Journal of the Korean Geotechnical Society (한국지반공학회논문집)

Korean Geotechnical Society (한국지반공학회)
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Enhancing Carbon Dioxide Storage Efficiency in Aquifers through Surfactant Application

계면활성제 활용에 따른 공극 규모 이산화탄소 저장 효율 향상

  • Gang, Seokgu (Dept. of Civil Engrg., Chungbuk National Univ.) ;
  • Jung, Jongwon (Dept. of Civil Engrg., Chungbuk National Univ.)
  • 강석구 (충북대학교 토목공학과) ;
  • 정종원 (충북대학교 토목공학부)
  • Received : 2023.10.18
  • Accepted : 2023.10.30
  • Published : 2023.11.30
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Abstract

Underground carbon dioxide (CO2) storage emerges as a pivotal strategy for mitigating atmospheric CO2 emissions and addressing global warming concerns. This study investigates techniques to optimize storage efficiency in aquifers, which stand out for their superior capacity compared to other geological layers. The focus is on the application of nonionic and anionic surfactants to enhance CO2 storage efficiency within confined spaces. A specialized micromodel facilitating fluid flow observation was employed for the evaluation. Experimental results revealed a noteworthy minimum 40% increase in storage efficiency at the lowest injection rate when utilizing nonionic and anionic surfactants, in comparison to pure water injection. Interestingly, no significant variations in storage efficiency were observed based on the ionicity and concentration of the surfactants under investigation. These findings have implications for guiding the selection and concentration determination of surfactants in future underground CO2 storage endeavors.

지구 온난화를 유발하는 대기 중 이산화탄소 저감을 위한 해결책으로써 이산화탄소 지중 저장공법이 관심받고 있다. 지중에 이산화탄소를 저장하기 위한 방법으로는 대수층 또는 고갈된 원유층 주입 및 이산화탄소 주입을 통한 원유 회수 증진 등이 있다. 이중 대수층은 다른 저장층에 비해 큰 저장 용량을 가짐으로써, 활용성이 가장 높은 것으로 알려져 있다. 하지만, 제한된 저장 공간에 최대한의 저장 효율을 달성하기 위한 기술이 필요한 실정이다. 따라서, 본 연구에서는 비이온성 및 음이온성 계면활성제를 활용하여 이산화탄소의 저장 효율 향상 기술을 개발하고자 한다. 저장 효율 평가는 유체의 흐름 관찰이 가능한 마이크로모델을 활용하여 수행하였다. 이에 따른 실험 결과, 비이온성 및 음이온성 계면활성제 활용 시 순수한 물인 경우보다 가장 낮은 주입 유량에서 저장 효율은 최소 40% 이상의 향상을 보였다. 하지만, 본 연구에서 활용한 계면활성제의 이온성 및 농도에 따른 유의미한 저장 효율 변화는 도출되지 않았다. 이러한 결과는 향후 이산화탄소 지중 저장을 위한 계면활성제의 선택 및 농도 결정에 활용될 것으로 기대된다.

Keywords

Acknowledgement

본 연구는 산업통상자원부의 재원으로 한국에너지기술평가원의 지원을 받아 수행된 연구(No. 20212010200010)이며 이에 감사드립니다.

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