Behaviour of carbonate reservoir rocks under hydrostatic cyclic loading for hydrogen storage application

Abstract:

Geological hydrogen storage provides a large-scale and long-term solution to balance the seasonal supply-demand mismatch of renewable energy [1-2]. This work aims to investigate potential performance changes in porous carbonate reservoir rocks under cyclic pressure induced by hydrogen injection and extraction. Triaxial tests under various hydrostatic cyclic loading paths, with continuous permeability measurement, are conducted on Saint-Maximin limestone (SML) samples [3] to observe the mechanical degradation and permeability evolution. The results show that 1000 cycles within the elastic zone result in minor of irreversible porosity reduction, while permeability remains relatively stable. However, even minimal excursions past the plastic onset P* lead to a noticeable deterioration in the properties of the SML over subsequent cycles, characterized by significant plastic deformation, creep and decreased permeability. A constitutive model calibrated by the multi-stage creep loading test and the constant-amplitude cyclic loading test is developed to distinguish time-dependent and cyclic-dependent deformations. These findings demonstrate that the historical maximum stress dictates the activation of damage processes, while the cycling intensifies existing damage accumulation without altering the intrinsic damage characteristics. Consequently, controlling the maximum stress level within the reservoir rock emerges as a crucial parameter in the engineering design of hydrogen storage reservoirs.

References:

[1] Heinemann, N., Booth, M.G., Haszeldine, R.S., Wilkinson, M., Scafidi, J., Edlmann, K., 2018. Hydrogen storage in porous geological formations – onshore play opportunities in the midland valley (Scotland, UK). International Journal of Hydrogen Energy 43, 20861–20874.

[2] Thiyagarajan, S.R., Emadi, H., Hussain, A., Patange, P., Watson, M., 2022. A comprehensive review of the mechanisms and efficiency of underground hydrogen storage. Journal of Energy Storage 51, 104490.

[3] Abdallah, Y., Sulem, J., Bornert, M., Ghabezloo, S., Stefanou, I., 2021. Compaction Banding in High-Porosity Carbonate Rocks: 1. Experimental Observations. Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth 126, e2020JB020538.

Short bio:

Zhaochen began his PhD at Navier Laboratory in October 2023 after graduating as an engineer from Ecole Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, under supervision of Prof. Jean SULEM and Dr. Philipp BRAUN. His research focuses on the geomechanical behavior of porous reservoir rocks in the context of geological hydrogen storage.