Porosity and permeability of eastern Devonian gas shale

Conference · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1986

OSTI ID:6929205

Soeder, D J

High-precision core analysis has been performed on eight samples of Devonian gas shale 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 eighth core sample consists of Middle Devonian age Marcellus Shale obtained from a well in Morgantown, West Virginia. The core analysis was originally intended to supply accurate input data for Devonian shale numerical reservoir simulation. Unexpectedly, the results have also shown that there are a number of previously unknown factors which influence or control gas production from organic-rich shales of the Appalachian Basin. 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 permeability of the rock matrix to gas is less than 0.1 microdarcy 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% under stress with a fairly strong ''adsorption'' component. Permeability to gas (K/sub infinity/ was highly stress-dependent, ranging from about 20 microdarcies at a net stress of 3000 psi down to about 5 microdarcies at a net stress of 6000 psi. The conclusion reached from this study is that Devonian shale in the Appalachian Basin is a considerably more complex natural gas resource than previously thought. Production potential varies widely with geographic location and stratigraphy, just as it does with other gas and oil resources. 15 refs., 8 figs., 3 tabs.

• Research Organization: Institute of Gas Technology, Chicago, IL (USA)
• DOE Contract Number: AC21-83MC20342
• OSTI ID: 6929205
• Report Number(s): CONF-860567-6; ON: DE87003949
• Resource Relation: Conference: SPE unconventional gas technology symposium, Louisville, KY, USA, 18 May 1986; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

03 NATURAL GAS
BLACK SHALES
PERMEABILITY
POROSITY
NATURAL GAS DEPOSITS
RESOURCE ASSESSMENT
APPALACHIA
DEVONIAN PERIOD
DRILL CORES
EXPERIMENTAL DATA
BITUMINOUS MATERIALS
CARBONACEOUS MATERIALS
CHATTANOOGA FORMATION
DATA
ENERGY SOURCES
FOSSIL FUELS
FUELS
GEOLOGIC AGES
GEOLOGIC DEPOSITS
GEOLOGIC FORMATIONS
INFORMATION
MATERIALS
MINERAL RESOURCES
NORTH AMERICA
NUMERICAL DATA
OIL SHALES
PALEOZOIC ERA
RESOURCES
USA
030200* - Natural Gas- Reserves
Geology
& Exploration