Dorcas S. Eyinla, Hossein Emadi, Steven K. Henderson, Humza Bin Navaid, Abir Kebir, Aman Arora
{"title":"Numerical simulation of seismicity potential resulting from the injection of CO2 into depleted reservoir in Wilbarger County field, Texas","authors":"Dorcas S. Eyinla, Hossein Emadi, Steven K. Henderson, Humza Bin Navaid, Abir Kebir, Aman Arora","doi":"10.1016/j.petlm.2025.04.002","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Fluid injection in fractured rocks presents significant challenges requiring the integration of various elements to account for reservoir property heterogeneities. To understand magnitude of potential seismic risks resulting from CO<sub>2</sub> injection in naturally fractured sand reservoirs in the study location, we devised a simulation model which utilizes a coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) approach, encompassing different injection scenarios and reservoir injection systems. The model effectively captures the complex interplay between geological features and fault failure processes. Furthermore, we examined the mechanical response of the caprock under constant injection rates by analyzing the evolution of shear stress and its impact on permeability enhancement. Our findings reveal that the pressurization effect of fluid and stress alterations trigger significant fault rupture, leading to seismic events of varying magnitudes. The extent of seismic activity hinges on the reservoir's initial state, the properties of the overlying caprock, and the injected volume. Moreover, we discovered that deformations within the caprock layer are most pronounced near fault zones, gradually diminishing with distance from these zones. Notably, the degree of permeability modification in the caprock is linked to the magnitude of shear stress. Additionally, our research corroborated that higher injection rates markedly accelerate fault slip, albeit with minimal impact on the extent of permeability enhancement. However, we noted a non-linear relationship between seismic activity and fluid injection rates, suggesting that the magnitude of seismic consequences is contingent upon the temporal analysis of various parameters. These significant findings offer valuable insights into understanding the intricate processes associated with subsurface injection, which often manifest in phenomena such as fault ruptures and induced seismicity.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":37433,"journal":{"name":"Petroleum","volume":"11 3","pages":"Pages 353-365"},"PeriodicalIF":4.2000,"publicationDate":"2025-06-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Petroleum","FirstCategoryId":"1087","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2405656125000318","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENERGY & FUELS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Fluid injection in fractured rocks presents significant challenges requiring the integration of various elements to account for reservoir property heterogeneities. To understand magnitude of potential seismic risks resulting from CO2 injection in naturally fractured sand reservoirs in the study location, we devised a simulation model which utilizes a coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) approach, encompassing different injection scenarios and reservoir injection systems. The model effectively captures the complex interplay between geological features and fault failure processes. Furthermore, we examined the mechanical response of the caprock under constant injection rates by analyzing the evolution of shear stress and its impact on permeability enhancement. Our findings reveal that the pressurization effect of fluid and stress alterations trigger significant fault rupture, leading to seismic events of varying magnitudes. The extent of seismic activity hinges on the reservoir's initial state, the properties of the overlying caprock, and the injected volume. Moreover, we discovered that deformations within the caprock layer are most pronounced near fault zones, gradually diminishing with distance from these zones. Notably, the degree of permeability modification in the caprock is linked to the magnitude of shear stress. Additionally, our research corroborated that higher injection rates markedly accelerate fault slip, albeit with minimal impact on the extent of permeability enhancement. However, we noted a non-linear relationship between seismic activity and fluid injection rates, suggesting that the magnitude of seismic consequences is contingent upon the temporal analysis of various parameters. These significant findings offer valuable insights into understanding the intricate processes associated with subsurface injection, which often manifest in phenomena such as fault ruptures and induced seismicity.
期刊介绍:
Examples of appropriate topical areas that will be considered include the following: 1.comprehensive research on oil and gas reservoir (reservoir geology): -geological basis of oil and gas reservoirs -reservoir geochemistry -reservoir formation mechanism -reservoir identification methods and techniques 2.kinetics of oil and gas basins and analyses of potential oil and gas resources: -fine description factors of hydrocarbon accumulation -mechanism analysis on recovery and dynamic accumulation process -relationship between accumulation factors and the accumulation process -analysis of oil and gas potential resource 3.theories and methods for complex reservoir geophysical prospecting: -geophysical basis of deep geologic structures and background of hydrocarbon occurrence -geophysical prediction of deep and complex reservoirs -physical test analyses and numerical simulations of reservoir rocks -anisotropic medium seismic imaging theory and new technology for multiwave seismic exploration -o theories and methods for reservoir fluid geophysical identification and prediction 4.theories, methods, technology, and design for complex reservoir development: -reservoir percolation theory and application technology -field development theories and methods -theory and technology for enhancing recovery efficiency 5.working liquid for oil and gas wells and reservoir protection technology: -working chemicals and mechanics for oil and gas wells -reservoir protection technology 6.new techniques and technologies for oil and gas drilling and production: -under-balanced drilling/gas drilling -special-track well drilling -cementing and completion of oil and gas wells -engineering safety applications for oil and gas wells -new technology of fracture acidizing