Geomechanical Characterization of Marcellus Shale
Author(s)
Ghazanfari, Ehsan; Asanza Izquierdo, Enrique; Villamor Lora, Rafael
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Understanding the reservoir conditions and material properties that govern the geomechanical behavior of shale formations under in situ conditions is of vital importance for many geomechanical applications. The development of new numerical codes and advanced multi-physical (thermo-hydro-chemo-mechanical) constitutive models has led to an increasing demand for fundamental material property data. Previous studies have shown that deformational rock properties are not single-value, well-defined, linear parameters. This paper reports on an experimental program that explores geomechanical properties of Marcellus Shale through a series of isotropic compression (i.e. σ[subscript 1] = σ [subscript 2] = σ[subscript 3]) and triaxial (i.e. σ[subscript 1] > σ[subscript 2] = σ[subscript 3]) experiments. Deformational and failure response of these rocks, as well as anisotropy evolution, were studied under different stress and temperature conditions using single- and multi-stage triaxial tests. Laboratory results revealed significant nonlinear and pressure-dependent mechanical response as a consequence of the rock fabric and the occurrence of microcracks in these shales. Moreover, multi-stage triaxial tests proved to be useful tools for obtaining failure envelopes using a single specimen. Furthermore, the anisotropic nature of Marcellus Shale was successfully characterized using a three-parameter coupled model.
Date issued
2016-04Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Civil and Environmental EngineeringJournal
Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering
Publisher
Springer Vienna
Citation
Villamor Lora, Rafael, Ehsan Ghazanfari, and Enrique Asanza Izquierdo. “Geomechanical Characterization of Marcellus Shale.” Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering 49.9 (2016): 3403–3424.
Version: Author's final manuscript
ISSN
0723-2632
1434-453X