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\begin{document}

\title{Seal Capacity, Force Chains, and Percolation in Silt-Clay Mixtures}



\author[1]{Abhishek Bihani}%
\author[1]{Hugh Daigle}%
\affil[1]{University of Texas at Austin}%


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  \date{May 17, 2024}


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\begin{abstract}
Mudrocks serve as geological seals for carbon sequestration or
hydrocarbon formation where mudrock capillary seals having high
capillary entry pressure prevent leakage of underlying fluids. However,
seal failure can occur if the trapped nonwetting fluid escapes by porous
flow or by induced tensile fractures caused by elevated nonwetting phase
pressures. Since mudrocks are mainly composed of silt and clay size
grains, a silt bridging effect has been observed when there are
sufficiently abundant silt size grains. This effect creates force chains
across the rock to help preserve large pores and throats and can reduce
the sealing capacity of a mudrock. We used network models and discrete
element (DEM) models to determine the conditions under which silt
abundance will cause a mudrock seal to fail and allow a non-wetting
fluid like CO\textsubscript{2} or natural gas to flow. We show that when
larger grains in a grain pack become 40-60 \% of total grain volume, the
drainage capillary pressure curves display two percolation thresholds,
and the percolation threshold transitions to a lower value allowing seal
failure even below tensile fracture pressure. The DEM compaction
simulations found that strong force chains are mostly formed across
grain contacts between large grains and their neighbors and not between
small grains, which decreases coordination numbers and shields pore
space from compaction before reaching a stress limit. Thus, through
better understanding of grain concentrations and sizes on fluid flow
behavior, we can improve risk management efforts in anthropogenic
storage and estimates of reserve capacity of reservoirs.%
\end{abstract}%



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