Predictive modelling of CO2 storage in aquifers: Integrating the effects of boundary conditions and saturation functions

In reservoir engineering, the predictive analyses of CO2 sequestration in subsurface formations commonly employ numerical models of subsurface formations. A significant number of work have utilised numerical modelling
techniques to predict the impact of the reservoir’s boundary conditions and interlayer communication on CO2 storage capacity in aquifers. To the best of our knowledge, no study on the impact of boundary conditions on CO2 storage efficiency has focused on the combined effect of this factor in the reservoir and saturation functions in the caprock. To this end, this study examined the effect of integrating both processes on pressure evolution in the caprock during the numerical simulation of CO2 injection into a deep saline aquifer. Utilising the Sleipner benchmark model, we also showed how varying saturation functions in the caprock can affect the storage efficiency in the reservoir formation.