Retrieval of three North Sea reservoir sandstones for mineralogical, petrographical and chemical characterization

Abstract

The steady increase in concentration of CO2 in the atmosphere owing to combustion of hydrocarbons is considered a major factor contributing to global warming. Storage of CO2 as subcritical gas in depleted oil and gas reservoirs and deep aquifers is considered a viable mitigation for reducing the impact of global temperature increase as a consequence of increased atmospheric CO2 (Hitcheon 1999, Bachu 2008).More knowledge is needed to be able to assess:- the quantity of CO2 trapped as minerals during CO2 storage- the amounts of major and trace elements which might be mobilized as ions during CO2 storage, and- how the mechanical strength of different reservoir rocks might be affected during storage of CO2.