CO2注入多断裂切穿型含水层的地质力学响应研究

Geomechanical responses of CO2 injection into an aquifer penetrated by multiple faults

  • 摘要: CO2地质埋存(GCS)是各国缓解温室气体效应、实现“双碳目标”的重要手段。然而,向地层中大规模或过大速率地注入CO2可能使注入地层超压,进而改变断层或先存裂缝的抗剪强度,引起地面变形和诱发地震,给GCS工程带来环境风险。评估CO2注入引起的地质力学效应是GCS风险评估不可或缺的内容。本研究基于夹杂理论和格林函数方法,发展了前人的单断层力学评估方法,使其能够评估三条断层切穿型储层的大规模CO2注入问题。基于本研究提出的解析解开发了函数封装的模块化PYTHON脚本工具程序,使之可采用库仑破坏应力评估断层滑动段的埋深分布和断层最大滑动段长度,进而初步评估不同注入工况和场地条件下可能引发的最大诱发地震震级,识别最大诱发地震震级的主要受控因素。基于对案例解析解的分析得出以下几点结论:注入使得水平位移集中在断层左右同时与储层和围岩(上覆和下伏地层)接触的埋深段,而垂向位移随深度匀滑递变。由于侧限作用,注入导致储层同时向盖层和底层两个方向膨胀;注入导致储层内水平方向的应变增量为负而垂向应变增量为正。水平正应变显著集中于断层上盘的下伏围岩和断层上盘的上覆围岩中,垂直正应变亦有类似规律但符号相反;储层膨胀导致储层内岩石受压缩正应力作用。水平正应力仅在断层上盘的储层下伏围岩和断层下盘的储层上覆围岩中局部范围为正值,而垂直正应力在断层与储层相交段的附近围岩区出现应力集中,可见这些部位围岩受拉张作用。CO2注入导致切应力增量在断层的四个奇异点附近集中。断层地震风险(最大滑动段长度、最大诱发地震震级)与断层相对于注入中心的距离有关,受控的主要力学参数包括Biot系数、泊松比以及初始应力和孔隙压力。

     

    Abstract: Geological CO2 sequestration (GCS) is an important means for human society to alleviate greenhouse gas effects and achieve the so-called ‘dual carbon goals’, namely the ‘carbon peeking’ and ‘carbon neutrality’. However, injecting CO2 into geologic formations on a large scale or at excessive rates may cause overpressure in the injected formation, which may in turn alter the shear strength of the intersected faults or preexisting fractures, posing environmental risks to GCS engineering by triggering ground surface deformation and/or induced seismicity. The pore pressure buildup caused by fluid injection and production is an important cause for ground deformation and induced seismicity. Evaluation of the geomechanical effects caused by CO2 injection is an indispensable part of GCS risk assessment. Based on the inclusion theory and Green’s function method, the existing analytical solutions for evaluating the geomechanics of a single fault has been expanded, to enables it to evaluate geomechanical effects associated with large-scale CO2 injection into reservoirs penetrated by three faults. A modular PYTHON-scripted utility tool composed of tens of functions was developed based on the analytical solution proposed in this study, which enables rapid assessment of the distribution of the fault slip patches and the maximum size of the fault slip patch. The maximum moment magnitude of induced earthquakes can be estimated for various injection scenarios and site settings. The major controlling factors of the seismic risks can be identified as well. Based on the analysis of case studies, the following conclusions are drawn: Injection causes horizontal displacement to concentrate on the burial depths of the fault that simultaneously contacts the reservoir and the surrounding rock (i.e., the overlying and underlying formation units), while vertical displacement varies uniformly with depth. Due to lateral confinement, injection causes the reservoir to expand in both the caprock and baserock directions simultaneously. Injection results in a negative horizontal strain increment and a positive vertical strain increment within the reservoir. The horizontal normal strain is significantly concentrated in the surrounding rock below the hanging wall of the fault and the overlying surrounding rock above the hanging wall of the fault. While the vertical normal strain follows a similar pattern to the horizontal normal strain, it has opposite signs. The expansion of the reservoir causes the rocks inside the reservoir to be subject to compressive normal stress. The horizontal normal stress only has a positive range in the surrounding rock below the reservoir on the upper wall of the fault and the surrounding rock above the reservoir on the lower wall of the fault, while the vertical normal stress shows stress concentration in the surrounding rock area near the intersection of the fault and the reservoir, indicating that the surrounding rock in these areas is subject to tensile stress. CO2 injection leads to the concentration of shear stress increment near the four singularities of the fault. The risks of on-fault seismicity (i.e., the maximum fault slip size and the maximal moment magnitude) are relevant to the distance of the fault to the injection center. The major controlling geomechanical parameters of the induced seismicity include the Biot coefficient, Poission’s ratio, and the initial stresses and the initial pore pressure.

     

/

返回文章
返回