skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: SANS coupled with fluid invasion approaches for characterization of overall nanopore structure and mesopore connectivity of organic-rich marine shales in China

Journal Article · · International Journal of Coal Geology
 [1];  [1];  [2]; ORCiD logo [3];  [4];  [2];  [1]
  1. China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou, Jiangsu (China)
  2. Pennsylvania State Univ., University Park, PA (United States)
  3. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  4. National Inst. of Standards and Technology (NIST), Gaithersburg, MD (United States); Univ. of Maryland, College Park, MD (United States)

The pore structure of shales, including pore morphology, connectivity, pore volume, specific surface area (SSA), and pore size distribution (PSD), is a significant factor in controlling gas storage and transport and the migration mechanisms of hydrocarbons. However, the lack of comprehensive characterization for both accessible and inaccessible pore structure increases the difficulty of gas-in-place estimation and gas exploration. In order to investigate the nanoscale pore system, integration of high-pressure mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), low-pressure N2/CO2 adsorption (LNA/LCA), and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) were employed to obtain a multi-scale quantitative characterization of the nanopore structure of organic-rich marine shale samples from the Longmaxi and Niutitang Formations in China. In this work, PSDs obtained from the combined techniques appropriately cover an overall nanopore size range of shale (0.35–15,000 nm) and overcome the limits of the individual method. Uni-, bi, and multi-modal PSDs were observed, but the sizes of a significant portion of the nanopores observed in these shales range from 0.35 to 100 nm. Pore volumes and surface areas of micropores (<2 nm), mesopores (2–50 nm), and macropores (>50 nm) were characterized based on the best performance window of each technique: LCA for micropores; LNA and SANS for mesopores; and MIP for macropores. It was found that micropores are the major contributor to the total SSA for both the Longmaxi and Niutitang shales. With respect to pore volume, however, the contribution to the total pore volume has a trend of micropore < mesopore < macropore for the Longmaxi shale samples, but micro-/mesopore volumes are greater than macropore volumes for samples of the Niutitang shale. Strong correlations were also observed between total organic carbon (TOC) content and micropore volume and surface area, which implies that organic matter is a controlling factor in the micropore system of organic-rich shales. In addition, strong correlations between methane adsorption capacity and both micro-/mesopore volumes and SSAs indicate that micro-/mesopores are governing factors for methane storage. Furthermore, the fractions of accessible mesopore volume and surface area were quantitatively estimated by SANS and LNA. Correlation analyses suggest that the accessibility of the mesopore surface area could be an indicator for gas transport and storage in mesopores in organic matter. Thus, a shale with higher connectivity could have higher gas diffusion capability but lower gas adsorption capacity, and vice versa.

Research Organization:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR)
Sponsoring Organization:
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC); National Science and Technology Major Project; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Chemical Sciences, Geosciences & Biosciences Division; National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST); National Science Foundation (NSF); USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC05-00OR22725
OSTI ID:
1779160
Alternate ID(s):
OSTI ID: 1702568
Journal Information:
International Journal of Coal Geology, Vol. 217, Issue 1; ISSN 0166-5162
Publisher:
ElsevierCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English

References (75)

