3.1.2 Miscible vs. immiscible flow

Carbon dioxide injected into saline aquifers in a liquid or liquid-like supercritical dense phase does not mix with the host reservoir fluid and an immiscible flow occurs. The presence of two or more phases tends to decrease the effective phase permeability and thus slow down the rate of migration. On the other hand, if CO2 is injected into a (depleted) gas reservoir, a single miscible fluid phase consisting of natural gas and CO2 is formed locally. Van der Meer at al., 2009 states that although CH4 and CO2 are fully miscible, instant mixing does not seem to occur in the reservoir and therefore gravity segregation is an important factor for CO2 storage in depleted gas reservoirs. Carbon dioxide injected into an oil reservoir may be miscible or immiscible with oil, depending on the oil composition and the pressure and temperature of the system. Under miscible conditions, the oil swells and becomes less viscous. As a result, it flows more easily leading to increased oil production. When this oil is pumped to the surface, CO2 coming out of the solution is captured by surface facilities for further injection (Whittaker et al., 2011). The flow of CO2 in coalbeds is more complex because of shrinkage and swelling of the coal itself and the adsorption and desorption of the gases (Korre et al., 2007; Korre et al., 2009).