skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: Three-dimensional analysis of a faulted CO2 reservoir using an Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach to rock elastic properties and fault permeability

Journal Article · · Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
; ; ;

This work develops a three-dimensional multiscale model to analyze a complex CO2 faulted reservoir that includes some key geological features of the San Andreas and nearby faults southwest of the Kimberlina site. The model uses the STOMP-CO2 code for flow modeling that is coupled to the ABAQUS® finite element package for geomechanical analysis. A 3D ABAQUS® finite element model is developed that contains a large number of 3D solid elements with two nearly parallel faults whose damage zones and cores are discretized using the same continuum elements. Five zones with different mineral compositions are considered: shale, sandstone, fault damaged sandstone, fault damaged shale, and fault core. Rocks’ elastic properties that govern their poroelastic behavior are modeled by an Eshelby-Mori-Tanka approach (EMTA). EMTA can account for up to 15 mineral phases. The permeability of fault damage zones affected by crack density and orientations is also predicted by an EMTA formulation. A STOMP-CO2 grid that exactly maps the ABAQUS® finite element model is built for coupled hydro-mechanical analyses. Simulations of the reservoir assuming three different crack pattern situations (including crack volume fraction and orientation) for the fault damage zones are performed to predict the potential leakage of CO2 due to cracks that enhance the permeability of the fault damage zones. Here, the results illustrate the important effect of the crack orientation on fault permeability that can lead to substantial leakage along the fault attained by the expansion of the CO2 plume. Potential hydraulic fracture and the tendency for the faults to slip are also examined and discussed in terms of stress distributions and geomechanical properties.

Research Organization:
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Fossil Energy and Carbon Management (FECM); USDOE Office of Fossil Energy (FE)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-76RL01830
OSTI ID:
1329338
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1339850
Report Number(s):
PNNL-SA-117116; S1674775516301640; PII: S1674775516301640
Journal Information:
Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering, Journal Name: Journal of Rock Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering Vol. 8 Journal Issue: 6; ISSN 1674-7755
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
China
Language:
English

References (35)

Geologic carbon storage is unlikely to trigger large earthquakes and reactivate faults through which CO 2 could leak journal April 2015
A simple extension of two-phase characteristic curves to include the dry region journal February 2000
Fault friction and slip stability not affected by Co2 storage: Evidence from short-term laboratory experiments on North Sea reservoir sandstones and caprocks journal November 2012
A review of recent developments concerning the structure, mechanics and fluid flow properties of fault zones journal November 2010
Capillary Behavior in Porous Solids journal December 1941
A study of caprock hydromechanical changes associated with CO2-injection into a brine formation journal March 2002
Structure and elasticity of serpentine at high-pressure journal March 2009
A large national survey of public perceptions of CCS technology in China journal November 2015
Mineralogical characterization of protolith and fault rocks from the SAFOD Main Hole journal January 2006
A locally conservative finite element framework for the simulation of coupled flow and reservoir geomechanics journal July 2007
Modeling of coupled deformation and permeability evolution during fault reactivation induced by deep underground injection of CO2 journal March 2011
Fluid-Dynamic and Geomechanical Effects of CO2 Sequestration below the Venice Lagoon journal January 2006
Caprock compressibility and permeability and the consequences for pressure development in CO2 storage sites journal March 2014
Geomechanical aspects of CO2 sequestration in a deep saline reservoir in the Ohio River Valley region journal June 2006
Decompaction mechanism of deep crystalline rocks under stress relief journal July 2003
A comparative micromechanical analysis of the effective properties of a geomaterial: Effect of mineralogical compositions journal July 2010
Coupled Dynamic Flow and Geomechanical Simulations for an Integrated Assessment of CO2 Storage Impacts in a Saline Aquifer journal January 2014
Properties of Porous Media Affecting Fluid Flow journal June 1966
The Use of Tensors to Describe and Predict Fiber Orientation in Short Fiber Composites journal November 1987
Estimating maximum sustainable injection pressure during geological sequestration of CO2 using coupled fluid flow and geomechanical fault-slip analysis journal June 2007
Seal integrity and feasibility of CO2 sequestration in the Teapot Dome EOR pilot: geomechanical site characterization journal July 2007
Fault zone architecture and permeability structure journal January 1996
Effective elastic properties of solid clays journal March 2001
Elastic properties of clay minerals journal June 2008
Fully Coupled Geomechanics and Fluid-Flow Analysis of Wells With Stress-Dependent Permeability journal March 2000
Average stress in matrix and average elastic energy of materials with misfitting inclusions journal May 1973
Interaction analysis for CO2 geological storage and underground coal mining in Ordos Basin, China journal September 2015
Permeability of fault gouge under confining pressure and shear stress journal May 1984
Thermohydrological conditions and silica redistribution near high-level nuclear wastes emplaced in saturated geological formations journal January 1988
Thermal conductivity of coated filler composites journal March 1986
A modeling approach for analysis of coupled multiphase fluid flow, heat transfer, and deformation in fractured porous rock journal June 2002
Elasticity of glaucophane, seismic velocities and anisotropy of the subducted oceanic crust journal November 2010
Material coefficients of anisotropic poroelasticity journal February 1997
Three-dimensional modeling of the reactive transport of CO2 and its impact on geomechanical properties of reservoir rocks and seals journal March 2016
Estimating fault stability and sustainable fluid pressures for underground storage of CO2 in porous rock journal July 2004

Similar Records

A multiscale hydro-geochemical-mechanical approach to analyze faulted CO 2 reservoirs: Original Research Article: A multiscale hydro-geochemical-mechanical approach to analyze faulted CO 2 reservoirs
Journal Article · Mon Aug 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016 · Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology · OSTI ID:1329338
+1 more
Three-Dimensional Modeling of the Reactive Transport of CO2 and Its Impact on Geomechanical Properties of Reservoir Rocks and Seals
Journal Article · Mon Jan 04 00:00:00 EST 2016 · International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control · OSTI ID:1329338
+2 more
Analysis of a Complex Faulted CO2 Reservoir Using a Three-dimensional Hydro-geochemical-Mechanical Approach
Journal Article · Fri Aug 18 00:00:00 EDT 2017 · Energy Procedia · OSTI ID:1329338
+2 more

Related Subjects

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
58 GEOSCIENCES
CO2 reservoir
geomechanical modeling
mineralogy
homogenization
fault
elastic properties
leakage
slip
permeability