Hydrocarbon exploration and reservoir analysis

Shale gas reservoirs store enormous quantities of methane within the nanoscale pores of fine-grained mudstones, but extracting that gas economically depends on understanding a rock whose permeability can be a million times lower than conventional sandstone. Researchers work to characterize how pore structure develops as organic matter matures under heat and pressure over geologic time, and how the resulting network of nanopores and natural fractures controls both the capacity to store gas and the pathways through which it can flow. A central challenge is that pore geometry, mineralogy, and organic content all interact in ways that vary considerably across formations, making it difficult to predict reservoir behavior from limited core samples. Active work focuses on connecting microscale observations — pore throat size distributions, organic porosity evolution, diagenetic overprinting — to the larger-scale permeability and storage properties that determine whether a formation is worth developing.

Works

186,147

Total citations

2,003,446

Keywords

Shale GasPore StructureMudstonesGas PermeabilityThermal MaturityNanopores