Article
Energy & Fuels
Achyut Mishra, Apoorv Jyoti, Ralf Haese
Summary: Recent developments in subsurface data capturing technologies have provided the opportunity to represent high-resolution information in reservoir models of CO2 geo-sequestration sites. However, representing the small-scale rock interfaces poses computational challenges and data reduction must be done carefully to avoid loss of key lithological interface associations. This study presents a machine learning based approach to express rock interfaces in terms of a reduced number of principal components for accurate CO2 flow and trapping prediction. The results are validated using multiphase flow simulations.
Article
Mechanics
Stefania Sansone, D. Zugliani, G. Rosatti
Summary: This study analyzes the mathematical models of rock-ice avalanches and proposes a framework for simplified models, which streamline the description of the melting process for easier interpretation and application. The research findings reveal that models of different categories exhibit variations in mathematical properties, requiring further investigation into their causes and numerical implications.
JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS
(2021)
Article
Mechanics
Fei Yan, Hao-Ran Yang, Quan Jiang, Shao-Jun Li, Ding-Ping Xu, Zhi-Dan Tang
Summary: In this study, a continuous-discontinuous cellular automaton method is developed to simulate the propagation of multiple intersecting and branching cracks, addressing both shear-compression and tensile loading scenarios. The method proposes a local cell cutting relation and cellular neighbor information to track multiple discontinuities, and develops mathematical descriptions as well as a frictional contact theory for intersecting and branching cracks. Furthermore, a fast adaptive cellular automaton updating scheme is devised, considering both cells with and without intersecting and branching cracks. The study also investigates stress intensity factors and the crack propagating processes for multiple intersecting and branching cracks.
ENGINEERING FRACTURE MECHANICS
(2022)
Article
Water Resources
Yuhang Wang, Cornelis Vuik, Hadi Hajibeygi
Summary: CO2 injection into deep saline aquifers is a feasible option due to their large storage capacity. Previous studies focused on various trapping mechanisms, but the dynamic interactions and time scales of these mechanisms are not well understood. Results show that different trapping mechanisms have varying time scales, and their dynamic interplay needs to be considered for accurate predictions.
ADVANCES IN WATER RESOURCES
(2022)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Jing Li, Zhao -Yang Chen, Yong-Cun Feng, Li-Sha Qu, Jia-Geng Liu, Wen-Yan Li, Meng-Ying Dai
Summary: The study investigates the reservoir rock damage induced by CO2 injection and its impact on oil and gas recovery. The results show that tensile damage and shear damage are concentrated in different directions, with tensile damage being the main mode of damage. Higher CO2 injection rate and pressure inhibit the development of damaged areas near the wellbore. CO2 injection aggravates tensile damage but inhibits shear damage, leading to a transition from shear damage to tensile damage. Compared to nitrogen and water injection, CO2 injection is more effective in creating rock damage.
Article
Water Resources
Catherine Spurin, Tom Bultreys, Maja Ruecker, Gaetano Garfi, Christian M. Schleputz, Vladimir Novak, Steffen Berg, Martin J. Blunt, Samuel Krevor
Summary: Intermittent fluid flow has been found to play a significant role in the transport of subsurface multiphase fluids, impacting properties like relative permeability. Higher capillary numbers lead to increased volume of intermittent fluid fluctuations, expanding the flow network and reducing the influence of inertial forces on flow. The study shows that intermittent pathway flow is energetically positioned between laminar and turbulent flow through connected pathways, with implications on relative permeability.
ADVANCES IN WATER RESOURCES
(2021)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Jumanah Al Kubaisy, Pablo Salinas, Matthew D. Jackson
Summary: We propose a new hybrid pressure formulation for modeling multiphase flow and transport in highly heterogeneous porous media using the control volume finite element (CVFE) method. This formulation effectively captures sharp saturation changes at material interfaces by employing a discontinuous pressure approximation. The method divides the porous medium into sub-domains and applies a discontinuous approximation at the sub-domain boundaries while using a continuous approximation elsewhere.
JOURNAL OF COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS
(2023)
Article
Mechanics
Zhongzheng Wang, Jean-Michel Pereira, Emilie Sauret, Yixiang Gan
Summary: Understanding the hysteretic behaviour in fluid-fluid displacement processes in porous media is critical in many engineering applications. In this work, the role of wettability on the residual trapping of CO2 in two-dimensional porous media is investigated during cyclic injections using numerical simulations. The study reveals that while higher CO2 saturation can be achieved in CO2-wet porous media after the first CO2 injection, most of the CO2 is found to be unstable and can be mobilised during subsequent water injection processes. An improvement in the residual trapping of CO2 is observed as the number of injection cycles increases, and the hysteretic behaviour of saturation between water/CO2 injection cycles follows an exponential decay. This work highlights the importance of understanding wettability impacts on multiphase flow in porous media in applications such as carbon geosequestration and geological hydrogen storage.
JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Xue Zhang, Yuliang Su, Lei Li, Qi'an Da, Yongmao Hao, Wendong Wang, Jiahui Liu, Xiaogang Gao, An Zhao, Kaiyu Wang
Summary: Injecting CO2 into deep reservoirs with high temperature and pressure has the potential to enhance oil recovery and CO2 utilization and storage. This study conducted water/gas flooding experiments in a microfluidic system to investigate the mechanisms of micro-remaining oil and formation damage. The results showed that scCO2 extraction and carbonated water swelling recovered a significant amount of remaining oil. Additionally, water injection into heterogeneous reservoirs resulted in unstable displacement fronts in high-permeability zones. The subsequent injection of scCO2 led to asphaltene deposition and reduced reservoir permeability.
Article
Mechanics
Kieran A. Gilmore, Chunendra K. Sahu, Graham P. Benham, Jerome A. Neufeld, Mike J. Bickle
Summary: The study presents an analytical model that describes the dynamics of leakage through fault zones cutting multiple aquifers and seals. By combining current analytical models for a buoyant plume in a semi-infinite porous media with models for a leaking gravity current and a new model motivated by experimental observation, the study accounts for increased pressure gradients within the fault due to an increase in Darcy velocity directly above the fault.
JOURNAL OF FLUID MECHANICS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Yong Tang, Shilai Hu, Youwei He, Yong Wang, Xiaojin Wan, Shuheng Cui, Keji Long
Summary: The study demonstrates that the interaction between CO2-brine-rock occurs in both gas zone and water zone, leading to more severe reservoir damage in the gas zone than in the water zone. However, in water zones with good-quality reservoirs, this interaction can improve reservoir porosity and permeability.
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Petroleum
Wei Li, Zhaoyi Dai, Xin Wang, Saebom Ko, Samiridhdi Paudyal, Xuanzhu Yao, Cianna Leschied, Yu-Yi Shen, Daniel Pimentel, Amy T. Kan, Mason Tomson
Summary: Aqueous CO2-containing environment in oil and gas production can lead to the formation of carbonate scales such as calcite, as well as corrosion-induced scales like siderite on mild steel surfaces. This study investigated the relationship between corrosion-induced scales and other metal carbonate scales on steel surfaces. It was found that a two-layer scale structure formed, with an inner layer of iron-containing carbonate scale (ankerite or siderite) and an outer layer of calcite. Furthermore, a common scale inhibitor was effective in mitigating scale formation but aggravated steel corrosion.
Article
Water Resources
Gege Wen, Catherine Hay, Sally M. Benson
Summary: Numerical simulation is crucial for subsurface flow and transport applications, but often faces computational challenges. CCSNet is a deep-learning modeling suite that provides faster results for carbon capture and storage problems compared to conventional numerical simulators.
ADVANCES IN WATER RESOURCES
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Atefeh Jahandideh, Siavash Hakim-Elahi, Behnam Jafarpour
Summary: This paper focuses on assimilating microseismic data for dynamic characterization of storage formations during CO2 injection, using stochastic simulation models to forecast and estimate the microseismic response of geologic formations.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF GREENHOUSE GAS CONTROL
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Mechanical
Fei Yan, Hao-Ran Yang, Quan Jiang, Shao-Jun Li, Ding-Ping Xu, Zhi-Dan Tang
Summary: This work presents a discontinuous cellular automaton combined with the non-singular stress term of T-stress for multiple cracks problems. An enriched shape function based on crack tip near-field asymptotic functions is proposed to reflect both singular and non-singular stress around the crack tip. A modified formulation for mathematic description of the cellular automaton approximation is employed to address non-convergence and internal discontinuity issues. Mathematical descriptions for strong discontinuities of intersecting and branching cracks are also developed.
