Advances in Gas Adsorption and Porosity for Enhanced Recovery of Shale Gas

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 July 2024) | Viewed by 4087

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Petrochina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing, China
Interests: shale gas geology; shale sedimentology; biostratigraphy

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Petrochina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing, China
Interests: shale gas geology; rock experiment technologies; gas adsorption
School of Geoscience and Technology, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu, China
Interests: shale gas development; petrophysics; rock mechanics

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Shale gas has been commercially developed in many countries. Due to the high cost of shale gas development, enhanced recovery and EUR have became key engineering and scientific issues. The pore development characteristics and gas bearing properties of shale are key basic parameters for evaluating reservoir characteristics and optimizing development mode. In recent years, some important progress has been made in the field of shale gas adsorption and porosity characterization, which is of great significance for improving the accuracy of shale gas reservoir evaluation and further enhancing the recovery of shale gas.

We invite investigators to submit original research articles, case studies, and review papers to address the most significant challenges and advances in gas adsorption and porosity for the enhanced recovery of shale gas. This Special Issue will compile characterization data and applications of modern methods and techniques to model gas adsorption and porosity development processes relevant to shale gas reservoirs.

Prof. Dr. Hongyan Wang
Dr. Shangwen Zhou
Dr. Jian Xiong
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • shale gas
  • gas adsorption
  • porosity test
  • enhanced recovery
  • reservoir characterization
  • gas storage
  • nanopore structure
  • experimental and modeling methods

