Improving Subsurface Stress Characterization for Carbon Dioxide Storage Projects

Ampomah, William; Will, Robert; McMillan, Marcia; Bratton, Tom; Huang, Lianjie; El-Kaseeh, George; Liu, Xuejian; Li, Jiaxuan; Lee, Don

doi:10.2139/ssrn.3816723

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

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“…A recent in situ example of stress‐induced anisotropy is the Morrow B Sandstone, as reported by Ampomah et al. (2021). These authors conclude that the observed azimuthal anisotropy in this sandstone results from a difference between maximum and minimum horizontal stress rather than due to a set of aligned fractures.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Stress‐induced anisotropy in Gulf of Mexico sandstones and the prediction of in situ stress

Sayers,

Leaney,

Bratton

2024

Geophysical Prospecting

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The strong sensitivity of velocity to stress observed in many sandstones originates from the response of stress‐sensitive discontinuities such as grain contacts and microcracks to a change in effective stress. If the change in stress is anisotropic, then the change in elastic wave velocities will also be anisotropic. Characterization of stress‐induced elastic anisotropy in sandstones may enable estimation of the in situ three dimensional stress tensor with important application in solving problems occurring during drilling, such as borehole instability, and during production, such as sanding and reservoir compaction. Other applications include designing hydraulic fracture stimulations and quantifying production‐induced stresses which may lead to rock failure. Current methods for estimating stress anisotropy from acoustic anisotropy rely on third‐order elasticity, which ignores rock microstructure and gives elastic moduli that vary linearly with strain. Elastic stiffnesses in sandstones vary non‐linearly with stress. Using P‐ and S‐wave velocities measured on Gulf of Mexico sandstones, this non‐linearity is found to be consistent with a micromechanical model in which the discontinuities are represented by stress‐dependent normal and shear compliances. Stress‐induced anisotropy increases with increasing stress anisotropy at small stress but then decreases at larger stresses as the discontinuities close and their compliance decreases. When the ratio of normal‐to‐shear compliance of the discontinuities is unity, the stress‐induced anisotropy is elliptical, but for values different from unity, the stress‐induced anisotropy becomes anelliptic. Although vertical stress can be obtained by integrating the formation's bulk density from the surface to the depth of interest, and minimum horizontal stress can be estimated using leak‐off tests or hydraulic fracture data, maximum horizontal stress is more difficult to estimate. Maximum horizontal stress is overpredicted based on third‐order elasticity using measured shear moduli, with estimates of pore pressure, vertical stress and minimum horizontal stress as input. The non‐linear response of grain contacts and microcracks to stress must be considered to improve such estimates.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 79%

Stress‐induced anisotropy in Gulf of Mexico sandstones and the prediction of in situ stress

Sayers,

Leaney,

Bratton

2024

Geophysical Prospecting

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“…Multiphase compositional simulator CMG-GEM distributed by Computer Modeling Group (CMG) LTD. is used to construct the model and compute the results presented in this paper. The model used for this study is an inverted 5-spot section model extracted from the recent version 34,35 of a full-field FWU geological model, and the aerial view of both models is shown in Fig. 2.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assessment of chemo-mechanical impacts of CO2 sequestration on the caprock formation in Farnsworth oil field, Texas

Adu-Gyamfi

Ampomah

et al. 2022

Sci Rep

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This study evaluates the chemo-mechanical influence of injected CO2 on the Morrow B sandstone reservoir and the upper Morrow shale caprock utilizing data from the inverted 5-spot pattern centered on Well 13-10A within the Farnsworth unit (FWU). This study also seeks to evaluate the integrity of the caprock and the long-term CO2 storage capability of the FWU. The inverted 5-spot pattern was extracted from the field-scale model and tuned with the available field observed data before the modeling work. Two coupled numerical simulation models were utilized to continue the study. First, a coupled hydro-geochemical model was constructed to simulate the dissolution and precipitation of formation minerals by modeling three intra-aqueous and six mineral reactions. In addition, a coupled hydro-geomechanical model was constructed and employed to study the effects of stress changes on the caprock’s porosity, permeability, and ground displacement. The Mohr–Coulomb circle and failure envelope were used to determine caprock failure. In this work, the CO2-WAG injection is followed by the historical field-observed strategy. During the forecasting period, a Water Alternating Gas (WAG) injection ratio of 1:3 was utilized with a baseline bottom-hole pressure constraint of 5500 psi for 20 years. A post-injection period of 1000 years was simulated to monitor the CO2 plume and its effects on the CO2 storage reservoir and caprock integrity. The simulation results indicated that the impacts of the geochemical reactions on the porosity of the caprock were insignificant as it experienced a decrease of about 0.0003% at the end of the 1000-year post-injection monitoring. On the other hand, the maximum stress-induced porosity change was about a 1.4% increase, resulting in about 4% in permeability change. It was estimated that about 3.3% of the sequestered CO2 in the formation interacted with the caprock. Despite these petrophysical property alterations and CO2 interactions in the caprock, the caprock still maintained its elastic properties and was determined to be far from its failure.

