Abstract:
|
Carbon dioxide (CO2) storage in abandoned oil/gas reservoirs is considered a viable alternative to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere. An important element of the risk associated with long-term CO2 storage is the loss of integrity of the cement seals of the abandoned wells in the reservoir. Among others, one possible cause of loss of integrity is the degradation of the oil-well cement due to the acid attack of the carbonated brine in the reservoir. In previous studies, the authors have developed a diffusion-reaction model for simulating this degradation process. In order to study possible coupled Chemo-Mechanical (CM) mechanisms, this model will be coupled with an existing mechanical model. For this purpose, in this paper, an existing constitutive law for zero-thickness interface, based on the theory of elasto-plasticity with concepts of fracture mechanics, is modified to incorporate the effect of chemical degradation on the mechanical strength parameters. Preliminary results obtained with this new constitutive law are presented, in order to illustrate the main aspects of the proposed constitutive law, as well as a possible C-M degradation mechanism that should be considered in the long-term safety assessment of CO2 geological storage projects. |