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Characterization of Cement-Geomaterial Interfaces for Subsurface Applications

Steen, McKalee S.

Subsurface seals and wellbores are central to oil and gas production, as well as the containment of subsurface fluids (e.g. methane or CO2 storage). Studying the evolution of cement-geomaterial interfaces of such systems is important to further our understanding of the fundamental physics and chemistry that underpins catastrophic wellbore seal failure. The objective of this study is to characterize cementitious and geomaterials through pore structure analysis and geochemical modeling. A variety of methods exist to characterize the pore structures and mineralogy of porous systems like cements and subsurface host rocks. This study will utilize traditional porosimetry techniques such as BET and IP, as well as more advanced methods using electron image analysis, to gain a more accurate understanding of pore geometries. The results of this study can help further the understanding of how cementitious materials will evolve, and can be used as inputs to field scale models used to predict wellbore behavior over time.