Heave of a surficial rock layer due to pressures generated by injected fluids

Abstract

This paper examines the problem of heave developed in a surface or caprock layer of a storage formation due to the injection of pressurized fluids at depth. The problem is of interest to the deep geologic disposal of hazardous wastes and the geologic sequestration of carbon dioxide by injection. The paper develops a mathematical model that assumes elastic behavior of the storage medium while the surface rock layer is modeled as a thin plate. Elastic solutions are developed for the axisymmetric flexure deflections of the surface layer during internal pressurization over a flat circular region. The model provides a convenient tool for the preliminary estimation of the influence of injection pressures on the integrity of surface rock layers.