Effects of CO2 on mechanical variability and constitutive behavior of the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation, Cranfield Injection Site, USA

Rinehart, Alex J.; Dewers, Thomas A.; Broome, Scott T.; Eichhubl, Peter

doi:10.1016/j.ijggc.2016.08.013

Title: Effects of CO2 on mechanical variability and constitutive behavior of the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation, Cranfield Injection Site, USA

Abstract

We characterize geomechanical constitutive behavior of reservoir sandstones at conditions simulating the “Cranfield” Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership injection program. From two cores of Lower Tuscaloosa Formation, three sandstone lithofacies were identified for mechanical testing based on permeability and lithology. These include: chlorite-cemented conglomeratic sandstone (Facies A); quartz-cemented fine sandstone (Facies B); and quartz- and calcite-cemented very fine sandstone (Facies C). We performed a suite of compression tests for each lithofacies at 100 °C and pore pressure of 30 MPa, including hydrostatic compression and triaxial tests at several confining pressures. Plugs were saturated with supercritical CO₂-saturated brine. Chemical environment affected the mechanical response of all three lithofacies, which experience initial plastic yielding at stresses far below estimated in situ stress. Measured elastic moduli degradation defines a secondary yield surface coinciding with in situ stress for Facies B and C. Facies A shows measurable volumetric creep strain and a failure envelope below estimates of in situ stress, linked to damage of chlorite cements by acidic pore solutions. Furthermore, the substantial weakening of a particular lithofacies by CO₂ demonstrates a possible chemical-mechanical coupling during injection at Cranfield with implications for CO₂ injection, reservoir permeability stimulation, and enhanced oil recovery.

Authors:: Rinehart, Alex J.; Dewers, Thomas A.; Broome, Scott T.; Eichhubl, Peter

Publication Date:: Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016

Research Org.:: Energy Frontier Research Centers (EFRC) (United States). Center for Frontiers of Subsurface Energy Security (CFSES); Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

Sponsoring Org.:: USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES); USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

OSTI Identifier:: 1374638

Alternate Identifier(s):: OSTI ID: 1338303

Report Number(s):: SAND-2015-9659J
Journal ID: ISSN 1750-5836; S1750583616304947; PII: S1750583616304947

Grant/Contract Number:: SC0001114; AC04-94AL85000

Resource Type:: Published Article

Journal Name:: International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control

Additional Journal Information:: Journal Name: International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control Journal Volume: 53 Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 1750-5836

Publisher:: Elsevier

Country of Publication:: Netherlands

Language:: English

Subject:: 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; chemo-mechanical coupling; Lower Tuscaloosa formation; Cranfield injection test; experimental rock mechanics; elastic moduli degradation; chlorite cement

Citation Formats


                    Rinehart, Alex J., Dewers, Thomas A., Broome, Scott T., and Eichhubl, Peter. Effects of CO2 on mechanical variability and constitutive behavior of the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation, Cranfield Injection Site, USA.  Netherlands: N. p., 2016. 
Web.  doi:10.1016/j.ijggc.2016.08.013.

Copy to clipboard


                    Rinehart, Alex J., Dewers, Thomas A., Broome, Scott T., & Eichhubl, Peter. Effects of CO2 on mechanical variability and constitutive behavior of the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation, Cranfield Injection Site, USA.  Netherlands.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2016.08.013

Copy to clipboard


                    Rinehart, Alex J., Dewers, Thomas A., Broome, Scott T., and Eichhubl, Peter. Sat .  
"Effects of CO2 on mechanical variability and constitutive behavior of the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation, Cranfield Injection Site, USA".  Netherlands.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2016.08.013.

