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Dynamic mechanical response characteristics of coal upon exposure to KCl brine

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Abstract

During hydraulic fracturing, the coal matrix is continually exposed to injected fluids, and the resulting chemical interactions significantly impact the coal seam′s mechanical response. However, there is still a lack of quantitative evaluation and mechanistic understanding of such exposures and the associated interactions. Here we investigate the dynamic mechanical response of coal samples after exposure to different concentrations of KCl brine. To this end, the dynamic compressive strength and elastic modulus of coal are measured as a function of KCl brine concentrations (1–3 wt%), exposure times (24 h and 72 h), and impact velocity (4.502–9.504 m/s) using split Hopkinson pressure bar (SHPB) tests. Fractal analysis of the experimental observations is also performed. The results indicate that coal's dynamic mechanical properties, including dynamic compressive strength, stress–strain relationship, and typical failure mode, are closely related to the impact loading rate. Importantly, we find that the dynamic elastic modulus of the coal decreases with prolonged exposure to a higher concentration of KCl brine. Also, with the action of low salinity fracturing fluid, the fractal dimension D of the coal sample shows a downward trend. These findings will help understand the change of dynamic mechanical properties in deep coal seams during fracturing fluid injection, which is significant in preventing pre-mature fracture closure, borehole collapse, and gas outbursts.

Article highlights

  1. 1.

    Mechanistic testing and quantitative evaluation of dynamic responses of coal exposures to KCL brine.

  2. 2.

    Dynamic compressive strength and elastic modulus of coal are measured as a function of KCl brine concentrations, exposure times and impact velocity.

  3. 3.

    Fractal dimension factor method was introduced to analyze crushing characteristics of coal under different loading conditions.

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Acknowledgements

This research is supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (51804287). The authors want to express their gratitude for this foundation. The authors would also like to acknowledge Associate Professor **e Bei**g's group at the Laboratory of Dynamic Load Damage Parameters Testing on Coal Rock, China University of Mining and Technology (Bei**g), for their support and assistance.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. College of Quality and Safety Engineering, China Jiliang University, Hangzhou, 310018, China

    **aomeng Xu & Jiafeng Liu

  2. College of Special Equipment, Hangzhou Vocational & Technical College, Hangzhou, 310018, China

    **nfeng **

  3. James Watt School of Engineering, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK

    Yihuai Zhang

  4. Department of Petroleum Engineering, Khalifa University, 2533, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates

    Muhammad Arif

  5. Department of Intelligent Architecture, Zhejiang College of Security Technology, Wenzhou, 325016, China

    Chen Wang

  6. School of Engineering, Edith Cowan University, 270 Joondalup Drive, Joondalup, 6027, Australia

    Stefan Iglauer

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  1. **aomeng Xu
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Xu, X., Liu, J., **, X. et al. Dynamic mechanical response characteristics of coal upon exposure to KCl brine. Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour. 8, 174 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40948-022-00491-2

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