Effect of long-term pore pressure evolution on the integrity of cement plugs of abandoned oil wells in CCS sites

In Carbon Capture Storage (CCS) sites, an important element of risk to be considered is the integrity of the cement seals of the abandoned wells in the reservoir [1]. The main goal of abandonment procedure once the life of a well is completed is to provide an effective isolation of the reservoir fluids in order to reduce environmental risk of...

Numerical Modelling of Two-Phase Flow in Fractured Rock Masses Using Zero-Thickness Interface Elements

In recent years, the authors and co-workers have developed a 3D finite element model for coupled thermo-hydro-mechanical (THM) problems in fractured rock masses. Zero-thickness interface elements are used for taking into account explicitly the effect of fractures and discontinuities in the fluid flow as well as the effect of fluid pressure in...

3D zero-thickness interface model for fracture of cement-based materials with chemical degradation

In the framework of the Finite Element Method, zero-thickness interface elements have been widely used to model fracturing processes in quasi-brittle materials in a broad variety of problems. In particular, interface elements equipped with elastoplastic constitutive laws that account for the softening of the material strength parameters due...

Model for alkali-silica reaction expansions in concrete using zero-thickness chemo-mechanical interface elements

Alkali-Silica Reaction (ASR) is a particular type of chemical reaction in concrete, which produces cracking and overall expansion of the affected structural element due to the formation of expansive reaction products within the cracks. This paper develops the formulation of a coupled Chemo-Mechanical (C-M) Finite Element (FE) model for...