Shale Gas-in-Place Calculations Part I: New Pore-Scale Considerations

Summary Using focused-ion-beam (FIB)/scanning-electron-microscope (SEM) imaging technology, a series of 2D and 3D submicroscale investigations revealed a finely dispersed porous organic (kerogen) material embedded within an inorganic matrix. The organic material has pores and capillaries having characteristic lengths typically less than 100 nm. A significant portion of total gas in place appears to be associated with interconnected large nanopores within the organic material. Thermodynamics (phase behavior) of fluids in these pores is quite different; gas residing in a small pore or capillary is rarefied under the influence of organic pore walls and shows a different density profile. This raises serious…

• UD
  U.S. Department of Energy
• UO
  University of Southern California
• UO
  University of Oklahoma
• SC
  Supercomputing Center for Education and Research, University of Oklahoma