CO2/water interfacial tensions under pressure and temperature conditions of CO2 geological storage

CO2 storage in aquifers and depleted hydrocarbon reservoirs is one of the most promising options for reducing CO2 atmospheric concentration. However, its implementation in a given reservoir requires demonstration that CO2 leakage through the reservoir seal (caprock) is extremely limited. One possible cause of rapid leakage is capillary failure of the caprock, which is to a large extent controlled by the CO2/water interfacial tension (IFT). This paper presents pendant drop measurements of IFTs between water and CO2 in a range of temperatures (308–383 K) and pressures (5–45 MPa) relevant to CO2 storage in deep geological formations. Phase densities were measured simultaneously, allowing precise IFT determinations. Increasing the pressure along a given isotherm, IFTs were observed to decrease sharply, then to level off and reach, for pressures above 20 MPa, a pseudo-plateau that decreases slightly with temperature, from around 30 mN/m at 308 K to 23 mN/m at 383 K. The presence of salt (20 g/l NaCl) in the water phase has a negligible effect on the IFT. An important conclusion for CO2 storage is that CO2/brine IFTs have low but reasonable values (higher than 20 mN/m) even at the highest pressures and temperatures examined, and that, neglecting all other possible effects, CO2 storage can, therefore, be considered even in deep geological formations.