Chemo-hydro-mechanical effects of CO2 injection on reservoir and seal rocks: A review on laboratory experiments

Geological carbon storage is one of the technologies required to arrive at ambitious yet realistic net-zero emission target and climate change neutrality. Injected CO2 in geological formations acidifies resident brine, inducing chemical reactions with minerals. Reactions may alter hydraulic mechanical properties rock have an impact on reservoir wellbore integrity, injectivity, long-term compaction caprock sealing capacity. We provide a comprehensive review chemo-hydro-mechanical (CHM) effects rocks, either intact or fractured, which been studied through laboratory experiments under no-flow open-flow conditions, i.e., batch flow-through experiments. The affected by geochemical processes comprise (a) physical influencing flow transport solutes (pore size distribution, porosity, permeability fracture aperture roughness), (b) multi-phase (capillary entry pressure relative permeability), (c) characteristics, including stiffness (i.e., elastic moduli for rocks normal fractures), strength (cohesion, friction angle toughness), poroelastic response (Biot's coefficient), (d) time-dependent behavior (compaction creep). alone cannot capture complex dynamics underground, but they critical insights into short-term alteration mechanisms implications geologic storage. Studying naturally altered extending tens-of-meters-scale underground laboratories, bringing together experimental observations numerical simulations are valuable advance understanding CHM upscaling them across space time.