Pore structure characterization for organic-rich Lower Silurian shale in the Upper Yangtze Platform, South China: A possible mechanism for pore development journal October 2017
Evolution of Barnett Shale organic carbon structure and nanostructure with increasing maturation journal June 2014
Physisorption of gases, with special reference to the evaluation of surface area and pore size distribution (IUPAC Technical Report) journal October 2015
Hierarchical Pore Morphology of Cretaceous Shale: A Small-Angle Neutron Scattering and Ultrasmall-Angle Neutron Scattering Study journal September 2014
Evaluation of Nanoscale Accessible Pore Structures for Improved Prediction of Gas Production Potential in Chinese Marine Shales journal November 2018
Microstructure of graptolite periderm in Silurian gas shales of Northern Poland journal March 2018
Integrated fractal description of nanopore structure and its effect on CH4 adsorption on Jharia coals, India journal November 2018
Relationships between porosity, organic matter, and mineral matter in mature organic-rich marine mudstones of the Belle Fourche and Second White Specks formations in Alberta, Canada journal June 2014
Fundamentals of the theory of adsorption in micropores of carbon adsorbents: characteristics of their adsorption properties and microporous structures journal January 1989
The effect of pore structure and gas pressure upon the transport properties of coal: a laboratory and modeling study. 1. Isotherms and pore volume distributions journal September 1999
Note on a Method of Determining the Distribution of Pore Sizes in a Porous Material journal April 1921
Characterization of gas shale pore systems by porosimetry, pycnometry, surface area, and field emission scanning electron microscopy/transmission electron microscopy image analyses: Examples from the Barnett, Woodford, Haynesville, Marcellus, and Doig units journal June 2012
Porosity controls and fractal disposition of organic-rich Permian shales using low-pressure adsorption techniques journal May 2018
Characteristics of three organic matter pore types in the Wufeng-Longmaxi Shale of the Sichuan Basin, Southwest China journal May 2018
Small angle neutron scattering signature of oil generation in artificially and naturally matured hydrocarbon source rocks journal January 2000
Shale gas in China: Characteristics, challenges and prospects (I) journal December 2015
Impure CO2 reaction of feldspar, clay, and organic matter rich cap-rocks: Decreases in the fraction of accessible mesopores measured by SANS journal January 2018
Clay mineral transformation as a major source for authigenic quartz in thermo-mature gas shale journal January 2012
Nanoscale pore characteristics of the Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation Shale: A case study from Well Yuke #1 in the Southeast of Chongqing, China journal January 2016
Heterogeneity of Paleozoic Wufeng-Longmaxi formation shale and its effects on the shale gas accumulation in the Upper Yangtze Region, China journal March 2019
Unconventional shale-gas systems: The Mississippian Barnett Shale of north-central Texas as one model for thermogenic shale-gas assessment journal April 2007
Petroleum geology of the Puguang sour gas field in the Sichuan Basin, SW China journal April 2008
Porosity of the Marcellus Shale: A contrast matching small-angle neutron scattering study journal March 2018
Organic matter-hosted pore system, Marcellus Formation (Devonian), Pennsylvania journal February 2013
The effect of organic matter maturation and porosity evolution on methane storage potential in the Baltic Basin (Poland) shale-gas reservoir journal July 2017
A Generalized Framework Model for the Simulation of Gas Production in Unconventional Gas Reservoirs journal October 2014
Characterization of Nanoporous Systems in Gas Shales by Low Field NMR Cryoporometry journal October 2016
Pore structure characterization of North American shale gas reservoirs using USANS/SANS, gas adsorption, and mercury intrusion journal January 2013
Porosity and pore size distribution in mudrocks from the Belle Fourche and Second White Specks Formations in Alberta, Canada journal August 2016
Irena : tool suite for modeling and analysis of small-angle scattering journal February 2009
Pore structure characteristics of tight sandstones in the northern Songliao Basin, China journal December 2017
Organic matter properties and shale gas potential of Paleozoic shales in Sichuan Basin, China journal January 2016
Spectrum of pore types and networks in mudrocks and a descriptive classification for matrix-related mudrock pores journal June 2012
High pressure methane sorption characteristics of lacustrine shales from the Midland Valley Basin, Scotland journal October 2016
Reservoir modeling of shale formations journal May 2013
Effect of organic matter on pore structure of mature lacustrine organic-rich shale: A case study of the Triassic Yanchang shale, Ordos Basin, China journal December 2016
Pore characterization of organic-rich Lower Cambrian shales in Qiannan Depression of Guizhou Province, Southwestern China journal April 2015
