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Title: Coupled reservoir-geomechanical analysis of the potential fortensile and shear failure associated with CO2 injection in multilayeredreservoir-caprock systems

Abstract

Coupled reservoir-geomechanical simulations were conductedto study the potential for tensile and shear failure e.g., tensilefracturing and shear slip along pre-existing fractures associated withunderground CO2 injection in a multilayered geological system. Thisfailure analysis aimed to study factors affecting the potential forbreaching a geological CO2 storage system and to study methods forestimating the maximum CO2 injection pressure that could be sustainedwithout causing such a breach. We pay special attention to geomechanicalstress changes resulting from upward migration of the CO2 and how theinitial stress regime affects the potential for inducing failure. Weconclude that it is essential to have an accurate estimate of thethree-dimensional in situ stress field to support the design andperformance assessment of a geological CO2 injection operation. Moreover,we also conclude that it is important to consider mechanical stresschanges that might occur outside the region of increased reservoir fluidpressure (e.g., in the overburden rock) between the CO2-injectionreservoir and the ground surface.

Authors:
; ;
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Ernest Orlando Lawrence Berkeley NationalLaboratory, Berkeley, CA (US)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE. Assistant Secretary for Fossil Energy.Coal
OSTI Identifier:
932479
Report Number(s):
LBNL-62675
R&D Project: G23001; BnR: AA3010000; TRN: US200813%%73
DOE Contract Number:
DE-AC02-05CH11231
Resource Type:
Journal Article
Resource Relation:
Journal Name: International Journal of Rock Mechanics; Journal Volume: 45; Journal Issue: 2; Related Information: Journal Publication Date: 02/2008
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
54; DESIGN; FRACTURES; FRACTURING; OVERBURDEN; PERFORMANCE; RESERVOIR FLUIDS; SHEAR; SLIP; STORAGE

Citation Formats

Rutqvist, J., Birkholzer, J.T., and Tsang, C.-F. Coupled reservoir-geomechanical analysis of the potential fortensile and shear failure associated with CO2 injection in multilayeredreservoir-caprock systems. United States: N. p., 2007. Web.
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Rutqvist, J., Birkholzer, J.T., & Tsang, C.-F. Coupled reservoir-geomechanical analysis of the potential fortensile and shear failure associated with CO2 injection in multilayeredreservoir-caprock systems. United States.
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Rutqvist, J., Birkholzer, J.T., and Tsang, C.-F. Tue . "Coupled reservoir-geomechanical analysis of the potential fortensile and shear failure associated with CO2 injection in multilayeredreservoir-caprock systems". United States. doi:. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/932479.
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@article{osti_932479,
title = {Coupled reservoir-geomechanical analysis of the potential fortensile and shear failure associated with CO2 injection in multilayeredreservoir-caprock systems},
author = {Rutqvist, J. and Birkholzer, J.T. and Tsang, C.-F.},
abstractNote = {Coupled reservoir-geomechanical simulations were conductedto study the potential for tensile and shear failure e.g., tensilefracturing and shear slip along pre-existing fractures associated withunderground CO2 injection in a multilayered geological system. Thisfailure analysis aimed to study factors affecting the potential forbreaching a geological CO2 storage system and to study methods forestimating the maximum CO2 injection pressure that could be sustainedwithout causing such a breach. We pay special attention to geomechanicalstress changes resulting from upward migration of the CO2 and how theinitial stress regime affects the potential for inducing failure. Weconclude that it is essential to have an accurate estimate of thethree-dimensional in situ stress field to support the design andperformance assessment of a geological CO2 injection operation. Moreover,we also conclude that it is important to consider mechanical stresschanges that might occur outside the region of increased reservoir fluidpressure (e.g., in the overburden rock) between the CO2-injectionreservoir and the ground surface.},
doi = {},
journal = {International Journal of Rock Mechanics},
number = 2,
volume = 45,
place = {United States},
year = {Tue Mar 27 00:00:00 EDT 2007},
month = {Tue Mar 27 00:00:00 EDT 2007}
}
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