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“…The baseline model used in this work was a numerical simulation model adopted from the currently updated SWP reservoir model 14,15 . The original model was history‐matched only in the primary and secondary recovery phases.…”

Section: Methodology – Reservoir Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The baseline model used in this work was a numerical simulation model adopted from the currently updated SWP reservoir model. 14,15 The original model was history-matched only in the primary and secondary recovery phases. Therefore, the adopted model required history matching for tertiary recovery using field data for the period from December 2010 to August 2020.…”

Section: Methodology -Reservoir Modelingmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Depth-converted 3D seismic data was combined with the HFU classifications to improve modeling of reservoir heterogeneity. The current model (2020 version) used for this study has included several updates: a new geologic framework created from depth-converted seismic time interpretations within the sector boundary 14,15 ; porosity and permeability populated from the upper Morrow shale formation to the base of the Morrow B formation, based on the work of Ross-Coss et al 10 ; rotation to correspond with the principal stress direction; and use of five pairs of relative permeability curves 16 to replace the single pair relative permeability curves used in previous models.…”

Section: Geologic and Reservoir Characterizationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Simulation study of chemo‐mechanical impacts of CO₂injection in morrow b sandstone reservoir

Adu-Gyamfi

Ampomah

et al. 2022

Greenhouse Gases

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This study investigates the impacts of geomechanical and geochemical changes on carbon storage in a partially depleted oil reservoir, using results from four different coupled simulation models. Models were used to examine the relative importance of storage mechanisms, and how changing reservoir parameters might affect these mechanisms through time. The study uses data from a Morrowan sandstone reservoir in the Farnsworth Unit (FWU), Ochiltree County, Texas which is currently undergoing CO 2 enhanced oil recovery (EOR). Partially depleted oil reservoirs such as the FWU offer attractive carbon utilization and/or storage targets because of existing infrastructure and economic benefits from incremental oil recovery as well as tax credits. However, prediction of storage capacity or long-term fluid migration in these fields can be difficult because of the wide variation in formation fluids and operational histories that may have undergone. CO 2 injection can cause complex geomechanical and geochemical responses in a reservoir as a result of interplay between dynamic changes in pore pressure, reservoir temperature, fluid composition, and interactions between formation fluids, CO 2 , and reservoir rock. Thus, multiple coupled numerical simulation models must be developed and used to more precisely understand what CO 2 storage mechanisms are most significant, as well as the long-term fate of the stored CO 2 . Our study used results from hydrodynamic, coupled hydro-geomechanical, coupled hydro-geochemical, and coupled hydro-geomechanical-geochemical models to examine how changes in geomechanical and geochemical properties can impact the injectivity or storage capacity of CO 2 . Models simulated historical field operations and then forward-modeled a water-alternate-gas (WAG) operation for 20 years, followed by a 1000-year post-injection monitoring. The work demonstrates that in this specific reservoir, geomechanical impacts

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Improving Subsurface Stress Characterization for Carbon Dioxide Storage Projects

Cited by 4 publications

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Stress‐induced anisotropy in Gulf of Mexico sandstones and the prediction of in situ stress

Stress‐induced anisotropy in Gulf of Mexico sandstones and the prediction of in situ stress

Assessment of chemo-mechanical impacts of CO2 sequestration on the caprock formation in Farnsworth oil field, Texas

Simulation study of chemo‐mechanical impacts of CO₂injection in morrow b sandstone reservoir

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Improving Subsurface Stress Characterization for Carbon Dioxide Storage Projects

Cited by 4 publications

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Stress‐induced anisotropy in Gulf of Mexico sandstones and the prediction of in situ stress

Stress‐induced anisotropy in Gulf of Mexico sandstones and the prediction of in situ stress

Assessment of chemo-mechanical impacts of CO2 sequestration on the caprock formation in Farnsworth oil field, Texas

Simulation study of chemo‐mechanical impacts of CO2injection in morrow b sandstone reservoir

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Simulation study of chemo‐mechanical impacts of CO₂injection in morrow b sandstone reservoir