. Capillary heterogeneity trapping enhances non‐wetting fluid trapping beyond pore‐scale residual trapping through the isolation of non‐wetting phase upstream of heterogeneities in the continuum capillary pressure characteristics. Whilst residual trapping is largely insensitive to the range of flow regimes prevalent in engineered reservoir settings, continuum theory anticipates that capillary heterogeneity trapping will be more sensitive to the balance of viscous and capillary forces that occur. We perform steady‐state drainage and imbibition multiphase flow experiments at varying flow rate on a layered Bentheimer sample with in situ medical X‐ray CT scanning to quantify saturation. Saturation discontinuities are observed upstream of capillary pressure barriers as a result of capillary pressure discontinuities, trapping the non‐wetting phase at a saturation greater than pore‐scale residual trapping alone. We confirm the flow rate dependence predicted by theory whereby the relationship between the initial and residual saturations approach a 1:1 dependence as flow rate is decreased. We develop a one‐dimensional analytical model to quantify the proportion of capillary heterogeneity trapping in the system and the dimensionless trapping length scale, which agrees with the experimental data and allows for rapid estimates of trapping.