Salt Precipitation and Clogging During Gas Injection in Fractured Porous Media

Abstract The complex interplay between fractures and salt precipitation during gas injection in fractured porous media significantly impacts injectivity during subsurface gas storage and requires a deeper understanding of the underlying mechanisms. This study investigates salt precipitation and the clogging phenomenon in fractured micromodels under various injection conditions. Results indicate that precipitated salt may clog the gas injection channel and decrease the effective permeability. Pore‐scale observations reveal the correlation between salt forms and their impacts on injectivity. Aggregated salt grows toward the direction of gas inflow and exhibits negative impacts on injectivity, while bulk salt grows within residual brine and shows little impact on relative permeability. An increase in gas injection rate weakens the negative impacts of precipitated salt on injectivity due to the suppression of brine backflow and salt creeping along the wall surface of the channel. Results deepen the understanding of salt‐induced injectivity impairment in saline formations.