Salinity-dependent strength and stress-strain characteristics of reservoir rocks in deep saline aquifers: An experimental study

Abstract

This paper presents an experimental study of the effects of salinity on the mechanical properties of reservoir rocks in deep saline aquifers. Nineteen sandstone specimens saturated in NaCl brines of varying salinity concentrations (0%, 10%, 20%, and 30% NaCl by weight) were tested in a uniaxial compression testing machine and the corresponding fracture propagation patterns were recorded using an advanced acoustic emission (AE) system. The stress-strain curves were analysed, with the simultaneous recording of the acoustic signals and the failure mode. In addition, a digital image correlation system, ARAMIS, was used to measure the lateral and axial strains during the loading period. Scanning ..