{"title":"Thermomechanical response and crack evolution of sandstone at elevated temperatures","authors":"Amulya Ratna Roul , Vikram Vishal","doi":"10.1016/j.gete.2024.100603","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Understanding the thermomechanical response of rock at high temperatures is crucial for various energy applications such as underground coal gasification and geothermal systems. The study investigated the effects of temperature, mineral composition, and grain size on crack initiation (CI) and crack damage (CD) thresholds in Jodhpur sandstones using uniaxial compressive strength with acoustic emission, Brazilian tensile strength, and thermogravimetric analysis subjected to elevated temperatures. The study revealed distinct patterns in crack initiation stress threshold ratios (CISTR) and crack damage stress threshold ratios (CDSTR) influenced by mineral composition and grain size under temperature treatments. Ferruginous quartz arenite exhibited an inverse relationship between quartz content and crack initiation/damage stress thresholds, while siliceous quartz arenite and subarkose showed a positive correlation. The established variation is attributed to the differing grain boundary strengths among the minerals. Comparative analysis of crack thresholds with the minerals, excluding quartz and feldspar, revealed complex relationships with clay and other minerals. Finer-grained sandstones showed direct proportionality in CI and CISTR with clay content, while coarser sandstones exhibited an inverse relationship. Additionally, the study highlighted differential trends in toughness parameters and CISTR, emphasizing the role of grain size and heat-treatment conditions in governing stress thresholds. Significant chemical changes, including quartz phase shifts and kaolinite/muscovite dehydroxylation, occurred in sandstones at 500–600°C. The presence of kaolinite/hematite in ferruginous quartz arenite caused the increased mass loss in pure O<sub>2</sub> due to kaolinite breakdown, while siliceous quartz arenite exhibited a greater mass loss in standard conditions. The findings suggest that quartz content does not consistently enhance rock strength under heat treatment, particularly in the presence of significant clay minerals, leading to an inverse quartz-rock strength relationship in ferruginous quartz arenites. The study provides valuable insights into the thermomechanical behavior of sandstones, which is crucial for assessing rock stability and durability in energy applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":56008,"journal":{"name":"Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment","volume":"40 ","pages":"Article 100603"},"PeriodicalIF":3.3000,"publicationDate":"2024-10-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Geomechanics for Energy and the Environment","FirstCategoryId":"5","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352380824000704","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"工程技术","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"ENERGY & FUELS","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Understanding the thermomechanical response of rock at high temperatures is crucial for various energy applications such as underground coal gasification and geothermal systems. The study investigated the effects of temperature, mineral composition, and grain size on crack initiation (CI) and crack damage (CD) thresholds in Jodhpur sandstones using uniaxial compressive strength with acoustic emission, Brazilian tensile strength, and thermogravimetric analysis subjected to elevated temperatures. The study revealed distinct patterns in crack initiation stress threshold ratios (CISTR) and crack damage stress threshold ratios (CDSTR) influenced by mineral composition and grain size under temperature treatments. Ferruginous quartz arenite exhibited an inverse relationship between quartz content and crack initiation/damage stress thresholds, while siliceous quartz arenite and subarkose showed a positive correlation. The established variation is attributed to the differing grain boundary strengths among the minerals. Comparative analysis of crack thresholds with the minerals, excluding quartz and feldspar, revealed complex relationships with clay and other minerals. Finer-grained sandstones showed direct proportionality in CI and CISTR with clay content, while coarser sandstones exhibited an inverse relationship. Additionally, the study highlighted differential trends in toughness parameters and CISTR, emphasizing the role of grain size and heat-treatment conditions in governing stress thresholds. Significant chemical changes, including quartz phase shifts and kaolinite/muscovite dehydroxylation, occurred in sandstones at 500–600°C. The presence of kaolinite/hematite in ferruginous quartz arenite caused the increased mass loss in pure O2 due to kaolinite breakdown, while siliceous quartz arenite exhibited a greater mass loss in standard conditions. The findings suggest that quartz content does not consistently enhance rock strength under heat treatment, particularly in the presence of significant clay minerals, leading to an inverse quartz-rock strength relationship in ferruginous quartz arenites. The study provides valuable insights into the thermomechanical behavior of sandstones, which is crucial for assessing rock stability and durability in energy applications.
期刊介绍:
The aim of the Journal is to publish research results of the highest quality and of lasting importance on the subject of geomechanics, with the focus on applications to geological energy production and storage, and the interaction of soils and rocks with the natural and engineered environment. Special attention is given to concepts and developments of new energy geotechnologies that comprise intrinsic mechanisms protecting the environment against a potential engineering induced damage, hence warranting sustainable usage of energy resources.
The scope of the journal is broad, including fundamental concepts in geomechanics and mechanics of porous media, the experiments and analysis of novel phenomena and applications. Of special interest are issues resulting from coupling of particular physics, chemistry and biology of external forcings, as well as of pore fluid/gas and minerals to the solid mechanics of the medium skeleton and pore fluid mechanics. The multi-scale and inter-scale interactions between the phenomena and the behavior representations are also of particular interest. Contributions to general theoretical approach to these issues, but of potential reference to geomechanics in its context of energy and the environment are also most welcome.