| Popis: |
The compaction and diagenesis of sandstones that form reservoirs to hydrocarbons depend on mechanical compaction processes, fluid flow at local and regional scales, and chemical processes of dissolution, precipitation and diffusional solution transport. The compaction and distortional deformation of quartz aggregates exposed to reactive aqueous fluids have been investigated experimentally at varying critical and subcritical stress states and time scales. Pore fluid compositions and reaction rates during deformation have been measured and compared with creep rates. Relative contributions of mechanical and chemical processes to deformation and pore structure evolution have been evaluated using acoustic emission (AE) measurements and scanning electron microscope (SEM) observations. At the subcritical conditions investigated, creep rates and acoustic emission rates fit transient logarithmic creep laws. Based on AE and SEM observations, we conclude that intragranular cracking and grain rearrangement are the dominant strain mechanisms. Specimens show little evidence of stress-enhanced solution transfer. At long times under wet conditions, the dominant strain mechanism gradually shifts from critical cracking at grain contacts with high stress concentrations to fluid-assisted sub-critical cracking. |
