• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.101-115
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• 2016

We carried out laboratory material tests on two cements (KS-1 ordinary Portland and Class G) with changing W/S (Water/Solid) and the content of fly ash in order to evaluate their physical and mechanical properties. The specimens of KS-1 ordinary Portland cement were prepared with varying W/S (Solid=cement) in weight, while those of Class G cement were prepared with changing the content of fly ash in volume but maintaining W/S (Solid=cement+fly ash). The results of the material tests show that as the W/S in KS-1 ordinary Portland cement and the content of fly ash in Class G cement increase, the properties (density, sonic wave velocity, elastic constants, compressive and tensile strengths, thermal conductivity) decrease, but porosity and specific heat increase. In addition, an increase in confining pressure and in the content of fly ash leads to plastic failure behavior of the cements. The laboratory data were then used in a stability analysis of cement sheath for which an analytical solution for computing the stress distribution induced around a cased, cemented well was employed. The analysis was carried out with varying the injection well parameters such as thickness of casing and cement, injection pressure, dip and dip direction of injection well, and depth of injection well. The analysis results show that cement sheath is stable in the cases of relatively lower injection pressures and inclined and horizontal wells. However, in the other cases, it is damaged by mainly tensile failure.

• The Journal of Engineering Geology
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• v.26 no.1
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• pp.117-128
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• 2016

Chemical reaction tests were performed to assess the properties of hardened specimens of cement pastes (KS-1 Portland and Class G) exposed to supercritical CO₂ for 1, 10, and 100 days. After exposure, the samples' measured permeability and strength were compared with values measured for pristine samples. The pristine cements had permeabilities of 0.009~0.025 mD, which increased by one order of magnitude after 100 days of exposure (to 0.11~0.29 mD). The enhancement of permeability is attributed to the stress release experienced by the samples after removal from the pressure vessel after exposure. Despite its enhancement, the measured permeability mostly remained lower than the API (American Petroleum Institute) recommended maximum value of 0.2 mD. The degradation of the cement samples due to exposure to supercritical CO₂ led to a layer of altered material advancing inwards from the sample edges. The Vickers hardness in the altered zone was much higher than that in the unaltered zone, possibly owing to the increase in density and the decrease in porosity due to the carbonation that occurred in the altered zone. Hardness close to the edge within the altered zone was found to have decreased significantly, which is attributed to the conversion of C-S-H into less-strong amorphous silica.