Permeability Changes of Rocks and Their Replicas under Cyclic Loading

Summary Understanding the patterns of permeability changes under cyclic pressure is crucial for determining the most effective strategy for utilizing CO2 in underground reservoirs. While studying real rocks in cyclic experiments allows for consideration of actual geological conditions, it may not fully reveal the true deformation mechanisms. In order to gain a better understanding of the laws governing permeability changes under cyclic pressure, it is essential to conduct studies that enable precise control over experimental conditions and the characteristics of the media being studied. Traditionally, filtration have been studied using sand or glass bead models, as well as rock samples. While bulk models offer the advantage of controlling grain sizes, they are limited in their usefulness under cyclic loading due to grain destruction. Experiments conducted with real rocks may be subject to distortion from external factors such as changes in physicochemical state during reactive flow, pore blocking from colloid migration, and plastic deformations. As a result, accurately describing patterns of permeability changes under cyclic loading of rocks poses challenges. To mitigate the influence of these factors on the reliability of experimental studies, this paper suggests the use of 3D printed rock replicas and conducts a comparative assessment of this approach.