Abstract
In the present work, we investigate the mechanical weakening and deformation induced by water on a microporous carbonate rock, the Obourg Chalk from Mons Basin (Belgium), through conventional triaxial tests and injection tests. The injection tests were conducted by waterflooding critically loaded rock samples, initially in dry condition, in a way to minimize the variations in the effective pressures. Furthermore, the samples were instrumented with P-wave piezoelectric transducers to provide active ultrasonic monitoring while injecting. The results show a significant reduction in the mechanical strength of this chalk. Analysis of the mechanical tests and the associated deformation allows us to describe the mechanical behavior as a function of the confining pressure, which draws a brittle-ductile transition spanning from low to high confining pressure. The injection tests, moreover, revealed that the amount of water injected before triggering mechanical instability decreases exponentially with respect to the applied differential stress on the rock sample. The data, therefore, suggest that the failure might be controlled by a mechanical coupling between the water-invaded zone and the dry one. Since water-weakening plays an important role in several fields like oil industry, through secondary and tertiary recovery of hydrocarbons, Enhanced Geothermal Systems (EGS), as well as in the mechanical stability of underground cavities, the outcome of this work is of primary importance in mitigating any kind of problems related to these operations.
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The presented data collected through experiments conducted by the authors are stored in the database of Cergy Paris Université and can be made available upon request.
Abbreviations
- AIC:
-
Akaike Information Criterion
- ATC:
-
Autonomous Triaxial Cell™
- CSIRO:
-
Geophysics and Geomechanics lab of the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation
- CYU:
-
CY Cergy-Paris Université
- GDS:
-
Global Digital Systems Instruments Ltd™
- GEO2FRI2SK:
-
GEOphysical and GEOtechnical impact of Fluid–Rock Interaction for RISK assessment in chalk formation
- IFPEN:
-
Institut Français du Pétrole et des Energies Nouvelles
- OB:
-
Obourg chalk
- PZT:
-
Lead zirconate titanate piezoelectric transducer
- RISSC:
-
Risque Sous-Sol engendrés par les terraines sous-Cavés
- SML:
-
Saint-Maximin Limestone
- VIS:
-
Virtual infinite stiffness
- ϕ :
-
Porosity
- m :
-
Mass
- ρ :
-
Density
- σ 1 :
-
Maximum principal stress
- σ 2 :
-
Intermediate principal stress
- σ 3 :
-
Minimum principal stress
- Q :
-
Differential stress
- P C :
-
Confining pressure
- P P :
-
Pore pressure
- P C_eff :
-
Effective confining pressure
- P :
-
Effective mean stress
- ε :
-
Strain
- \(\dot{\varepsilon }\) :
-
Creep strain rate
- L :
-
Sample length
- ε v :
-
Volumetric strain
- ε a :
-
Axial strain
- ε r :
-
Radial strain
- V P :
-
P-wave velocity
- K :
-
Bulk modulus
- α :
-
Biot’s coefficient
- σ*:
-
Normalized stress
- σ C :
-
Differential stress for injection test
- σ P :
-
Triaxial compressive strength
- σ F :
-
Frictional strength
- γ :
-
Surface energy
- γʹ:
-
Surface energy in water-saturated condition
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Acknowledgements
We thank Nicolas Gland and Elisabeth Rosenberg (IFPEN Rueil-Mailmaison) for their fruitful discussions about this work; Damien Bury (Université de Mons) for his help in sampling Obourg chalk; Roua Al Houmaissi for the work conducted during her master internship at CYU and David Nguyen, Ludwig Monmusson, Shane Kager (CSIRO) for their precious help in testing the material of this work.
Funding
This work has been supported by the Doctoral School of the Cergy Paris Université and by the GEO2FRI2SK project granted by the Paris-Seine Initiative. The authors also acknowledge the European Regional Development Fund (through the Interreg V FWVl programme) and Wallonia for funding the RISSC project in which this study is included.
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Geremia, D., David, C., Descamps, F. et al. Water-Induced Damage in Microporous Carbonate Rock by Low-Pressure Injection Test. Rock Mech Rock Eng 54, 5185–5206 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-021-02411-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00603-021-02411-4