Geomechanical Modeling of CO2 Sequestration: A Review Focused on CO2 Injection and Monitoring

The dependence on fossil fuels is the primary cause of the increased carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere that have resulted in drastic global climate changes due to greenhouse effects and associated global warming. Carbon capture and sequestration (CCS) is a multidisciplinary technology that is gaining momentum in the quest to mitigate the effects of CO2 emissions. In this paper, we review the current status of research pertinent to the geomechanical modeling of CO2 sequestration and highlight the key research accomplishments, unresolved problems, and pending challenges and opportunities. The paper begins with a brief overview of the geological sequestration process and then proceeds to review the main aspects of geomechanical modeling, including different numerical methods for modeling the reservoir pressure, ground uplift due to pressure buildup, caprock fault reactivation, carbon dioxide leakage, and induced seismicity. The effects of the number and distribution of injection and production wells on the pore pressure buildup are discussed. Finally, a topical overview of monitoring techniques for stored carbon dioxide is presented.