Geochemical and Geomechanical Effects on Wellbore Cement Fractures
Abstract
Experimental studies were conducted using batch reactors, X-ray microtomograpy (XMT), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to determine changes in cement fracture surfaces, fluid flow pathways, and permeability with geochemical and geomechanical processes. Composite Portland cement-basalt caprock core with artificial fractures was prepared and reacted with CO2-saturated groundwater at 50°C and 10 MPa for 3 to 3.5 months under static conditions to understand the geochemical and geomechanical effects on the integrity of wellbores containing defects. Cement-basalt interface samples were subjected to mechanical stress at 2.7 MPa before the CO2 reaction. XMT provided three-dimensional (3-D) visualization of the opening and interconnection of cement fractures due to mechanical stress. After the CO2 reaction, XMT images revealed that calcium carbonate precipitation occurred extensively within the fractures in the cement matrix, but only partially along fractures located at the cement-basalt interface. The permeability calculated based on CFD simulation was in agreement with the experimentally measured permeability. The experimental results imply that the wellbore cement with fractures is likely to be healed during exposure to CO2-saturated groundwater under static conditions, whereas fractures along the cement-caprock interface are still likely to remain vulnerable to the leakage of CO2. CFD simulation for the flow of different fluidsmore »
- Authors:
-
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Pacific Northwest National Lab. (PNNL), Richland, WA (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1178504
- Report Number(s):
- PNNL-SA-105137
Journal ID: ISSN 1876-6102; AA9010200
- Grant/Contract Number:
- AC05-76RL01830
- Resource Type:
- Accepted Manuscript
- Journal Name:
- Energy Procedia
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Volume: 63; Journal Issue: C; Journal ID: ISSN 1876-6102
- Publisher:
- Elsevier
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 54 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES; 36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; wellbore cement; supercritical CO2; fracture; permeability; CaCO3 precipitation
Citation Formats
Um, Wooyong, Jung, Hun Bok, Kabilan, Senthil, Fernandez, Carlos A., and Brown, Christopher F. Geochemical and Geomechanical Effects on Wellbore Cement Fractures. United States: N. p., 2014.
Web. doi:10.1016/j.egypro.2014.11.613.
Um, Wooyong, Jung, Hun Bok, Kabilan, Senthil, Fernandez, Carlos A., & Brown, Christopher F. Geochemical and Geomechanical Effects on Wellbore Cement Fractures. United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2014.11.613
Um, Wooyong, Jung, Hun Bok, Kabilan, Senthil, Fernandez, Carlos A., and Brown, Christopher F. Wed .
"Geochemical and Geomechanical Effects on Wellbore Cement Fractures". United States. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.egypro.2014.11.613. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1178504.
@article{osti_1178504,
title = {Geochemical and Geomechanical Effects on Wellbore Cement Fractures},
author = {Um, Wooyong and Jung, Hun Bok and Kabilan, Senthil and Fernandez, Carlos A. and Brown, Christopher F.},
abstractNote = {Experimental studies were conducted using batch reactors, X-ray microtomograpy (XMT), and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation to determine changes in cement fracture surfaces, fluid flow pathways, and permeability with geochemical and geomechanical processes. Composite Portland cement-basalt caprock core with artificial fractures was prepared and reacted with CO2-saturated groundwater at 50°C and 10 MPa for 3 to 3.5 months under static conditions to understand the geochemical and geomechanical effects on the integrity of wellbores containing defects. Cement-basalt interface samples were subjected to mechanical stress at 2.7 MPa before the CO2 reaction. XMT provided three-dimensional (3-D) visualization of the opening and interconnection of cement fractures due to mechanical stress. After the CO2 reaction, XMT images revealed that calcium carbonate precipitation occurred extensively within the fractures in the cement matrix, but only partially along fractures located at the cement-basalt interface. The permeability calculated based on CFD simulation was in agreement with the experimentally measured permeability. The experimental results imply that the wellbore cement with fractures is likely to be healed during exposure to CO2-saturated groundwater under static conditions, whereas fractures along the cement-caprock interface are still likely to remain vulnerable to the leakage of CO2. CFD simulation for the flow of different fluids (CO2-saturated brine and supercritical CO2) using a pressure difference of 20 kPa and 200 kPa along ~2 cm-long cement fractures showed that a pressure gradient increase resulted in an increase of CO2 fluids flux by a factor of only ~3-9 because the friction of CO2 fluids on cement fracture surfaces increased with higher flow rate as well. At the same pressure gradient, the simulated flow rate was higher for supercritical CO2 than CO2-saturated brine by a factor of only ~2-3, because the viscosity of supercritical CO2 is much lower than that of CO2-saturated brine. The study suggests that in deep geological reservoirs the geochemical and geomechanical processes have coupled effects on the wellbore cement fracture evolution and fluid flow along the fracture surfaces.},
doi = {10.1016/j.egypro.2014.11.613},
journal = {Energy Procedia},
number = C,
volume = 63,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 2014},
month = {Wed Dec 31 00:00:00 EST 2014}
}
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