Laboratory measurement of deformation-induced hydro-mechanical properties of reservoir rock in deep saline aquifers: An experimental study of Hawkesbury formation

摘要

The long-term integrity of CO2 storage in deep saline aquifers has become uncertain due to the unsteady character of surrounding factors, and the time-dependent nature of the aquifer's overburden load (the vertical stress imposed on the aquifer by the weight of overlying materials (rock/soil layers), which may vary over time as a result of natural incidents such landslides and earthquakes) is critical. The aim of this study is to identify the influence of overburden load variations on the long-term integrity of the CO2 storage process in deep saline aquifers. High-pressure tri-axial strength and permeability tests, along with acoustic emission (AE) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) analyses, were conducted on Hawkesbury sandstone obtained from the Gosford basin.