Reservoir-condition pore-scale imaging of dolomite reaction with supercritical CO2 acidified brine: Effect of pore-structure on reaction rate using velocity distribution analysis

To investigate the impact of rock heterogeneity and flowrate on reaction rates and dissolution dynamics, four millimetre-scale Silurian dolomite samples were pre-screened based on their physical heterogeneity, defined by the simulated velocity distributions characterising each flow field. Two pairs of cores with similar heterogeneity were flooded with supercritical carbon-dioxide (scCO2) saturated brine under reservoir conditions, 50 °C and 10 MPa, at a high (0.5 ml/min) and low (0.1 ml/min) flowrate. Changes to the pore structure brought about by dissolution were captured in situ using X-ray microtomography (micro-CT) imaging. Mass balance from effluent analysis showed a good agreement with calculations from imaging. Image calculated reaction rates (reff) were 5-38 times lower than the corresponding batch reaction rate under the same conditions of temperature and pressure but without mass transfer limitations. For both high (Péclet number = 2600-1200) and low (Péclet number = 420-300) flow rates, an impact of the initial rock heterogeneity was observed on both reaction rates and permeability-porosity relationships.