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Title: Effect of thermal stress on wellbore integrity during CO2 injection

Journal Article · · International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control
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Wellbore integrity is a critical component of long-term carbon storage. Depleted reservoirs that are potential CO2 storage sites, typically contain several wells. Due to years of operations and abandonment, these wells can have cracks in the cement, cement-casing interface, and/or cement-formation interface. During CO2 injection, changes in temperature may result in stress variations that can further damage the well, threatening its integrity. The temperature difference between the cold injected CO2 and warm reservoir, and different thermal properties for the wellbore casing, cement, and the lithology, will stress the near wellbore environment, potentially extending pre-existing defects creating leakage pathways from the storage reservoir to the overlying strata. We have conducted a systematic numerical study to explore the role of CO2 injection temperature, downhole effective in-situ horizontal stress, and the thermo-mechanical properties by coupling a linear elastic stress model with heat conduction. We consider conditions in non-perforated casing above the injection zone where conductive heating is dominant. The injection temperatures considered covers current industrial practice as well as sub-zero temperatures. Furthermore, the latter represents direct injection following ship transport, without pre-heating.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Livermore National Lab. (LLNL), Livermore, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC52-07NA27344
OSTI ID:
1564425
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1497322
Report Number(s):
LLNL-JRNL-739606; S1750583617308861; PII: S1750583617308861
Journal Information:
International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, Journal Name: International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control Vol. 77 Journal Issue: C; ISSN 1750-5836
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
Netherlands
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 18 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Cited By (1)

Simulation of Stress Hysteresis Effect on Permeability Increase Risk Along A Fault journal September 2019

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58 GEOSCIENCES
Wellbore integrity
CO2 injection
Thermal stress
Stress intensity factor
Carbon capture
Carbon storage
Cement sheath failure