Copy to clipboard


                    
@article{osti_1374638,

  title        = {Effects of CO2 on mechanical variability and constitutive behavior of the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation, Cranfield Injection Site, USA},

  author       = {Rinehart, Alex J. and Dewers, Thomas A. and Broome, Scott T. and Eichhubl, Peter},

  abstractNote = {We characterize geomechanical constitutive behavior of reservoir sandstones at conditions simulating the “Cranfield” Southeast Regional Carbon Sequestration Partnership injection program. From two cores of Lower Tuscaloosa Formation, three sandstone lithofacies were identified for mechanical testing based on permeability and lithology. These include: chlorite-cemented conglomeratic sandstone (Facies A); quartz-cemented fine sandstone (Facies B); and quartz- and calcite-cemented very fine sandstone (Facies C). We performed a suite of compression tests for each lithofacies at 100 °C and pore pressure of 30 MPa, including hydrostatic compression and triaxial tests at several confining pressures. Plugs were saturated with supercritical CO2-saturated brine. Chemical environment affected the mechanical response of all three lithofacies, which experience initial plastic yielding at stresses far below estimated in situ stress. Measured elastic moduli degradation defines a secondary yield surface coinciding with in situ stress for Facies B and C. Facies A shows measurable volumetric creep strain and a failure envelope below estimates of in situ stress, linked to damage of chlorite cements by acidic pore solutions. Furthermore, the substantial weakening of a particular lithofacies by CO2 demonstrates a possible chemical-mechanical coupling during injection at Cranfield with implications for CO2 injection, reservoir permeability stimulation, and enhanced oil recovery.},

  doi          = {10.1016/j.ijggc.2016.08.013},

  journal      = {International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control},

  number       = C,

  volume       = 53,

  place        = {Netherlands},

  year         = {Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016},

  month        = {Sat Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2016}

}

Copy to clipboard

Journal Article:

Free Publicly Available Full Text

Publisher's Version of Record
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijggc.2016.08.013

Other availability

Search WorldCat to find libraries that may hold this journal

Citation Metrics:

Cited by: 24 works

Citation information provided by
Web of Science

Save / Share:

Export Metadata

Save to My Library

Works referencing / citing this record:

The Role of Chemistry in Fracture Pattern Development and Opportunities to Advance Interpretations of Geological Materials
journal, July 2019

Laubach, S. E.; Lander, R. H.; Criscenti, L. J.
Reviews of Geophysics, Vol. 57, Issue 3
DOI: 10.1029/2019rg000671

The Role of Chemistry in Fracture Pattern Development and Opportunities to Advance Interpretations of Geological Materials
journal, July 2019

Laubach, S. E.; Lander, R. H.; Criscenti, L. J.
Reviews of Geophysics, Vol. 57, Issue 3
DOI: 10.1029/2019rg000671

Fracture Propagation in Heterogeneous Porous Media: Pore-Scale Implications of Mineral Dissolution
journal, April 2019

Shovkun, Igor; Espinoza, D. Nicolas
Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering, Vol. 52, Issue 9
DOI: 10.1007/s00603-019-01766-z

Similar Records in DOE PAGES and OSTI.GOV collections:

Depositional, diagenetic, production, and seismic characteristics of mid-dip Tuscaloosa point bar complex, Little Creek field, Mississippi

Conference Shew, R D ; Werren, E G ; Adams, E R ; ... - AAPG (Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol.) Bull.; (United States)

Little Creek field is oil productive from a structurally and stratigraphically trapped sandstone within the Upper Cretaceous lower Tuscaloosa Formation (Mid-Dip trend of southwestern Mississippi). The field was discovered in 1958 based on the seismic interpretation of simple closure at the lower Tuscaloosa horizon at a depth of 10,750 ft. Interpretation of core and log data indicates that the objective is a series of point-bar deposits and channel abandonment facies formed by the lateral migration of a north-to-south-flowing meandering river system. Development drilling, based on geologic concepts of point-bar architectures, occurred on 40-ac spacing with a total of 208 wellsmore »« less
Numerical investigation of Lower Tuscaloosa Sandstone and Selma Chalk caprock under geological CO ₂ sequestration conditions: mineral precipitation and permeability evolution

Journal Article Zhang, Liwei ; Soong, Yee ; Dilmore, Robert M. - Greenhouse Gases: Science and Technology

