The impact of grid cell size and fluid modeling on CO 2 plume distribution numerical simulation

The impact of grid cell size and fluid modeling on CO 2 plume distribution numerical simulation | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article The impact of grid cell size and fluid modeling on CO 2 plume distribution numerical simulation Shahmir Ali Nosherwani, Moises Pinto, Leonardo Azevedo This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7991282/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract A central aspect for understanding the CO 2 geostorage safety in subsurface geological formations is the reliable prediction of the CO 2 plume spatiotemporal evolution after carbon dioxide injection. This objective is often achieved through detailed numerical fluid flow simulations, and reliable predictions depend on the grid cell size of the reservoir grid and the fluid modeling approach parameterizations. We assess herein the combined impact of grid cell size, reservoir boundaries, and fluid modeling on the trade-offs between computational costs and the numerical simulation accuracy of CO 2 storage. To reach these objectives, we use a high-resolution three-dimensional reservoir benchmark model from the Illinois Basin Decatur Project. First, we crop and upscale the original high-resolution model. Second, we apply different fluid flow modelling approximations. While model reduction and upscaling result in a decrease of the reservoir porosity and permeability variability, the use of an appropriate fluid flow model can maintain simulation precision under varying grid conditions, highlighting the importance of balancing grid size and resolution with computational demands for reliable CO 2 storage predictions. grid coarsening carbon storage static modeling dynamic modeling compositional model continuous CO2 injection CO2STORE GASSOL Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files SupplementaryDocument.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7991282","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":577708127,"identity":"d76a0b0a-b90a-4ee6-862d-89d0ceb9416d","order_by":0,"name":"Shahmir Ali Nosherwani","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"University of Lisbon","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shahmir","middleName":"Ali","lastName":"Nosherwani","suffix":""},{"id":577708128,"identity":"2179b70c-596e-4c15-b4c6-7c3393dd0934","order_by":1,"name":"Moises Pinto","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Lisbon","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Moises","middleName":"","lastName":"Pinto","suffix":""},{"id":577708129,"identity":"a2036e2f-2e2a-4a74-8071-962ddc8783be","order_by":2,"name":"Leonardo Azevedo","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"University of Lisbon","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Leonardo","middleName":"","lastName":"Azevedo","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-10-30 16:23:11","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7991282/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7991282/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":101752162,"identity":"beb33bed-96e2-4956-b512-b687eeedf865","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-03 10:25:49","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1787246,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"submittedmanuscript2.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7991282/v1_covered_5fe9cad2-b81a-4c24-81c7-bebd00ec9ce9.pdf"},{"id":101443725,"identity":"bb037ae4-862c-4e28-b12f-2c99ce9aac71","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-29 17:51:56","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":426897,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"SupplementaryDocument.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-7991282/v1/d9cd60035d6d06dd2d9e5d5c.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"The impact of grid cell size and fluid modeling on CO 2 plume distribution numerical simulation","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":true,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":true,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"grid coarsening, carbon storage, static modeling, dynamic modeling, compositional model, continuous CO2 injection, CO2STORE, GASSOL","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7991282/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-7991282/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eA central aspect for understanding the CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e geostorage safety in subsurface geological formations is the reliable prediction of the CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e plume spatiotemporal evolution after carbon dioxide injection. This objective is often achieved through detailed numerical fluid flow simulations, and reliable predictions depend on the grid cell size of the reservoir grid and the fluid modeling approach parameterizations. We assess herein the combined impact of grid cell size, reservoir boundaries, and fluid modeling on the trade-offs between computational costs and the numerical simulation accuracy of CO\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003e storage. To reach these objectives, we use a high-resolution three-dimensional reservoir benchmark model from the Illinois Basin Decatur Project. First, we crop and upscale the original high-resolution model. Second, we apply different fluid flow modelling approximations. 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