Effect of fluid saturation on the shear modulus of artificial clay-rich tight sandstones.

For many geophysical problems it is important to understand the influence of clay on the elastic behaviour of the rocks. However, this is difficult to measure because the complex petrophysical characteristics of tight sandstones make it challenging to control the clay parameters in natural samples. In this study, we synthesized nine tight sandstones with different clay types and content. Ultrasonic measurements and theoretical simulations were then used to analyse the influence of clay on the elastic modulus of brine saturated samples. We found that the shear modulus of smectite-rich samples decreased drastically after saturation, while the decrease observed in kaolinite-rich samples was relatively low. We propose that the reduction in surface energy caused by surface-particle clay hydration is a common mechanism that leads to shear softening in both kaolinite-rich and smectite-rich samples. However, the contact deformation caused by cation hydration of smectite is the primary mechanism leading to greater shear softening of tight sandstones containing smectite. Although the differential Kuster–Toksöz model is based on idealized pore shapes, a dual-porosity scheme can be used to explain and simulate the shear softening of artificial clay-rich tight sandstones. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]