• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.38 no.1
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• pp.1-22
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• 2005

Carbon dioxide ($CO_2$) is the greatest contributor among the major greenhouse gases covered by the Kyoto Protocol. Therefore, substantial efforts for the control and reduction of $CO_2$ emissions, including increased efficiency of fossil fuel energy usage, development of energy sources with lower carbon content, and increased reliability on alternative energy sources, are being performed worldwide. However, development and industrial application of $CO_2$ sequestration techniques are needed to meet the requirements of the Kyoto Protocol. Among the $CO_2$ sequestration methods developed, geological sequestration methods such as the storage in deep aquifers, deep coal seams and oil and gas reservoirs and the mineral carbonation is considered most favorable because of its stability and environmental effectiveness. In this review, geochemical concepts and technologic development of geologic sequestration technology, especially the storage in deep aquifers and the mineral carbonation, are discussed. The weakness and strengths for each of geologic sequestration methods, are also reviewed.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.32 no.4
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• pp.643-659
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• 2022

Geologic sequestration technologies such as CCS (carbon capture and storage), EGS (enhanced geothermal systems), and EOR (enhanced oil recovery) have been widely implemented in recent years, prompting evaluation of the mechanical stability of storage sites. As fluid injection can stimulate mechanical instability in storage layers by perturbing the stress state and pore pressure, poroelastic models considering various injection scenarios are required. In this study, we calculate the pore pressure, stress distribution, and vertical displacement along a surface using commercial finite element software (COMSOL); fault slips are subsequently simulated using PyLith, an open-source finite element software. The displacement fields, are obtained from PyLith is transferred back to COMSOL to determine changes in coseismic stresses and surface displacements. Our sequential use of COMSOL-PyLith-COMSOL for poroelastic modeling of fluid-injection and induced-earthquakes reveals large variations of pore pressure, vertical displacement, and Coulomb failure stress change during injection periods. On the other hand, the residual stress diffuses into the remote field after injection stops. This flow pattern suggests the necessity of numerical modeling and long-term monitoring, even after injection has stopped. We found that the time at which the Coulomb failure stress reaches the critical point greatly varies with the hydraulic and poroelastic properties (e.g., permeability and Biot-Willis coefficient) of the fault and injection layer. We suggest that an understanding of the detailed physical properties of the surrounding layer is important in selecting the injection site. Our numerical results showing the surface displacement and deviatoric stress distribution with different amounts of fault slip highlight the need to test more variable fault slip scenarios.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.79-85
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• 2016

A concrete silo plays an important role in subsurface low- and intermediate-level waste facilities (LILW) by limiting the release of radionuclides from the silo geosphere. However, due to several physical and chemical processes the performance of the concrete structure decreases over time and consequently the concrete loses its effectiveness as a barrier against groundwater inflow and the release of radionuclides. Although a number of processes are responsible for degradation of the silo concrete, it is determined that the main cause is corrosion of the reinforcing steel. Therefore, the time it takes for the silo concrete to fail is calculated based on two factors: the initiation time of corrosion, defined as the time it takes for chloride ions to penetrate through the concrete cover, and the propagation time of corrosion. This paper aims to estimate the time taken for concrete to fail in a LILW disposal facility. Based on the United States Department of Energy (DOE) approach, which indicates that concrete fails completely once 50% of the volume of the reinforcing steel corrodes, the corrosion propagation time is calculated to be 640 years, which is the time it takes for corrosion to penetrate 0.640 cm into the reinforcing steel. In addition to the corrosion propagation time, a diffusion equation is used to calculate the initiation time of corrosion, yielding a time of 1284 years, which post-dates the closure time of the LILW disposal facility if we also consider the 640 years of corrosion propagation. The electrochemical conditions of the passive rebar surface were modified using an acceleration method. This is a useful approach because it can reduce the test time significantly by accelerating the transport of chlorides. Using instrumental analysis, the physicochemical properties of corrosion products were determined, thereby confirming that corrosion occurred, although we did not observe significant cracks in, or expansion of, the concrete. These results are consistent with those of Smartet al., 2006 who reported that corrosion products are easily compressed, meaning that cracks cannot be discerned by eye. Therefore, it is worth noting that rebar corrosion does not strongly influence the hydraulic conductivity of the concrete.

• Tunnel and Underground Space
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• v.34 no.2
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• pp.127-142
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• 2024

The robustness of a numerical method means that its computational performance is maintained under various modeling conditions. New numerical methods or codes need to be assessed for robustness through benchmark testing. The TOUGH-FLAC modeling approach has been applied to various fields such as subsurface carbon dioxide storage, geological disposal of spent nuclear fuel, and geothermal development both domestically and internationally, and the modeling validity has been examined by comparing the results with experimental measurements and other numerical codes. In the present study, a benchmark test of the TOUGH-FLAC approach was performed based on a coupled thermal-hydro-mechanical behavior problem with an analytical solution. The analytical solution is related to the temperature, pore water pressure, and mechanical behavior of a fully saturated porous medium that is subjected to a point heat source. The robustness of the TOUGH-FLAC approach was evaluated by comparing the analytical solution with the results of numerical simulation. Additionally, the effects of thermal-hydro-mechanical coupling terms, fluid phase change, and timestep on the computation of coupled behavior were investigated.