Phase-field study of pore space cementation in polycrystalline quartz sandstone

Lithification of carbonate sediments under saline conditions involves complex physical, chemical and biological processes. Among a wide range of diagenetic processes that have resulted in the formation of carbonate rocks such as Devonian fore-reef limestones of Germany, cementation has been identified as a predominant phenomenon that alters the microstructure of rocks. Present work deals with investigating the influence of initial grain size of carbonate sediments on the overgrowth kinetics of calcite cements precipitating from a supersaturated geothermal fluid whilst tracking the grain boundary interactions at micro-scale using a multiphase-field model. The capability of present modeling approach in simulating dynamics of calcite cementation in 3D is demonstrated based on post-processing analyses of cemented microstructures and advanced visualization techniques.