Geopolymer as well cement and its mechanical integrity under deep down-hole stress conditions: application for carbon capture and storage wells

With regard to the safety, environmental
impact and sustainability of carbon capture and
storage (CCS) projects, the integrity of injection
and production wells plays a major role. In a CCS
project, mechanical integrity of well cement should
be maintained to sustain the required mechanical
strength throughout the life of an oil/gas and CO2
sequestration well. One of the major issues with
existing Portland cement based oil well cement is
cement degradation in CO2-rich environment. On the
other hand, geopolymer cement possesses excellent
acid resistant characteristics, shows higher mechanical
strength and durability and demonstrates lower
permeability. Therefore, this research work focused
on studying the mechanical integrity of geopolymers
under two different down-hole conditions: (1) effect
of CO2 on mechanical behaviour of geopolymers and
(2) hydraulic fracturing of geopolymers to study the