Porosity and permeability of Eastern Devonian gas shale

Journal Article · Tue Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1988 · SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) Format. Eval.; (United States)

DOI:https://doi.org/10.2118/15213-PA· OSTI ID:7244188

Soeder, D J

High-precision core analysis has been performed on eight Devonian gas shale samples from the Appalachian basin. Seven of the core samples consist of the Upper Devonian Age Huron member of the Ohio shale, six of which came from wells in the Ohio River valley, and the seventh from a well in east-central Kentucky. The eight core sample consists of Middle Devonian Age Marcellus shale obtained from a well in Morgantown, WV. The core analysis was originally intended to supply accurate input data for Devonian shale numerical reservoir simulation. Unexpectedly, the work has identified a number of geological factors that influence gas production from organic-rich shales. The presence of petroleum as a mobile liquid phase in the pores of all seven Huron shale samples effectively limits the gas porosity of this formation to less than 0.2%, and gas permeability of the rock matrix is commonly less than 0.1 ..mu..d at reservoir stress. The Marcellus shale core, on the other hand, was free of a mobile liquid phase and had a measured gas porosity of approximately 10%, and a surprisingly high permeability of 20 ..mu..d. Gas permeability of the Marcellus was highly stress-dependent, however; doubling the net confining stress reduced the permeability by nearly 70%. The conclusion reached from this study is that the gas productivity potential of Devonian shale in the Appalachian basin is influenced by a wide range of geologic factors. Organic content, thermal maturity, natural fracture spacing, and stratigraphic relationships between gray and black shales all affect gas content and mobility. Understanding these factors can improve the exploration and development of Devonian shale gas.

• Research Organization: Inst. of Gas Technology (US)
• OSTI ID: 7244188
• Journal Information: SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) Format. Eval.; (United States), Journal Name: SPE (Society of Petroleum Engineers) Format. Eval.; (United States) Vol. 3:1; ISSN SFEVE
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
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BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
BLACK SHALES
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHATTANOOGA FORMATION
DRILL CORES
ENERGY SOURCES
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PERMEABILITY
POROSITY
RESERVOIR ROCK
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SAMPLING
SATURATION