Experimental study of potential wellbore cement carbonation by various phases of carbon dioxide during geologic carbon sequestration

Hydrated Portland cement was reacted with CO₂ in supercritical, gaseous and aqueous phases to understand the potential cement alteration processes along the length of a wellbore, extending from a deep CO₂ storage reservoir to the shallow subsurface during geologic carbon sequestration. The 3-D X-ray microtomography (XMT) images showed that the cement alteration was significantly more extensive with CO₂-saturated synthetic groundwater than dry or wet supercritical CO₂ at high P (10 MPa)-T (50 °C) conditions. Scanning electron microscopy with energy dispersive spectroscopy (SEM–EDS) analysis also exhibited a systematic Ca depletion and C enrichment in cement matrix exposed to CO₂-saturated groundwater. Integrated XMT, XRD and SEM–EDS analyses identified the formation of an extensive carbonated zone filled with CaCO₃(s), as well as a porous degradation front and an outermost silica-rich zone in cement after exposure to CO₂-saturated groundwater. Cement alteration by CO₂-saturated groundwater for 2–8 months overall decreased the porosity from 31% to 22% and the permeability by an order of magnitude. Cement alteration by dry or wet supercritical CO₂ was slow and minor compared to CO₂-saturated groundwater. A thin single carbonation zone was formed in cement after exposure to wet supercritical CO₂ for 8 months or dry supercritical CO₂ for 15 months. An extensive calcite coating was formed on the outside surface of a cement sample after exposure to wet gaseous CO₂ for 1–3 months. The chemical–physical characterization of hydrated Portland cement after exposure to various phases of CO₂ indicates that the extent of cement carbonation can be significantly heterogeneous depending on the CO₂ phase present in the wellbore environment. Both experimental and geochemical modeling results suggest that wellbore cement exposure to supercritical, gaseous and aqueous phases of CO₂ during geologic C sequestration is unlikely to damage the wellbore integrity because cement alteration by all phases of CO₂ is dominated by carbonation reactions. This is consistent with previous field studies of wellbore cement with extensive carbonation after exposure to CO₂ for three decades. However, XMT imaging indicates that preferential cement alteration by supercritical CO₂ or CO₂-saturated groundwater can occur along the cement–steel or cement–rock interfaces. This highlights the importance of further investigation of cement degradation along the interfaces of wellbore materials to ensure permanent geologic carbon storage.