Characterising the dynamics of capillary trapping in heterogeneous sandstones for Carbon Capture and Storage.

The aim of this experiment is to characterize the dynamics of capillary trapping in heterogeneous sandstones for Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS). Capillary trapping, essential for a sites long term storage security, is underpinned by pore-scale physics. Experimental observations resolving trapping over many pores, representative of the large-scale process, are crucial for model validation, development and ultimately storage predictions. To date, there have been no direct observations of transient trapping in sandstones with realistic layered rock heterogeneities, features which are ubiquitous in nature across proposed and operational storage sites worldwide. This experimental campaign will characterize the trapping dynamics in heterogeneous sandstones for the first time, utilizing the ID19 beamline at the ESRF Synchrotron.