Flow-through Drying during CO<mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" altimg="si3.svg"><mml:msub><mml:mrow /><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:math>Injection into Brine-filled Natural Fractures: A Tale of Effective Normal Stress

Injecting supercritical CO2 (scCO2) into brine-filled fracture-dominated reservoirs causes brine displacement and possibly evaporite precipitations that alter the fracture space. Here, we report on isothermal laboratory experiments scCO2-induced flow-through drying in a naturally fractured granodiorite specimen under effective normal stresses of 5-10 MPa, where two regimes are identified. A novel approach is developed to delineate evolution saturation relative permeability from fluid production differential pressure measurements. Under higher compressive stresses, derived curves indicate lower mobility scCO2 phase. The fractional flow also suggest an increase channelling decrease sweep efficiencies stresses. Finally, lowering seems promote less water evaporation. Our experimental results assist understanding injectivity single fractures eventually networks during subsurface applications involve injection saline formations.