Ultrasonic sensing of the mechanical fingerprint of reactive transport in rock

TL;DR

This study employs ultrasonic sensing and advanced imaging to monitor how reactive transport and mineralization affect the mechanical properties of sandstone, revealing microstructural causes of property degradation relevant for carbon storage monitoring.

Contribution

It introduces a full-field ultrasonic characterization method combined with a modified-error-in-constitutive-relation approach to analyze spatially-heterogeneous changes in rock properties during reactive transport.

Findings

Young's modulus decreases with mineralization

Attenuation increases due to mineralization

Microcracking and pore filling drive property changes

Abstract

Mineral carbon storage in rock formations has gained significant interest in recent years. In principle, changes in mechanical rock properties driven by carbon mineralization could be quantified using seismic methods, opening the door toward field monitoring of (the progress of) carbon storage. However, these changes may vary spatially within a rock mass when reactive transport occurs. In this vein, full-field ultrasonic characterization of reacted specimens can help shed light on the process. We use a 3D Scanning Laser Doppler Vibrometer to perform full-field monitoring of one-dimensional (1D) ultrasonic waves in rod-shaped sandstone specimens exposed to NaCl-rich fluid. Our initial experiments were conducted on intact sandstone specimens with high aspect ratio (length/diameter $\simeq 15$) to cater for 1D axial wave propagation. To investigate the evolution of the Young's modulus and attenuation of rock due to reactive transport, we exposed the specimens to an under-saturated NaCl solution, achieving supersaturation -- and so mineralization -- through evaporation. The upward movement of the fluid, supplied at the bottom of each specimen, was achieved through capillary action. We deploy an elastography-type approach to back-analysis, known as modified-error-in-constitutive-relation (MECR) approach, to expose the spatially-heterogeneous evolution of mechanical rock properties due to reactive transport. Our results consistently demonstrate (i) degradation of the Young's modulus, and (ii) increase in attenuation due to mineralization. To better understand the root causes of these changes, we made use of the X-ray micro-computed tomography ($\mu$CT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM) of selected cross-sections. The grain-scale information suggests that microcracking (resp. pore filling) is predominantly (resp. partly) responsible for the observed macroscopic changes.