Salt precipitation during CO2 storage-A review

This paper reviews the state-of-the-art knowledge gained from experimental and theoretical investigations on salt precipitation in the context of CO2 storage in saline aquifers. Included in this review are physical mechanisms, governing parameters, clogging models, and mitigation techniques. The approach is generally conceptual, and our aim is to specify how serious salt precipitation is for CO2 storage and whether its importance has been overlooked. Our review specifies some new physical understandings suggesting that salt precipitation must be taken into account when evaluating saline aquifers for storage. We also list unresolved areas which demand further experimental investigation and suggest some essential considerations with regard to numerical tools.