Responses of specific surface area and micro- and mesopore characteristics of shale and coal to heating at elevated hydrostatic and lithostatic pressures journal September 2018
PRINSAS – a Windows-based computer program for the processing and interpretation of small-angle scattering data tailored to the analysis of sedimentary rocks journal November 2004
Nano-scale pore structure and fractal dimension of organic-rich Wufeng-Longmaxi shale from Jiaoshiba area, Sichuan Basin: Investigations using FE-SEM, gas adsorption and helium pycnometry journal February 2016
Formation and enrichment mode of Jiaoshiba shale gas field, Sichuan Basin journal February 2014
Methane adsorption and pore characterization of Indian shale samples journal September 2015
An NMR study of porous rock and biochar containing organic material journal September 2013
Experimental investigations on the geometry and connectivity of pore space in organic-rich Wufeng and Longmaxi shales journal June 2017
A preliminary study on the characterization and controlling factors of porosity and pore structure of the Permian shales in Lower Yangtze region, Eastern China journal July 2015
Specific surface area and pore-size distribution in clays and shales journal January 2013
Mesozoic sedimentary evolution of the northwest Sichuan basin: Implication for continued clockwise rotation of the South China block journal January 2005
Overpressure compartments in the central paleo-uplift, Sichuan Basin, southwest China journal May 2016
The importance of shale composition and pore structure upon gas storage potential of shale gas reservoirs journal June 2009
Impacts of clay on pore structure, storage and percolation of tight sandstones from the Songliao Basin, China: Implications for genetic classification of tight sandstone reservoirs journal January 2018
Pores in Marcellus Shale: A Neutron Scattering and FIB-SEM Study journal February 2015
Pore characteristics of Longmaxi shale gas reservoir in the Northwest of Guizhou, China: Investigations using small-angle neutron scattering (SANS), helium pycnometry, and gas sorption isotherm journal February 2017
Pore structure characterization of organic-rich Niutitang shale from China: Small angle neutron scattering (SANS) study journal February 2018
Experimental and predicted geochemical shale-water reactions: Roseneath and Murteree shales of the Cooper Basin journal February 2018
Shale pore size classification: An NMR fluid typing method journal September 2018
Devonian Shale Gas Production: Mechanisms and Simple Models journal April 1991
A new approach to quantification of metamorphism using ultra-small and small angle neutron scattering journal December 2009
A critical evaluation of unconventional gas recovery from the marcellus shale, northeastern United States journal April 2011
Gigantic, gaseous mushwads in Cambrian shale: Conasauga Formation, southern Appalachians, USA journal December 2012
Estimation and modeling of coal pore accessibility using small angle neutron scattering journal December 2015
Geochemical characteristics of marine and terrestrial shale gas in China journal September 2016
Pore structure characterization for the Longmaxi and Niutitang shales in the Upper Yangtze Platform, South China: Evidence from focused ion beam–He ion microscopy, nano-computerized tomography and gas adsorption analysis journal November 2016
Application of low-pressure gas adsorption to nanopore structure characterisation of organic-rich lower Cambrian shale in the Upper Yangtze Platform, South China journal June 2017
Geological difference and its significance of marine shale gases in South China journal August 2016
Longmen Shan fold-thrust belt and its relation to the western Sichuan Basin in central China: New insights from hydrocarbon exploration journal September 2006
Main controlling factors and enrichment area evaluation of shale gas of the Lower Paleozoic marine strata in south China journal October 2015
Characteristics of the Nanoscale Pore Structure in Northwestern Hunan Shale Gas Reservoirs Using Field Emission Scanning Electron Microscopy, High-Pressure Mercury Intrusion, and Gas Adsorption journal February 2014
A model for multiple transport mechanisms through nanopores of shale gas reservoirs with real gas effect–adsorption-mechanic coupling journal February 2016
Porosity of Devonian and Mississippian New Albany Shale across a maturation gradient: Insights from organic petrology, gas adsorption, and mercury intrusion journal October 2013
Characterization and Analysis of Porosity and Pore Structures journal January 2015
Modeling Production and Evaluating Fracture Performance in Unconventional Gas Reservoirs journal September 2009
A USANS/SANS Study of the Accessibility of Pores in the Barnett Shale to Methane and Water journal February 2013
The closed pores of tectonically deformed coal studied by small-angle X-ray scattering and liquid nitrogen adsorption journal April 2016
Reporting physisorption data for gas/solid systems with special reference to the determination of surface area and porosity (Recommendations 1984) journal January 1985
Solvent-pore interactions in the Eagle Ford shale formation journal February 2019