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

22 pages, 9892 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Mechanism of Fracture Initiation and Propagation under Multi-Perforation Conditions in Hydraulic Fracturing
by Dongwei Ding, Wei Xiong, Wei Guo, Haiqing Yu and Keyuan Wang
Processes 2024, 12(5), 1002; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr12051002 - 15 May 2024
Viewed by 799
Abstract
To reveal the mechanism of hydraulic fracture initiation and propagation under the conditions of multiple perforations during horizontal well fracturing, we creatively conducted dual-hole fracturing experiments on small rock samples and established a two-dimensional model of a single cluster with multiple perforations in [...] Read more.
To reveal the mechanism of hydraulic fracture initiation and propagation under the conditions of multiple perforations during horizontal well fracturing, we creatively conducted dual-hole fracturing experiments on small rock samples and established a two-dimensional model of a single cluster with multiple perforations in a horizontal well based on the extended finite element method using the fluid–solid coupling equation, which was combined with the basic theory of damage mechanics. The biggest difference from previous research is that this model does not consider the hypothesis of stress shadows and only focuses on studying the initiation and propagation of multiple perforations in one cluster. We studied the effects of perforation parameters, stress state, and injection flow rate on the initiation and propagation of hydraulic fractures using this model. The experimental and simulation results indicate that under multi-perforation conditions, the number of fractures depends on the number of perforations. The simulation results show that when the spacing between perforations increases or the number of perforations reduces, the initiation time of perforation is advanced and the interference between fractures weakens, which is conducive to the initiation and propagation of hydraulic fractures. As the stress difference increases, the initiation time of perforation becomes earlier and the deflection angle of the outermost fractures becomes smaller, which is conducive to the parallel expansion of the fractures. Moreover, although this has little impact on the morphology of fractures with the rise in flow rate in simulation, it is beneficial for improving the initiation and propagation speed of fractures. The length of fractures also increases significantly at the same time point. In addition, both the experiments and simulations revealed that an increase in the flow rate could accelerate the initiation time of fractures. The proposed model can guide fracturing construction to optimize the design of perforation spacing during horizontal well fracturing, which can contribute to reducing development costs and improving the final production. Full article
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22 pages, 40368 KiB  
Article
Reservoir Space Characterization of Ordovician Wulalike Formation in Northwestern Ordos Basin, China
by Yuman Wang, Shangwen Zhou, Feng Liang, Zhengliang Huang, Weiling Li, Wei Yan and Wei Guo
Processes 2023, 11(9), 2791; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11092791 - 19 Sep 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 856
Abstract
The Ordovician Wulalike Formation in the northwestern Ordos Basin is a new prospect for exploring marine shale gas in China, facing prominent problems such as unclear reservoir conditions and the distribution of enrichment areas. The types of reservoir space, fracture development, porosity composition, [...] Read more.
The Ordovician Wulalike Formation in the northwestern Ordos Basin is a new prospect for exploring marine shale gas in China, facing prominent problems such as unclear reservoir conditions and the distribution of enrichment areas. The types of reservoir space, fracture development, porosity composition, and physical properties of the lower Wulalike Formation are discussed through the multi-method identification and quantitative evaluation of reservoir space for appraisal wells. The Wulalike Formation in the study area contained fractured shale reservoirs with matrix pores (mainly inorganic pores) and permeable fractures. The fracture system of the lower Wulalike Formation is dominated by open bed-parallel fractures that are intermittent or continuous individually, with a width of 0.1–0.2 mm and spacing of 0.5–14.0 cm. The fracture-developed intervals generally exhibit bimodal or multimodal features on NMR T2 spectra and have a dual-track feature with a positive amplitude difference in deep and shallow resistivity logs. The length and fracture porosity of fracture-developed intervals varied greatly in different parts of the study area. In the Majiatan-Gufengzhuang area in the southern part of the study area, the fracture development degree generally decreased from west to east. In the Shanghaimiao area in the central part of the study area, fractures were extremely developed, the continuous thickness of the fracture-developed interval was generally more than 20 m, and the average fracture porosity was higher than 1.3%. In the Tiekesumiao area in the northern part of the study area, the fracture development degree was generally lower than that in the central and southern parts of the study area and also showed a decreasing trend from west to east. The lower Wulalike Formation had a total porosity of 2.46–7.08% (avg. 4.71%), roughly similar to the Longmaxi Formation in the Sichuan Basin, of which matrix porosity accounts for 34.0–90.0% (avg. 61.1%) and fracture porosity accounts for 10.0–66.0% (avg. 38.9%). From this, it could be inferred that the shale gas accumulation type of the lower Wulalike Formation in the northwest margin of the basin is mainly a fractured shale gas reservoir controlled by structure, and its “sweet spot area” is mainly controlled by tectonic setting and preservation conditions. This indicates that the Wulalike Formation in the northwestern Ordos Basin has good shale gas exploration prospects, and a large number of fault anticlines or fault noses formed by reverse dipping faults have the potential of favorable exploration targets. Full article
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15 pages, 5585 KiB  
Article
Prediction of Marine Thin Shale Gas Reservoir with Seismic Phase-Controlled Nonlinear Stochastic Inversion
by Qingming Xie, Yanming Wu, Qian Huang, Yunbing Hu, Xiaoliang Hu, Xiaozai Guo, Dongming Jia and Bin Wu
Processes 2023, 11(8), 2301; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11082301 - 1 Aug 2023
Viewed by 948
Abstract
Due to the complicated interference sources and low signal-to-noise ratio of seismic records, conventional seismic inversion methods are difficult to accurately identify shale gas reservoirs with a thickness of less than 10 m. This presents great challenges to shale gas exploration and development [...] Read more.
Due to the complicated interference sources and low signal-to-noise ratio of seismic records, conventional seismic inversion methods are difficult to accurately identify shale gas reservoirs with a thickness of less than 10 m. This presents great challenges to shale gas exploration and development in China. Seismic phase-controlled nonlinear stochastic inversion (SPCNSI) is related to the heterogeneity of underground media. With the constraints of the stratigraphic sequence or seismic facies models, the minimum value between the seismic model and seismic record can be solved through iterative processes. Based on the solved acoustic velocity in formation, the constraints for SPCNSI can be formed with the matching relationship between target layers and different sequences in three-dimensional space. The prediction resolution of an unconventional reservoir can be effectively improved by combining logging, geological and seismic information. The method is suitable for predicting thin shale gas reservoirs in complex geological structures. In this study, SPCNSI was developed to predict the thin-layer marine shale gas reservoir in the southeast of Chongqing; the horizontal and vertical distribution characteristics were proven in the Longmaxi Formation and the Wufeng Formation; thin layers with a thickness of less than 7 m were also discovered. According to the results, three sets of potential development areas were determined by the inversion method, and the accuracy and reliability of the method were verified by logging and productivity testing. Full article
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14 pages, 10865 KiB  
Article
Paleoenvironment Comparison of the Longmaxi and Qiongzhusi Formations, Weiyuan Shale Gas Field, Sichuan Basin
by Qin Zhang, Feng Liang, Jingbo Zeng, Zhen Qiu, Shangwen Zhou, Wen Liu and Weiliang Kong
Processes 2023, 11(7), 2153; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr11072153 - 19 Jul 2023
Viewed by 999
Abstract
The Lower Cambrian Qiongzhusi formation and the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation are the two most important shale strata. Although differences between these two shales have become the focus of current research, a comparative study of the depositional environments has not been performed. Using [...] Read more.
The Lower Cambrian Qiongzhusi formation and the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation are the two most important shale strata. Although differences between these two shales have become the focus of current research, a comparative study of the depositional environments has not been performed. Using cores of both Longmaxi and Qiongzhusi formations of well W201, the in situ comparison of the sedimentary environment was realized, and the interference of other factors was eliminated, which made the results more reliable. In this study, 72 samples from both formations were collected from well W201, Weiyuan shale gas field, Sichuan Basin. A systematic study, including total organic carbon (TOC) content, mineral composition, and major/trace elemental analyses, was conducted to elucidate the paleoenvironments of the Qiongzhusi and Longmaxi formations. The results show both formations were deposited in non-sulfidic environments. The depositional conditions of the Longmaxi formation varied from reducing to oxidizing from bottom to top. The detrital flow happened during the deposition of the Qiongzhusi formation, which resulted in three stages of the redox conditions, from anoxic to oxic and then to anoxic from bottom to top of the Qiongzhusi formation. The anoxic conditions of the Qiongzhusi formation were considerably stronger than those of the Longmaxi formation. Both formations were deposited in warm and humid climates. Ratios of Eu/Eu*, Y/Y*, LaN/YbN, light rare earth element (LREE) and heavy rare earth element (HREE) revealed that the Longmaxi formation was primarily controlled by seawater, whereas the Qiongzhusi formation was jointly influenced by seawater and hydrothermal fluid. The organic matter enrichment for the Longmaxi and Qiongzhusi formations was controlled by paleoproductivity and redox conditions. Due to the slightly lower paleoproductivity and influence of detrital input, the degree of organic matter enrichment in the Qiongzhusi formation was lower than that in the Longmaxi formation. Full article
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