Compartmentalization effects in geologic CO2 sequestration. A case study in an offshore reservoir in Italy

The implementation of suitable carbon capture and storage (CCS) technologies is a mandatory requirement for reducing anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) and obtaining a sustainable power generation from fossil fuels, especially coal. Carbon dioxide (CO2) sequestration within deep underground reservoirs is indicated as one of the most promising techniques which, however, implies a complex multidisciplinary effort involving a number of hydrological, geomechanical and geochemical issues. In the present contribution a geomechanical modeling study of the CO2 disposal intoan offshore multi-compartment saline aquifer located at about 1500 m depth in the Northern Adriatic Sea, Italy, is discussed. The study assumesa CO2injection rate of 1×10^6 ton/a and shows that a safe and permanent containment may be secured over a few years only for the considered distributions of the petrophysical properties and initial in-situ stress and pore pressure.