Insights on the gas permeability change in porous shale

Abstract

Due to abundant nanoscale pores developed in shale, gas flow in shale presents a complex dynamic process. This paper summarized the effects from effective stress increase, shale matrix shrinkage, gas slippage and Knudsen diffusion on the gas permeability change in shale during shale gas recovery. With the reduce in gas pressure, effective stress increase leads to the decline of the permeability in an exponential form; the permeability increases due to the shale matrix shrinkage induced by gas desorption; appearances of gas slippage and Knudsen diffusion cause an additional increase in the gas permeability particularly in small pores at low pressures. In addition, some reported models evaluating the shale permeability were reviewed preliminarily. Models considering these four effects may be potentially effective to evaluate the gas permeability change in shale.

Cited as: Li, J., Yu, T., Liang, X., et al. Insights on the gas permeability change in porous shale. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2017, 1(2): 69-73, doi: 10.26804/ager.2017.02.01

References

Ambrose, R.J., Hartman, R.C., Diaz-Campos, M., et al. New pore-scale considerations for shale gas in place calculations. Paper SPE 131772 Presented at the SPE Unconventional Gas Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylva-nia, USA, 23-25 February, 2010.

Azom, P.N., Javadpour, F. Dual-continuum modeling of shale and tight gas reservoirs. Paper SPE 159584 Presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 8-10 October, 2012.

Beskok, A., Karniadakis, G.E. A model for flows in channels, pipes, and ducts at micro and nano scales. Microscale Thermophys. Eng. 1999, 3(1): 43-77.

Cai, J., Ghanbarian, B., Xu, P., et al. Virtual special issue: Advanced theoretical and numerical approaches and applications to enhanced gas recovery. J. Nat. Gas Sci. Eng. 2017, 37: 579-583.

Cai, J., Yu, B. Advances in studies of spontaneous imbibition in porous media. Adv. Mech. 2012, 42(6): 735-754.

Chalmers, G.R.L., Ross, D.J.K., Bustin, R.M. Geological controls on matrix permeability of Devonian gas shales in the Horn River and Liard basins, northeastern British Columbia, Canada. Int. J. Coal Geol. 2012, 103(23): 120-131.

Chen, D., Pan, Z., Ye, Z. Dependence of gas shale fracture permeability on effective stress and reservoir pressure: Model match and insights. Fuel 2015, 139: 383-392.

Cui, X., Bustin, R.M., Dipple, G. Selective transport of CO2 , CH4 , and N2 in coals: Insights from modeling of experimental gas adsorption data. Fuel 2004, 83(3): 293-303.

Curtis, J.B. Fractured shale-gas system. AAPG Bull. 2002, 86(11): 1921-1938.

Darabi, H., Ettehad, A., Javadpour, F., et al. Gas flow in ultra-tight shale strata. J. Fluid Mech. 2012, 710(12): 641-658.

Day, S., Fry, R., Sakurovs, R. Swelling of Australian coals in supercritical CO2 . Int. J. Coal Geol. 2008, 74(1): 41-52.

Firouzi, M., Alnoaimi, K., Kovscek, A., et al. Klinkenberg effect on predicting and measuring helium permeability in gas shales. Int. J. Coal Geol. 2014, 123(2): 62-68.

Ghanizadeh, A., Amann-Hildenbrand, A., Gasparik, M., et al. Experimental study of fluid transport processes in the matrix system of the European organic-rich shales: II. Posidonia Shale (Lower Toarcian, northern Germany). Int. J. Coal Geol. 2014a, 123(2): 20-33.

Ghanizadeh, A., Gasparik, M., Amann-Hildenbrand, A., et al. Experimental study of fluid transport processes in the matrix system of the European organic-rich shales: I. Scandinavian Alum Shale. Mar. Pet. Geol. 2014b, 51(51): 79-99.

Gilman, A., Beckie, R. Flow of coal-bed methane to a gallery. Transp. Porous Media 2000, 41(1): 1-16.

Guo, C., Xu, J., Wu, K., et al. Study on gas flow through nano pores of shale gas reservoirs. Fuel 2015, 143: 107-117.

Harpalani, S., Chen, G. Influence of gas production induced volumetric strain on permeability of coal. Int. J. Geotech. Geol. Eng. 1995, 15(4): 303-325.