Abstract A numerical model was developed using CrunchFlow to simulate reactive transport and porosity and permeability changes of sandstone and carbonate rock samples taken from the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation and the Selma Chalk Formation, Jackson County, MS, USA. The model predicted a permeability decrease from 2190 mD to 2038 mD for the Lower Tuscaloosa Sandstone sample in a static batch reactor after 180 days of exposure to CO ₂ ‐saturated brine, which is consistent with measured permeability results. The model predicted a negligible permeability change from 2.00 mD to 2.08 mD for the Selma Chalk carbonate sample after 180 daysmore »« less
Cited by 8
https://doi.org/10.1002/ghg.1703
CO₂-brine relative permeability and capillary pressure of Tuscaloosa sandstone: Effect of anisotropy

Journal Article Bakhshian, Sahar ; Hosseini, Seyyed A. ; Lake, Larry W. - Advances in Water Resources

Relative permeability and capillary pressure are known as essential properties that have substantial impacts on the accuracy of reservoir simulations. The effect of small-scale heterogeneity and lamination in the rock structure is often ignored during the measurement of capillary pressure and relative permeability curves in core samples. This study highlights the remarkable impact of anisotropy on the multiphase flow properties of stratified formations. A series of steady-state CO₂-brine drainage and imbibition tests are conducted at reservoir conditions in horizontal and vertical core samples of the Tuscaloosa sandstone from the Cranfield CO₂ injection site in Mississippi. The relative permeability curves representmore »« less
Cited by 20
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advwatres.2019.103464

Full Text Available
Diagenesis, compaction, and fluid chemistry modeling of a sandstone near a pressure seal: Lower Tuscaloosa Formation, Gulf Coast

Journal Article Weedman, S D ; Brantley, S L ; Shiraki, R ; ... - AAPG Bulletin

Petrographic, isotopic, and fluid-inclusion evidence from normally and overpressured sandstones of the lower Tuscaloosa Formation (Upper Cretaceous) in the Gulf Coast documents quartz-overgrowth precipitation at 90{degrees}C or less, calcite cement precipitation at approximately 100{degrees} and 135{degrees}C, and prismatic quartz cement precipitation at about 125{degrees}C. Textural evidence suggests that carbonate cement dissolution occurred before the second phases of calcite and quartz precipitation, and was followed by precipitation of grain-rimming chlorite and pore-filling kaolinite. Geochemical calculations demonstrate that present-day lower Tuscaloosa Formation water from 5500 m depth could either dissolve or precipitate calcite cements in model simulations of upward water flow. Calcitemore »« less
Effects of diagenesis on porosity development, Tuscaloosa sandstone, Louisiana

Conference Larese, R E ; Pittman, E D ; Heald, M T - Am. Assoc. Pet. Geol., Bull.; (United States)

The Lower Cretaceous Tuscaloosa sandstone is of interest because of high porosity (up to 29%) at depths as great as 21,000 ft (6,400 m). We believe that the porosity is 70% primary and 30% secondary. Diagenetic events are major controls for the high porosity but overpressure also contributes. Primary porosity exists because quartz diagenesis was retarded by chlorite grain coats. Where grains coats are absent or thin, prismatic quartz overgrowths occur. Chlorite coats constitute up to 29% of the rock. Chlorite originates from alteration of lithic material (i.e., volcanic and basic igneous intrusives) in the sandstone. An excellent direct correlationmore »« less

Similar Records

Title: Effects of CO2 on mechanical variability and constitutive behavior of the Lower Tuscaloosa Formation, Cranfield Injection Site, USA

Abstract

Citation Formats

The Role of Chemistry in Fracture Pattern Development and Opportunities to Advance Interpretations of Geological Materials journal, July 2019

The Role of Chemistry in Fracture Pattern Development and Opportunities to Advance Interpretations of Geological Materials journal, July 2019

Fracture Propagation in Heterogeneous Porous Media: Pore-Scale Implications of Mineral Dissolution journal, April 2019

The Role of Chemistry in Fracture Pattern Development and Opportunities to Advance Interpretations of Geological Materials
journal, July 2019

The Role of Chemistry in Fracture Pattern Development and Opportunities to Advance Interpretations of Geological Materials
journal, July 2019

Fracture Propagation in Heterogeneous Porous Media: Pore-Scale Implications of Mineral Dissolution
journal, April 2019