Abstract
Fractures in wellbore cement and along wellbore-cement/host-rock interfaces have been identified as potential leakage pathways from long-term carbon sequestration sites. When exposed to carbon-dioxide-rich brines, the alkaline cement undergoes a series of reactions that form distinctive fronts adjacent to the cement surface. However, quantifying the effect of these reactions on fracture permeability is not solely a question of geochemistry, as the reaction zones also change the cement’s mechanical properties, modifying the fracture geometry as a result.This paper describes how these geochemical and geomechanical processes affect fracture permeability in wellbore cement. These competing influences are discussed in light of data from a core-flood experiment conducted under carbon sequestration conditions: reaction chemistry, fracture permeability evolution over time, and comparative analysis of X-ray tomography of unreacted and reacted cement samples. These results are also compared to predictions by a complementary numerical study that couples geochemical, geomechanical and hydrodynamic simulations to model the formation of reaction fronts within the cement and their effect on fracture permeability.
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Acknowledgments
We gratefully support for this work under the DOE National Energy Technology Laboratory, Project AA3030100. We would like to thank Larry Knauer and the California Well Sample Repository for the caprock samples used in our experiments. The Advanced Light Source is supported by the Director, Office of Basic Energy Sciences of the US Department of Energy under Contract N. DE-AC0-2-05CH11231. We thank Yelena Scholokhova for collecting and processing the tomography data and Alastair MacDowell and Dula Parkinson for their assistance at the beamline. We are also grateful to M. Smith for her assistance with the experiments, as well as D. Ruddle and S. Torres for their assistance in the preparation of sample cores. This manuscript was approved for release by LLNL with release number LLNL-JRNL-598999. This document was prepared as an account of work sponsored by an agency of the United States government. Neither the United States government nor Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, nor any of their employees make any warranty, expressed or implied, or assumes any legal liability or responsibility for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any information, apparatus, product, or process disclosed, or represents that its use would not infringe privately owned rights. Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise does not necessarily constitute or imply its endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by the United States government or Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC. The views and opinions of authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect those of the United States government or Lawrence Livermore National Security, LLC, and shall not be used for advertising or product endorsement purposes.
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Prepared by LLNL under Contract DE-AC52-07NA27344.
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Walsh, S.D.C., Du Frane, W.L., Mason, H.E. et al. Permeability of Wellbore-Cement Fractures Following Degradation by Carbonated Brine. Rock Mech Rock Eng 46, 455–464 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-012-0336-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-012-0336-9