Wellbore cement fracture permeability as a function of confining stress and pore pressure

Hatambeigi, Mahya; Anwar, Ishiaque; Lord, David; Hart, David; Taha, Mahmoud Reda; Stormont, John

doi:10.1016/j.gete.2022.100428

Wellbore cement fracture permeability as a function of confining stress and pore pressure

Journal Article · Mon Dec 12 00:00:00 EST 2022 · Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gete.2022.100428· OSTI ID:2311764

Hatambeigi, Mahya ^[1]; Anwar, Ishiaque ^[1]; Lord, David ^[2]; Hart, David ^[2]; Taha, Mahmoud Reda ^[1]; Stormont, John ^[1]

University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM (United States)
Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Cemented annulus fractures are a major leakage path in a wellbore system, and their permeability plays an important role in the behavior of fluid flow through a leaky wellbore. The permeability of these fractures is affected by changing conditions including the external stresses acting on the fracture and the fluid pressure within the fracture. Laboratory gas flow experiments were conducted in a triaxial cell to evaluate the permeability of a wellbore cement fracture under a wide range of confining stress and pore pressure conditions. For the first time, an effective stress law that considers the simultaneous effect of confining stress and pore pressure was defined for the wellbore cement fracture permeability. Here the results showed that the effective stress coefficient (λ) for permeability increased linearly with the Terzaghi effective stress ( -p) with an average of λ = 1 in the range of applied pressures. The relationship between the effective stress and fracture permeability was examined using two physical-based models widely used for rock fractures. The results from the experimental work were incorporated into numerical simulations to estimate the impact of effective stress on the interpreted hydraulic aperture and leakage behavior through a fractured annular cement. Accounting for effective stress-dependent permeability through the wellbore length significantly increased the leakage rate at the wellhead compared with the assumption of a constant cemented annulus permeability.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: NA0003525

OSTI ID:: 2311764

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 2000605

Report Number(s):: SAND--2023-03225J

Journal Information:: Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment, Journal Name: Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment Journal Issue: March Vol. 33; ISSN 2352-3808

Publisher:: ElsevierCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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58 GEOSCIENCES
cement fracture
effective stress
fracture permeability
wellbore leakage

Wellbore cement fracture permeability as a function of confining stress and pore pressure

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