A parametric study of coal mass and cap rock behaviour and carbon dioxide flow during and after carbon dioxide injection

Abstract

In recent years, scientists have focused on processes which can be used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and CO2 sequestration in deep coal seams and saline aquifers has been identified as a potential method. However, there is a fundamental lack of understanding concerning the flow and mechanical phenomena that occur when CO2 is injected into coal seams. The main objective of this parametric study is to model the effect of CO2 injection pressure on cap rock deformation and investigate the possibility of leakage or back-migration of CO2 to the atmosphere through the cap rock. The COMSOL Multiphysics numerical simulator was used to investigate the effect of CO2 injection on coal and other a..