Modelling of Permeability and Strain Evolution in Chemical Creep Compaction Experiments with Fractured and Unfractured Chalk Cores Conducted at Reservoir Conditions

Abstract

Understanding the impact of typical water-related IOR techniques is fundamental to the development of chalk reservoirs on the Norwegian Continental Shelf (NCS). We investigate the contribution and interplay of key parameters influencing the reservoir's flow and storativity properties such as effective stresses, injecting fluid chemistry and geomechanical deformation. This is done by developing a mathematical model which is applied to systematically interpret experimental data. The gained understanding is useful for improved prediction of permeability development during field life. The model we present is for a fracture chalk core where fluids can flow through the matrix and fracture domains in parallell. The core is subject to a constant effective stress above yield resulting in time-dependent compaction (creep) of the matrix, while the fracture does not compact. Reactive brine injection causes enhanced compaction, but also permeability alteration. This again causes a redistribution of injected flow between the two domains. A previous version of the model parameterizing the relation between chemistry and compaction is here extended to quantify the impact on permeability and see the impact of flow in a fracture-matrix geometry. A vast set of experimental data was used to quantify the relations in the model and demonstrate its usefulness to interpret experimental data. Two outcrop chalk types (Aalborg and Liege) being tested at 130 °C and various concentrations of Ca-Mg-Na-Cl brines are considered. However, assumptions were required especially regarding the fractures behavior since directly representative data were not available. The tests with inert injecting brine were used to quantify the impact of matrix and fracture mechanical compaction on permeability trends. To be able to explain the tests with reactive brine, an important finding is that permeability not only decreased due to enhanced porosity reduction, but also because of a quantifiable chemistry related process (dissolution-precipitation). Sensitivity analyses were performed regarding varying fracture width, injection rate and chemistry concentration to evaluate the impact on chemical creep compaction and permeability evolution in fractured cores. The model can be used to highlight parameters with great influence on the experimental results. An accurate quantification of such parameters will contribute to refining lab experiments and will provide valuable data for upscaling and field application.