Zhuang Sun

Discrete element modeling of indentation tests to investigate mechanisms of CO2-related chemomechanical rock alteration

During CO2 injection into geological formations, petrophysical and geomechanical properties of host formations can be altered due to mineral dissolution and precipitation. Field and laboratory results have shown that sandstone and siltstone can be altered by CO2-water mixtures, but few quantitative studies have been performed to fully investigate underlying mechanisms. Based on the hypothesis that CO2-water mixtures alter the integrity of rock structure by attacking cements rather than grains, we attempt to explain the degradation of cementation due to long-term contact with CO2 and water and mechanisms for changes in rock mechanical properties. Many sandstones, including calcite-cemented quartzitic sandstone, chlorite-cemented quartzitic sandstone, and hematite-cemented quartzitic sandstone contain interparticle cements that are more readily affected by CO2-water mixtures than grains. A model that couples the Discrete Element Method (DEM) and the Bonded-Particle Model (BPM) is used to perform simulations of indentation tests on synthetic rocks with crystal and random packings. The model is verified against the analytical Cavity Expansion Model (CEM) and validated against laboratory indentation tests on Entrada sandstone with and without CO2-alteration. Sensitivity analysis is performed for cementation microscopic parameters including stiffness, size, axial and shear strength. The simulation results indicate that the CO2-related degradation of mechanical properties in bleached Entrada sandstone can be attributed to the reduction of cement size rather than cement strength. Our study indicates that it is possible to describe the CO2-related rock alteration through particle-scale mechanisms.

Discrete Element Modeling of Micro-scratch Tests: Investigation of Mechanisms of CO 2 Alteration in Reservoir Rocks

The injection of CO2 into geological formations leads to geochemical re-equilibrium between the pore fluid and rock minerals. Mineral–brine–CO2 reactions can induce alteration of mechanical properties and affect the structural integrity of the storage formation. The location of alterable mineral phases within the rock skeleton is important to assess the potential effects of mineral dissolution on bulk geomechanical properties. Hence, although often disregarded, the understanding of particle-scale mechanisms responsible for alterations is necessary to predict the extent of geomechanical alteration as a function of dissolved mineral amounts. This study investigates the CO2-related rock chemo-mechanical alteration through numerical modeling and matching of naturally altered rocks probed with micro-scratch tests. We use a model that couples the discrete element method (DEM) and the bonded particle model (BPM) to perform simulations of micro-scratch tests on synthetic rocks that mimic Entrada sandstone. Experimental results serve to calibrate numerical scratch tests with DEM–BPM parameters. Sensitivity analyses indicate that the cement size and bond shear strength are the most sensitive microscopic parameters that govern the CO2-induced alteration in Entrada sandstone. Reductions in cement size lead to decrease in scratch toughness and an increase in ductility in the rock samples. This work demonstrates how small variations of microscopic bond properties in cemented sandstone can lead to significant changes in macroscopic large-strain mechanical properties.