Rock Properties of Silurian Niagaran Reef Carbonates in Michigan After CO2 Injection
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Date
2018-05
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The Ohio State University
Abstract
Carbon capture utilization and storage (CCUS) technologies have been implemented to extract hydrocarbons from depleted oil and gas reservoirs in the northern Silurian Niagaran reef trend in the Michigan Basin. This project analyzed rock properties from trim and intact core samples from a well that experienced CO2 injection, and the rock properties were correlated with depth and diagenesis. Three thin sections from different depths, made from trim samples, were imaged using both digital and polarizing light microscopes. Images were used to analyze fractures, porosity, and mineralogy across the slides. The same features were analyzed for the intact core using X-ray CT and micro X-ray CT scans. All samples were examined with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray diffraction (XRD) for microtextural, microanalytical, and bulk mineralogical analysis. The samples did not show strong correlations between porosity and depth. As depth increased, the amount of organic matter tended to decrease, and the amount of salt tended to increase. Two of the trim samples and the intact core have areas of the matrix that are disrupted by complex fracture systems that connect small pore spaces. Along the fractures and in the pore spaces, there is evidence of second generation precipitates of salts and carbonates. This suggests that these samples have undergone complex diagenesis over time after lithification. Further research is needed to understand whether or not CO2 had an impact on development of fractures, dissolution, and mineralization.
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Keywords
Silurian Niagaran Reef Carbonates, Carbon capture utilization and storage, X-ray diffraction, mineralogy, carbonate diagenesis, scanning electron microscopy