Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Evaluation of mechanical well integrity during CO2 underground storage

  • Thematic Issue
  • Published:
Environmental Earth Sciences Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The storage of CO2 in depleted oil and gas reservoirs, coal seams or saline aquifers is an important means considered to contribute to the mitigation of the greenhouse effect on the environment. In CO2 underground storage projects, well integrity is a crucial factor that must be demonstrated for all wells, accessible and abandoned, affected by the injected CO2 to ensure safety during the injection and storage of CO2. Field experience and laboratory experiments have shown that chemical degradation due to CO2 can affect well integrity severely only when there are existing pathways in the casing-cement-rock composite system. Therefore, the study of mechanical well integrity is of paramount significance. In this paper, analytical and numerical models are developed to assess well conditions including the micro-annulus between the cement sheath and the casing due to downhole condition changes. The parametric study shows that cement with a low Young’s modulus and high Poisson ratio has smaller micro-annulus than that with a high Young’s modulus and low Poisson ratio. When temperature and pressure decrease there is a potential for debonding of the interface between casing and cement.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3
Fig. 4
Fig. 5
Fig. 6
Fig. 7
Fig. 8
Fig. 9
Fig. 10
Fig. 11
Fig. 12

Similar content being viewed by others

Abbreviations

CCS:

Carbon capture and sequestration

FEM:

Finite element method

σ r, σ θ, σ z :

Radial stress, tangential, vertical stress, MPa

ε r, ε θ, ε z :

Radial, tangential, vertical strain (–)

σ n :

Normal stress (MPa)

τ :

Shear stress (MPa)

u s, u c, u f :

Casing, cement and formation rock displacement (m)

μ s, μ c, μ f :

Poisson’s ratio of casing, cement and formation (–)

E :

Young’s modulus (MPa)

r :

Radius (m)

r 1, r 2 :

Inner and outer radius of the casing (m)

r 3, r 4 :

Outer radius of the cement and rock (m)

r m :

Average radius of the casing (m)

t s :

Casing thickness (m)

P i :

Inner pressure (MPa)

P c1, P c2 :

Contact pressure of casing/cement and cement/rock (MPa)

α :

Coefficient of thermal expansion (1/ºC)

Δ(Δu):

Micro-annulus size (mm)

Δu s, Δu c :

Casing contraction, cement contraction (mm)

ΔT :

Temperature decrease (ºC)

References

  • Akintunde OM, Knapp C, Knapp J (2013) Petrophysical charaterization of the South Georgia Rift Basin for supercritical CO2 storage: a preliminary assessment. Environ Earth Sci 70(7):2971–2985

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bai M (2014) Risk assessment for CO2 leakage along abandoned wells using a monte carlo simulation in a CO2 sequestration site. J Pet Sci Technol 32:1191–1200

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bai M, Reinicke KM, Song K, Li Y, Sun J (2014a) Relative permeability model and CO2 leakage through abandoned wells during CO2 underground storage. Oil Gas Eur Mag 40(3):161–165

    Google Scholar 

  • Bai M, Song K, Li Y, Sun J, Reinicke KM (2014b) Development of a novel method to evaluate well integrity during CO2 underground storage. SPE Journal, SPE 173000

  • Bai M, Song K, Sun Y, He M, Li Y, Sun J (2014c) An overview of hydrogen underground storage technology and prospects in China. J Pet Sci Eng 124:132–136

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Benge G (2009) Improving wellbore seal integrity in CO2 injection wells. SPE 119267, SPE/IADC Drilling Conference and Exhibition, Amsterdam, The Netherlands, Mar 17–19, 2009

  • Bois A-P, Garnier A, Galdiolo G, Laudet J-B (2010) Use of a mechanistic model to forecast cement-sheath integrity for CO2 storage. SPE 139668, SPE International Conference on CO2 capture, storage, and utilization, New Orleans, Nov 10–12

  • Bosma MGR, Ravi K, van Driel W, Schreppers J (1999) Design approach to sealant selection for the life of the well. SPE 56536 presented at the 1999 Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, Oct 3–6

  • Carey JW, Wigand M (2007) Analysis and performance of oil well cement with 30 years of CO2 exposure from the SACROC Unit, West Texas, USA. Intl J Greenh Gas Control 1:75–85

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • De Lucia M, Bauer S, Beyer C, Kuhn M, Nowak T, Pudlo D, Reitenbach V, Stadler S (2012) Modeling CO2-induced fluid-rock interactions in the Altensalzwedel gas reservoir. Part I: from experimental data to a reference geochemical model. Environ Earth Sci 67(2):563–572

