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Poromechanical Properties of a Sandstone Under Different Stress States

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Abstract

Poromechanical properties of a sandstone from an underground gas storage site are investigated with the use of a neutral gas to control the pore pressure. The poroelastic theory of anisotropic medium is used to evaluate elastic properties and coupling coefficients under different stress states. In-situ CT observations have been made under uniaxial compression test and they are used to underline some effects due to the occurrence of damage and microcraks. Under hydrostatic loading, pores and micro-cracks are gradually compressed. The initial state of the sandstone is “slightly” transversely isotropic but in a first approach the Biot’s tensor reduces to a scalar. This coefficient decreases with the increase in confining pressure that can be attributed to the closure of micro-cracks. The effect of damage and cracking is investigated with two series of conventional triaxial tests conducted at different confining pressures, either with an increase in pore pressure (series 1) or with a decrease in pore pressure (series 2), to evaluate the coupling coefficients. The results, derived from these two test series, are consistent as regards the effects of cracking on the material behavior. There is an obvious damage due to the triaxial loading which induces a parallel decrease in the ratio E3/(1 − ν3) and in the modulus H3. Axial compaction results in the continual increase in the H1 modulus observed for every sample whatever the measurement technique was.

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Abbreviations

ε 1 :

Axial strain

ε 3 :

Lateral strain

ε a c :

Axial strain caused by confining pressure

ε a p :

Axial strain caused by gas pressure

ε l c :

Lateral strain caused by confining pressure

ε l p :

Lateral strain caused by gas pressure

ε v :

Volumetric strain

P c :

Confining pressure

P i :

Gas pressure

K b :

Skeleton bulk modulus

K s :

Solid matrix bulk modulus

H :

Coupling coefficient under hydrostatic stress

H 1 :

Coupling coefficient in axial direction

H 3 :

Coupling coefficient in lateral direction

b :

Biot’s coefficient

b 1 :

Biot’s coefficient in axial direction

b 3 :

Biot’s coefficient in lateral direction

E 1 :

Young’s modulus in axial direction

E 3 :

Young’s modulus in lateral direction

ν 1 :

Poisson’s ratio for horizontal strain due to vertical strain

ν 3 :

Poisson’s ratio in the isotropic plane

γ :

Deviatoric shear strain

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Acknowledgements

The financial support by the China Scholarship Council (201406220155) for the first author is acknowledged. We are appreciated for the help of Gregory Hauss in test and analysis of in-situ compression CT.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Civil Engineering and Architecture, Hubei University of Technology, Wuhan, China

    Cong Hu, Franck Agostini, Frédéric Skoczylas & Ludovic Potier

  2. LML CNRS FRE 3723 and Centrale Lille, Villeneuve D’Ascq Cedex, France

    Cong Hu, Franck Agostini, Frédéric Skoczylas & Ludovic Potier

  3. Storengy (ENGIE), Bois Colombes Cedex, France

    Laurent Jeannin

Authors
  1. Cong Hu
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  2. Franck Agostini
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  3. Frédéric Skoczylas
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  4. Laurent Jeannin
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  5. Ludovic Potier
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Correspondence to Cong Hu.

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Hu, C., Agostini, F., Skoczylas, F. et al. Poromechanical Properties of a Sandstone Under Different Stress States. Rock Mech Rock Eng 51, 3699–3717 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-018-1550-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-018-1550-x

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