Influence of Reservoir Stress Path on Deformation and Permeability of Weakly Cemented Sandstone Reservoirs

Abstract

The influence of production-induced changes in reservoir stress state on compressibility and permeability of weakly cemented sandstones has been analyzed. Laboratory experiments simulating reservoir depletion have been conducted for the full range of stress paths that a reservoir may follow. Samples were loaded by reducing the pore pressure and controlling the confining pressure according to the desired stress path from initial reservoir conditions. The results show that compressibility of weakly cemented sandstones are stress path dependent. Compressibilities measured under uniaxial strain conditions, or a stress path with a K value lower than the one associated with uniaxial strain, are more than twice the corresponding value found under hydrostatic loading conditions. In contrast, matrix permeability measured in the maximum stress direction show no significant stress path dependence. Independently of stress path, the observed permeability reductions fall within the general trend expected for a sedimentary rock of relatively high initial permeability. A significant permeability decrease was only observed as the shear stress exceeded the yield limit of the rock, probably due to both mobilization of fine arains and an increase in tortuosity due to collapse of pore space. Results of this study suggest that stress path dependent properties of weakly cemented sandstonesmore » is a consequence of the heterogeneous nature of the sedimentary rock. Material properties are affected by grain-scale inelastic deformation processes and the pattern of these deformation processes is primarily controlled by reservoir stress path.« less