THEORETICAL AND APPLIED FRACTURE MECHANICS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Geological
E. Tamayo-Mas, J. F. Harrington, T. Bruening, H. Shao, E. E. Dagher, J. Lee, K. Kim, J. Rutqvist, O. Kolditz, S. H. Lai, N. Chittenden, Y. Wang, I. P. Damians, S. Olivella
Summary: The study aims to better simulate the advective movement of gas in clay formations. By developing and comparing multiple modeling methods, the impact of gas entry, flow, and pathway sealing mechanisms on the performance of engineered clay barriers is explored. The research outcomes are essential for future repository design and other clay-based engineering issues.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROCK MECHANICS AND MINING SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ziyan Li, Derek Elsworth, Chaoyi Wang, L. Boyd, Z. Frone, E. Metcalfe, A. Nieto, S. Porse, W. Vandermeer, R. Podgorney, H. Huang, T. McLing, G. Neupane, A. Chakravarty, P. J. Cook, P. F. Dobson, C. A. Doughty, Y. Guglielmi, C. Hopp, M. Hu, R. S. Jayne, S. E. Johnson, K. Kim, T. Kneafsey, S. Nakagawa, G. Newman, P. Petrov, J. C. Primo, M. Robertson, V. Rodriguez-Tribaldos, J. Rutqvist, M. Schoenball, E. L. Sonnenthal, F. A. Soom, S. Sprinkle, C. Ulrich, C. A. Valladao, T. Wood, Y. Q. Zhang, Q. Zhou, L. Huang, Y. Chen, T. Chen, B. Chi, Z. Feng, L. P. Frash, K. Gao, E. Jafarov, S. Karra, N. Makedonska, D. J. Li Li, R. Pawar, N. Welch, P. Fu, R. J. Mellors, C. E. Morency, J. P. Morris, C. S. Sherman, M. M. Smith, D. Templeton, J. L. Wagoner, J. White, H. Wu, J. Moore, S. Brown, D. Crandall, P. Mackey, T. Paronish, S. Workman, B. Johnston, K. Beckers, J. Weers, Y. Polsky, M. Maceira, C. P. Chai, A. Bonneville, J. A. Burghardt, J. Horner, T. C. Johnson, H. Knox, J. Knox, B. Q. Roberts, P. Sprinkle, C. E. Strickland, J. N. Thomle, V. R. Vermeul, M. D. White, D. Blankenship, M. Ingraham, T. Myers, J. Pope, P. Schwering, A. Foris, D. K. King, J. Feldman, M. Lee, J. Su, T. Baumgartner, J. Heise, M. Horn, B. Pietzyk, D. Rynders, G. Vandine, D. Vardiman, T. Doe, J. McLennan, Y. S. Wu, J. Miskimins, P. Winterfeld, K. Kutun, M. D. Zoback, A. Singh, R. N. Horne, K. Li, A. Hawkins, Y. Zhang, E. Mattson, D. Elsworth, K. J. Im, Z. Li, C. J. Marone, E. C. Yildirim, J. Ajo-Franklin, A. Ghassemi, D. Kumar, V. Sesetty, A. Vachaparampil, H. F. Wang, H. Sone, K. Condon, B. Haimson, W. Roggenthen, C. Medler, N. Uzunlar, C. Reimers, M. W. McClure
Summary: This study emphasizes the importance of understanding the mechanisms controlling fluid injection-triggered seismicity in order to mitigate the impact of earthquakes. By conducting experiments and observations, researchers proposed a new framework to define maximum event magnitudes as a function of pre-existing critical stresses and fluid injection volume.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2021)
Article
Engineering, Geological
Mengsu Hu, Jonny Rutqvist
Summary: This study presents multi-scale modeling capabilities developed based on the numerical manifold method for analyzing coupled hydro-mechanical processes in fractured rocks. Fractures are modeled as continua-finite-thickness porous zones, discontinua-discontinuous interfaces, and microscale asperities and granular systems based on their geometric features. The simulations demonstrate the significant contribution of contact dynamics to geometric, multi-physical evolution in rough fractures systems.
ROCK MECHANICS AND ROCK ENGINEERING
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Iman Rahimzadeh Kivi, Estanislao Pujades, Jonny Rutqvist, Victor Vilarrasa
Summary: The study shows that thermal stresses resulting from water circulation through a doublet in a hot sedimentary aquifer can destabilize faults located far away from the doublet. Additionally, the timing of fault reactivation is mainly controlled by fault permeability, emphasizing the importance of employing appropriate characterization methods.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Geological
Xuhai Tang, Siji Tao, Ping Li, Jonny Rutqvist, Mengsu Hu, Lei Sun
Summary: In this study, the mechanisms of frost cracking as a result of freeze-thaw cycling, confining stress, and the interaction of multiple cracks were investigated using experimental, theoretical, and numerical approaches. The experimental and numerical results showed that frost cracks tend to propagate in the direction of maximum principal stress, and the position and orientation of initial cracks significantly influence the interaction effect between two frost cracks.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROCK MECHANICS AND MINING SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
Keurfon Luu, Martin Schoenball, Curtis M. Oldenburg, Jonny Rutqvist
Summary: This study uses a coupled multiphase fluid flow and geomechanical simulator to model the fluid pressure and stress changes during CO2 injection, and investigates the impact of CO2 injection on faults in crystalline basement rock. The results show that considering poroelastic stress changes is crucial for accurately modeling the seismicity rate.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Jiangmei Qiao, Xuhai Tang, Mengsu Hu, Jonny Rutqvist, Zhiyuan Liu
Summary: This study found that in carbonate fracture-cavity reservoirs, natural fractures have a dominant impact on the propagation of hydraulic fractures, followed by the influence of confining stress. These two factors are critical to the design of hydraulic fracturing in carbonate fracture-cavity reservoirs.
