Evolution of poroviscoelastic properties of silica-rich rock after CO₂ injection

Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801 USA

^* Corresponding author: romanmax@illinois.edu

Abstract

Injection of CO₂ into the subsurface requires consideration of the poromechanical behavior of reservoir rock saturated with aqueous fluid. The material response is usually assumed to be elastic, to avoid consideration of induced seismicity, or viscoelastic, if long-term deformations are needed to be taken into the account. Both elastic and viscous behavior may be influenced by the chemical reactions that are caused by the acidic mixture formed as high-pressure CO₂ enters the pore space saturated with aqueous fluid. In this study, we conduct laboratory experiments on a fluid-saturated porous rock - Berea sandstone, and evaluate its poromechanical properties. Subsequently, the specimens are treated with liquid CO₂ for 21 days and the corresponding variations in their properties are determined. The constitutive model considering the elastic time-dependent behavior of porous rock is validated by comparing the measured and predicted specimen deformation. Presented data indicate that the effect of CO₂ injection on the long-term response is more significant compared to the short-term response. It is suggested for the constitutive models that predict long-term reservoir behavior during CO₂ storage to include not only the poroelastic response and its change due to treatment, but also the time-dependent deformation and its evolution caused by the changes in chemistry of the pore fluid.