ASR TECHNOLOGY: AVOIDANCE AND SOLUTIONS TO AQUIFER CLOGGING PROBLEMS

摘要

At every ASR project site, it appears that sooner or later the storage zone of the receiving aquifer starts to clog and begins to exhibit a rapidly increasing injection pressure and a concomitant rapid decrease in specific injectivity. Under certain circumstances this clogging can be prevented if avoidance measures are planned ahead of time and implemented early, but sometimes clogging is not foreseen or is not detected in time. Then, only remedial measures will suffice. This paper initially describes the most common types of clogging problems, including those caused by the chemical incompatibility of the injection water and the native aquifer water, those caused by physical changes in the receiving formation, those caused by organic and bacterial action, and those caused by the cyclical mechanisms of injection and recovery. The paper then analyzes each of these various types of clogging problems; first discussing their causes, and then proceeding to describe methods for their prevention and early detection. Finally, for each cause, the paper presents remedial measures and makes recommendations for future avoidance of the clogging problem.