Reactive Transport Simulation of Fracture Channelization and Transmissivity Evolution.
Underground fractures serve as flow conduits, and they may produce unwanted migration of water and other fluids in the subsurface. An example is the migration and leakage of greenhouse gases in the context of geologic carbon sequestration. This study has generated new understanding about how acids e...
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ftcdlib:oai:escholarship.org/ark:/13030/qt1c74r40r 2023-05-15T15:52:54+02:00 Reactive Transport Simulation of Fracture Channelization and Transmissivity Evolution. Deng, Hang Peters, Catherine A 90 - 101 2019-01-18 application/pdf https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1c74r40r unknown eScholarship, University of California qt1c74r40r https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1c74r40r public Environmental engineering science, vol 36, iss 1 caprock carbonate channelization fractures geologic carbon sequestration reactive transport Environmental Engineering Environmental Science and Management Chemical Engineering article 2019 ftcdlib 2020-03-27T23:54:46Z Underground fractures serve as flow conduits, and they may produce unwanted migration of water and other fluids in the subsurface. An example is the migration and leakage of greenhouse gases in the context of geologic carbon sequestration. This study has generated new understanding about how acids erode carbonate fracture surfaces and the positive feedback between reaction and flow. A two-dimensional reactive transport model was developed and used to investigate the extent to which geochemical factors influence fracture permeability and transmissivity evolution in carbonate rocks. The only mineral modeled as reactive is calcite, a fast-reacting mineral that is abundant in subsurface formations. The X-ray computed tomography dataset from a previous experimental study of fractured cores exposed to carbonic acid served as a testbed to benchmark the model simulation results. The model was able to capture not only erosion of fracture surfaces but also the specific phenomenon of channelization, which produces accelerating transmissivity increase. Results corroborated experimental findings that higher reactivity of the influent solution leads to strong channelization without substantial mineral dissolution. Simulations using mineral maps of calcite in a specimen of Amherstburg limestone demonstrated that mineral heterogeneity can either facilitate or suppress the development of flow channels depending on the spatial patterns of reactive mineral. In these cases, fracture transmissivity may increase rapidly, increase slowly, or stay constant, and for all these possibilities, the calcite mineral continues to dissolve. Collectively, these results illustrate that fluid chemistry and mineral spatial patterns need to be considered in predictions of reaction-induced fracture alteration and risks of fluid migration. Article in Journal/Newspaper Carbonic acid University of California: eScholarship |
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University of California: eScholarship |
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topic |
caprock carbonate channelization fractures geologic carbon sequestration reactive transport Environmental Engineering Environmental Science and Management Chemical Engineering |
spellingShingle |
caprock carbonate channelization fractures geologic carbon sequestration reactive transport Environmental Engineering Environmental Science and Management Chemical Engineering Deng, Hang Peters, Catherine A Reactive Transport Simulation of Fracture Channelization and Transmissivity Evolution. |
topic_facet |
caprock carbonate channelization fractures geologic carbon sequestration reactive transport Environmental Engineering Environmental Science and Management Chemical Engineering |
description |
Underground fractures serve as flow conduits, and they may produce unwanted migration of water and other fluids in the subsurface. An example is the migration and leakage of greenhouse gases in the context of geologic carbon sequestration. This study has generated new understanding about how acids erode carbonate fracture surfaces and the positive feedback between reaction and flow. A two-dimensional reactive transport model was developed and used to investigate the extent to which geochemical factors influence fracture permeability and transmissivity evolution in carbonate rocks. The only mineral modeled as reactive is calcite, a fast-reacting mineral that is abundant in subsurface formations. The X-ray computed tomography dataset from a previous experimental study of fractured cores exposed to carbonic acid served as a testbed to benchmark the model simulation results. The model was able to capture not only erosion of fracture surfaces but also the specific phenomenon of channelization, which produces accelerating transmissivity increase. Results corroborated experimental findings that higher reactivity of the influent solution leads to strong channelization without substantial mineral dissolution. Simulations using mineral maps of calcite in a specimen of Amherstburg limestone demonstrated that mineral heterogeneity can either facilitate or suppress the development of flow channels depending on the spatial patterns of reactive mineral. In these cases, fracture transmissivity may increase rapidly, increase slowly, or stay constant, and for all these possibilities, the calcite mineral continues to dissolve. Collectively, these results illustrate that fluid chemistry and mineral spatial patterns need to be considered in predictions of reaction-induced fracture alteration and risks of fluid migration. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Deng, Hang Peters, Catherine A |
author_facet |
Deng, Hang Peters, Catherine A |
author_sort |
Deng, Hang |
title |
Reactive Transport Simulation of Fracture Channelization and Transmissivity Evolution. |
title_short |
Reactive Transport Simulation of Fracture Channelization and Transmissivity Evolution. |
title_full |
Reactive Transport Simulation of Fracture Channelization and Transmissivity Evolution. |
title_fullStr |
Reactive Transport Simulation of Fracture Channelization and Transmissivity Evolution. |
title_full_unstemmed |
Reactive Transport Simulation of Fracture Channelization and Transmissivity Evolution. |
title_sort |
reactive transport simulation of fracture channelization and transmissivity evolution. |
publisher |
eScholarship, University of California |
publishDate |
2019 |
url |
https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1c74r40r |
op_coverage |
90 - 101 |
genre |
Carbonic acid |
genre_facet |
Carbonic acid |
op_source |
Environmental engineering science, vol 36, iss 1 |
op_relation |
qt1c74r40r https://escholarship.org/uc/item/1c74r40r |
op_rights |
public |
_version_ |
1766387991874371584 |