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Eshiet K, Sheng Y (2014) Investigation of geomechanical responses of reservoirs induced by carbon dioxide storage. Environ Earth Sci 71(9):3999–4020

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fakhreldin Y, Al-Sharji H, Ruwehy AM, Saadi K, Taoutaou S, Al-Kalbani S (2010) Advanced cement system for acid gas injection wells. SPE 132345, SPE Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Conference and Exhibition, Queensland, Australia, Oct 18–20, 2010

  • Goodwin KJ, Crook RJ (1992) Cement sheath stress failure. SPEDE, 291–296, Dec 1992

  • Hou ZM, Gou Y, Taron J, Gorke UJ, Kolditz O (2012) Thermo-hydro-mechanical modeling of carbon dioxide injection for enhanced gas-recovery (CO2-EGR): a benchmarking study for code comparison. Environ Earth Sci 67(2):549–561

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • IEA Greenhouse Gas R&D Program (2009) Long term integrity of CO2 storage–well abandonment report 2009/08

  • Jackson PB, Murphey CE (1993) Effect of casing pressure on gas flow through a sheath of set cement. SPE 25698 presented at the SPE/IADC Drilling Conference, Amsterdam, Feb 23–25

  • Kühn M, Münch U (ed) (2013) CLEAN (CO2 large-scale enhanced recovery in the Altmark natural gas field)-GEOTECHNOLOGIEN Science Report No. 19. Springer-Verlag. ISBN: 9783642316760

  • Monne JJ (2012) The Lacq CCS Pilot, a First. SPE-157157-MS presented at International Conference on health, safety and environment in oil and gas exploration and production, Perth, Australia, Sep 11–13

  • Nelson EB, Guillot D (eds) (2006) Well cementing. Schlumberger Educational Services, Sugar Land

    Google Scholar 

  • Ravi K, McMechan DE, Reddy BR, Crook R (2007) A comparative study of mechanical properties of density-reduced cement compositions. SPE 90068, presented at the 2004 SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Houston, Sep 26–29

  • Reinicke KM, Bai M, Fichter C, Weinlich FH (2011) Leckagerisiko von Bohrungen unter Einfluss von CO2: Von den FEPs bis zu den Szenarien. DGMK/ÖGEW–Frühjahrstagung 2011, Celle, 11/12, April 2011

  • Reinsch T, Henninges J, Asmundsson R (2013) Thermal, mechanical and chemical influences on the performance of optical fibres for distributed temperature sensing in a hot geothermal well. Environ Earth Sci 70(8):3465–3480

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saint-Marc J, Garnier A, Bois A (2008) Initial state of stress: the key to achieving long-term cement-sheath integrity. SPE 116651 presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, Denver, Colorado, Sep 21–24

  • Teodoriu C, Ugwu I, Schubert J (2010) Estimation of casing-cement-formation interaction using a new analytical model. SPE 131335, SPE EUROPEC/EAGE Annual Conference and Exhibition, Barcelona, Spain, Jun 14–17

  • Thiercelin MJ, Dargaud B, Baret JF, Rodriguez WJ (1998) Cement design based on cement mechanical response. SPEDC, 266–273, Dec 1998

  • Ugwu IO (2008) Cement fatigue and HPHT well integrity with application to life of well prediction. Master Thesis, Clausthal University of Technology

  • Zhang Y, Gao K, Schmitt G (2011) Inhibition of steel corrosion under aqueous supercritical CO2 conditions. NACE CORROSION, Houston, Texas, Mar 13–17

Download references

Acknowledgments

This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 51304049). Furthermore the authors would like to thank all members of the research team.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Petroleum Engineering, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing, 163318, China

    Mingxing Bai, Jianpeng Sun & Kaoping Song

  2. Institute of Petroleum Engineering, Clausthal University of Technology, 38678, Clausthal-Zellerfeld, Germany

    Mingxing Bai, Kurt M. Reinicke & Catalin Teodoriu

Authors
  1. Mingxing Bai
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Jianpeng Sun
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Kaoping Song
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Kurt M. Reinicke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Catalin Teodoriu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mingxing Bai.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Bai, M., Sun, J., Song, K. et al. Evaluation of mechanical well integrity during CO2 underground storage. Environ Earth Sci 73, 6815–6825 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4157-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12665-015-4157-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation