Prediction of the lifespan of cement at a specific depth based on the coupling of geomechanical and geochemical processes for CO2 storage

Mohammadreza Bagheri, Seyed M. Shariatipour, Esmaiel Ganjian

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    13 Citations (Scopus)
    128 Downloads (Pure)

    Abstract

    The injection of carbon dioxide (CO2) captured from combustion-based processes into underground formations is one of a number of plausible methods to reduce its release into the atmosphere and consequential greenhouse gas warming. Once the gas has been captured efficiently and effectively, depleted oil and gas reservoirs are seen as high potential candidates for carbon storage projects. However, legacy issues associated with a high number of oil and gas wells abandoned during the last few decades put the carbon capture and storage projects (CCS) at risk. These include any defects within the cement surrounding the well casing or for capping an abandoned well that can become unwanted CO2 leakage pathways. To predict the lifespan of these cements due to exposure to CO2-bearing fluids at the conditions found underground, the geochemical processes need to be coupled with the geomechanical changes within the cement matrix. In a viable CCS project for sequestering CO2, the cement matrix should be capable of withstanding acidic environments formed by dissolution of CO2 in brine for more than ten thousand years. This work aims at providing a framework to predict the behaviour of cement due to CO2 exposure under reservoir conditions. The results show that the chemical reactions and geomechanical changes within the cement matrix can result either in its radial cracking or radial compaction. Both of these behaviours are investigated as possible phenomena which may affect the CO2 leakage, and therefore the viability of the site for long term carbon storage.
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)43-65
    Number of pages23
    JournalInternational Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control
    Volume86
    Early online date1 May 2019
    DOIs
    Publication statusPublished - Jul 2019

    Bibliographical note

    NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in International Journal of Greenhouse Gas Control, [86], (2019) DOI: 10.1016/j.ijggc.2019.04.016

    © 2019, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/

    Keywords

    • Carbon capture and storage
    • Cement alteration
    • Cement lifespan
    • CO leakage
    • Well cement

    ASJC Scopus subject areas

    • Pollution
    • Energy(all)
    • Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
    • Management, Monitoring, Policy and Law

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