Effects of Compressive Stress on Carbonation-Induced Degradation of Oil Well Cement under CO2 Storage Environment

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental study to investigate the effects of compressive stress during the CO2 attack on wellbore cement under carbon capture and storage (CCS) conditions. Oil well cement samples were designed to be exposed to humid supercritical CO2 gas and CO2-saturated brine and simultaneously subjected to external compressive stresses with load levels of 0, 25%, 50%, and 75% of the ultimate compressive strength. Morphology changes were determined using phenolphthalein dye testing and scanning electron microscopy. Mineral changes were detected by X-ray diffraction. Relative compressive strength and gas permeability of exposed cement were analyzed. It is shown that the 25% stress level has little effect on degradation of cement while the applied compression load up to 50% increased the compactness of cement and finally slowed down the degradation rate. In contrast, a much higher compressive stress level up to 75% facilitated the generation and propagation of micro-cracks. The stress induced micro-crack finally caused a surge in CO2-rich fluids and then significantly accelerated the degradation rate of oil well cement. Findings from this study expanded the understanding of the integrity of oil well cement for CCS wells.