In a heavy oil thermal recovery well, cement paste experiences
the cyclic elevated temperature and steam of steam stimulation, the
elevated temperature and steam of steam driving, and the high-concentration
CO2 (HCC) of in situ combustion conditions in sequence.
To understand the effects of different conditions of heavy oil thermal
recovery wells on the properties and microstructure of the cement
paste, this paper investigated the influence of the cyclic elevated
temperature, elevated temperature, and high-concentration CO2 conditions on the compressive strength of the cement paste. Then,
low-field nuclear magnetic resonance, scanning electron microscopy,
and X-ray diffraction were used to test the pore structure, microstructure,
and crystal type of the cement paste cured under different conditions.
Experimental results showed that the elevated temperature curing loosened
the microstructure of the cement paste and increased its pore size
and porosity, resulting in reducing the compressive strength to 21.04
MPa, compared with that of the cement paste at cyclic elevated temperature.
For the cement paste cured under high-concentration CO2 conditions, the calcium hydroxide and calcium-silicate-hydrate reacted
with CO2 to generate granular vaterite, aragonite, and
calcite in the pores and cracks, which repaired the cement paste by
reducing the porosity and pore size of the cement paste and increasing
its compressive strength. When the carbonation time increased to 28
days, the cement paste was completely carbonized, and the compressive
strength of the cement paste increased by approximately 169%, compared
with that of the cement paste cured at an elevated temperature.