Mechanisms of feldspar dissolution and associated authigenic mineral precipitation in coal measure tight sandstone reservoirs: Insights using a reaction-transport numerical model incorporating organic chelation
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Abstract
Feldspar dissolution plays a pivotal role in the development of reservoirs. However, our knowledge of the controlling mechanisms of organic chelation and the effect of other factors on feldspar dissolution and authigenic mineral precipitation in coal-measure reservoirs remain insufffcient. This study investigates the dissolution-precipitation mechanisms and their impacts on secondary porosity development through integrated petrological, geochemical and numerical simulation. Petrographic analysis reveals a distinctive spatial decoupling of feldspar dissolution and authigenic mineral precipitation: Sandstones adjacent to coal seams exhibit enhanced feldspar dissolution but limited kaolinite precipitation, whereas kaolinite peaks anomalously in mid-lithofacies zones. Through numerical simulations, signiffcant solute migration is revealed under the constraints of organic chelation at 65 and 100 ◦C, and the principal stage of effective secondary porosity development is identiffed as early diagenetic stage B to middle diagenetic stage A1. Organic acid, temperature and ffow rate are the key controlling factors on feldspar dissolution and authigenic mineral precipitation. Oxalic acid enhances feldspar dissolution via aqueous chelation and a reinforced proton-promoting mechanism, and the resultant Al-oxalate chelates suppress kaolinite precipitation. The feldspar dissolution rates increase exponentially with temperature elevation, driving subsequent authigenic mineral precipitation. Meanwhile, the ffow rate controls solute transport efffciency. Rapid ffow in low-temperature open systems facilitates long-distance solute export and inhibits mineral precipitation, whereas stagnant ffow in high-temperature closed systems constrains feldspar dissolution and enhances authigenic precipitation. Given the global prevalence of coal-measure reservoirs, the proposed dissolution-precipitation model provides critical insights for the evolution of secondary porosity in coal-measure sandstone reservoirs.
Document Type: Original article
Cited as: Huang, W., Xi, K., Cao, Y., Shan, X., Cui, Z., Hellevang, H. Mechanisms of feldspar dissolution and associated authigenic mineral precipitation in coal measure tight sandstone reservoirs: Insights using a reaction-transport numerical model incorporating organic chelation. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2025, 18(1): 51-68. https://doi.org/10.46690/ager.2025.10.05
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References
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.46690/ager.2025.10.05
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