COMPUTERS AND GEOTECHNICS
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Geological
Xuhai Tang, Yiheng Zhang, Jingjing Xu, Jonny Rutqvist, Mengsu Hu, Zhengzhi Wang, Quansheng Liu
Summary: Scientists have developed a new method, using microscale rock mechanics experiments (micro-RME) results, to determine the macroscale mechanical properties of arbitrarily shaped granite. This method has been proven to be a breakthrough from the conventional technology of macro-RME by using test specimens from small and arbitrarily shaped rock fragments.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROCK MECHANICS AND MINING SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Engineering, Geological
Tsubasa Sasaki, Jonny Rutqvist
Summary: Safety assessment of geological nuclear waste repositories is essential. This study investigates the effect of time-dependent deformation of shale on the long-term integrity of a generic subsurface nuclear waste repository. Results suggest potential advantages of constructing repositories in high creep shale.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF ROCK MECHANICS AND MINING SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
H. Tounsi, J. Rutqvist, M. Hu, R. Wolters
Summary: This study analyses the flow of brine in rock salt using a fully coupled THM model that considers non-isothermal two-phase flow through deformable porous media. The experimental data and model predictions show good agreement, and suggest that it is important to consider the coupling between heating-and cooling-induced damage and flow properties to estimate brine inflow accurately. This modeling approach will be helpful for designing the cooling phase in salt repositories to minimize damage and brine inflow.
COMPUTERS AND GEOTECHNICS
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
I. R. Kivi, R. Y. Makhnenko, C. M. Oldenburg, J. Rutqvist, V. Vilarrasa
Summary: This study develops a computationally efficient transport model to investigate the dynamic process of the basin-wide upward migration of CO2 in a multi-layered geological environment. The results show that significant leaks of CO2 are unlikely to occur, ensuring the security of underground storage.
GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2022)
Article
Geochemistry & Geophysics
J. J. Xu, Y. H. Zhang, J. Rutqvist, M. S. Hu, Z. Z. Wang, X. H. Tang
Summary: Understanding the thermal effects on rock is critical for geothermal resource exploration and understanding Earth's temperature-driven evolution. This study observed the thermal-induced microcrack propagation of granite in real time using an ultrahigh-temperature instrument on an optical microscope. The experimental results revealed that microcracks initiate at 300°C and coalesce between 400 and 600°C, which is the main reason for the sharp decrease in macroscale mechanical properties of granite.
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
(2023)
Article
Thermodynamics
Allan Katende, Jonny Rutqvist, Cody Massion, Mileva Radonjic
Summary: Global energy systems are transitioning to clean energy sources to reduce carbon dioxide emissions, necessitating the exploration and development of shale gas resources to support the global supply of natural gas. The challenge lies in the low permeability of shale, requiring large-scale volume fracturing to enhance connectivity. This study investigates the influence of a thin proppant layer on a single fracture and explores the effects of rock mineralogy, surface roughness, fluids, confining stress, time, temperature, and bedding on proppant embedment in Caney shale. The experiment revealed that fracture conductivity is primarily affected by proppant layer, roughness, mineralogy, fluids, temperature, and closure stress.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Allan Katende, Connor Allen, Jonny Rutqvist, Seiji Nakagawa, Mileva Radonjic
Summary: The current global energy supply is insufficient to meet the increasing demand, resulting in soaring energy prices. Shale oil and gas, although non-renewable, are relatively clean energy resources and still dominate the energy market. This paper investigates the stress-dependent changes in hydraulic conductivity and mechanical fracture-proppant interactions in Caney Shale, finding that proppant size is crucial for improving fracture conductivity.
Article
Engineering, Geological
Hafssa Tounsi, Jonny Rutqvist, Mengsu Hu, Ralf Wolters, Svetlana Lerche
Summary: Rock salt is a potential host for heat generating nuclear waste due to its self-sealing capacity, low permeability, and high thermal conductivity. The geologic disposal of larger-sized canisters originally designed for spent fuel storage and transportation is being considered as a cost-effective alternative; however, their long-term vertical movement and low-stress creep behavior need to be evaluated. Different creep models were compared and the results showed that models calibrated only against high-deviatoric stress data might lead to inaccurate estimations of canister movement in salt formations.
