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Experimental Investigation on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Granite Subjected to Cyclic Heating and Liquid Nitrogen Cooling

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Abstract

Cyclic liquid nitrogen (LN2) fracturing is an innovative technology for reservoir stimulation with great potential in geothermal energy exploitation. Understanding of the mechanical responses of high-temperature rock to repetitive LN2 cooling at the laboratory scale is of great relevance to facilitate the field application of cyclic LN2 fracturing. In this work, granite samples were subjected to 0–24 heating–cooling cycles in two manners (i.e., slow heating to 300 °C followed by air cooling or LN2 cooling), and subsequent a series of laboratory tests with the aim of investigating the damage characteristics and mechanisms of rock samples after different heating–cooling cycles. The results concluded that increasing the number of cycles aggravates the internal structural damage of granite, which further deteriorates its physico-mechanical properties. Compared with air cooling, the cold shock effect of LN2 is more capable of facilitating the growth of microcracks within the rock, thereby inducing a more severe initial damage to granite sample. However, the damage of granite is prominent only in the first few cycles, and basically no longer intensified after more than about 12 cycles. This is related to the fact that the increase in micro-defects provides more space for thermal deformations of minerals and reduces the level of thermal stress within the rock. The results in this study are instructive for evaluating the effectiveness of cryogenic fracturing and determining the reasonable number of LN2 fracturing during reservoir stimulation.

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Abbreviations

M :

Mass (g)

ρ :

Density (g/cm3)

n :

Porosity (%)

V p :

P-wave velocity (m/s)

V :

Bulk volume (cm3)

V v :

Pore volume (cm3)

M sat :

Saturated-surface-dry mass (g)

M s :

Grain mass (g)

ρ w :

Density of water (g/cm3)

σ t :

Brazilian tensile strength (MPa)

P :

Failure load (N)

d :

Diameter (mm)

t :

Thickness (mm)

σ cc :

Crack closure stress (MPa)

σ ci :

Crack initiation stress (MPa)

σ cd :

Crack damage stress (MPa)

σ p :

Peak strength (MPa)

E :

Young’s modulus (GPa)

ε p :

Failure strain

D(I):

Damage variable

I N :

Physico-mechanical properties of rock after N cycles

I 0 :

Physico-mechanical properties of intact rock

I N :

Physico-mechanical properties of rock after N cycles

σ ts :

Thermal stress (MPa)

∆α :

Difference of thermal expansion coefficient (/°C)

∆T :

Temperature difference (°C)

R 2 :

Correlation coefficient

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant nos. 41772305and 51579189), and Guangxi Key Research and Development Plan (Guike NO. AB18126046). These supports are gratefully acknowledged.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Water Resources and Hydropower Engineering Science, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China

    Guan Rong, Song Sha, Bowen Li, Zhiheng Chen & Ziyang Zhang

  2. Key Laboratory of Rock Mechanics in Hydraulic Structural Engineering, Ministry of Education, Wuhan University, Wuhan, 430072, China

    Guan Rong, Song Sha, Bowen Li, Zhiheng Chen & Ziyang Zhang

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  1. Guan Rong
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  2. Song Sha
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  3. Bowen Li
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Correspondence to Song Sha or Bowen Li.

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Rong, G., Sha, S., Li, B. et al. Experimental Investigation on Physical and Mechanical Properties of Granite Subjected to Cyclic Heating and Liquid Nitrogen Cooling. Rock Mech Rock Eng 54, 2383–2403 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-021-02390-6

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