Geomechanical Responses Induced by Large-Scale CO₂ Injection in a Multilayer Saline Aquifer in Kuwait

Large-scale CO₂ injection in saline aquifers will cause pressure build-up in brine far beyond the extent of CO₂ plume. In this paper, we evaluate the geomechanical responses of large-scale CO₂ storage in the multilayer aquifer of the Kra Al-Maru Trend in Kuwait. The site was selected after screening the whole territory of Kuwait, identifying and ranking of candidate sites for geological CO₂ storage. We simulated the CO₂ injection and geomechanical responses during 40 years of injection with an injection rate of 11 million tonnes/year. Results of numerical simulations show that after 40 years of injection the extent of CO₂ plume is within the radial range of 4 km from the injectors, while the pressure build-up is felt up to 55 km. The largest pressure build-up of 2.3 MPa and the associated poro-elastic stress changes in the reservoir-seal pair are located within the radial range of about 5 km from the injectors. CO₂ injection can induce a maximum uplift at the ground surface of 11 cm. The present-day noncritical state of stress and the magnitudes of induced stress changes suggest a low risk for containment integrity. Future studies will be required with a dedicated well to obtain core and perform detailed site characterization.