Javadpour, F. Nanopores and apparent permeability of gas flow in mudrocks (shales and siltstone). J. Can. Pet. Technol. 2009, 48(8): 16-21.

Javadpour, F., Fisher, D., Unsworth, M. Nanoscale gas flow in shale gas sediments. J. Can. Pet. Technol. 2007, 46(10): 55-61.

Karacan, C. ¨O. Swelling-induced volumetric strains internal to a stressed coal associated with CO2 sorption. Int. J. Coal Geol. 2007, 72(3-4): 209-220.

Kazemi, M., Takbiri-Borujeni, A. An analytical model for shale gas permeability. Int. J. Coal Geol. 2015, 146: 188-197.

Kim, C., Jang, H., Lee, J. Experimental investigation on the characteristics of gas diffusion in shale gas reservoir using porosity and permeability of nanopore scale. J. Pet. Sci. Eng. 2015, 133: 226-237.

Klinkenberg, L. The permeability of porous media to liquids and gases. Paper API41200 Presented at the Drilling and Production Practice, New York, USA, 1 January, 1941.

Levine, J.R. Model study of the influence of matrix shrinkage on absolute permeability of coalbed reservoirs. Geol. Soc. Special Pub. 1996, 109(1): 197-212.

Li, J., Liu, D., Lu, S., et al. Evaluation and modeling of the CO2 permeability variation by coupling effective pore size evolution in anthracite coal. Energy Fuels 2015, 29(2): 717-723.

Li, J., Liu, D., Yao, Y., et al. Evaluation and modeling of gas permeability changes in anthracite coals. Fuel 2013, 111: 606-612.

Li, J., Liu, D., Yao, Y., et al. Controls of CO2 permeability change in different rank coals during pressure depletion: an experimental study. Energy Fuels 2014, 28(2): 987-996.

Li, J., Lu, S., Cai, Y., et al. Impact of coal ranks on dynamic gas flow: An experimental investigation. Fuel 2017b, 194: 17-26.

Li, J., Zhang, P., Lu, S., et al. Microstructural characterization of the clay-rich oil shales by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). J. Nanosci. Nanotechnol. 2017a, 17(9): 7026-7034.

Lu, Y., Ao, X., Tang, J., et al. Swelling of shale in supercritical carbon dioxide. J. Nat. Gas Sci. Eng. 2016, 30(4): 268-275.

Lyu, Q., Ranjith, P.G., Long, X., et al. A review of shale swelling by water adsorption. J. Nat. Gas Sci. Eng. 2015, 27: 1421-1431.

Mckee, C., Bumb, A., Koenlg, R. Stress-dependent permeabil-ity and porosity of coal and other geologic formations. SPE Form. Eval. 1988, 3(1): 81-91.

Mehmani, A., Prodanovi, M., Javadpour, F. Multiscale, multiphysics network modeling of shale matrix gas flows. Transp. Porous Media 2013, 99(2): 377-390.

Naraghi, M.E., Javadpour, F. A stochastic permeability model for the shale-gas systems. Int. J. Coal Geol. 2015, 140: 111-124.

Pan, Z., Connell, L.D., Camilleri, M., et al. Effects of matrix moisture on gas diffusion and flow in coal. Fuel 2010, 89(11): 3207-3217.

Peng, Y., Liu, J., Pan, Z., et al. A sequential model of shale gas transport under the influence of fully coupled multiple processes. J. Nat. Gas Sci. Eng. 2015, 27: 808-821.

Reyes, L., Osisanya, S.O. Empirical correlation of effective stress dependent shale rock properties. J. Can. Pet. Technol. 2002, 27(12): 47-53.

Shi, J.Q., Durucan, S. Drawdown induced changes in permeability of coalbeds: A new interpretation of the reservoir response to primary recovery. Transp. Porous Media 2004, 56(1): 1-16.

Singh, H., Javadpour, F. Langmuir slip-Langmuir sorption permeability model of shale. Fuel 2016, 164: 28-37.

Sondergeld, C.H., Ambrose, R.J., Rai, C.S., et al. Micro-structural studies of gas shales. Paper SPE 131771 Presented at the SPE Unconventional Gas Conference, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, 23-25 February, 2010.

Wu, K., Chen, Z., Li, X., et al. A model for multiple transport mechanisms through nanopores of shale gas reservoirs with real gas effectadsorption-mechanic coupling. Int. J. Heat Mass Transf. 2016, 93: 408-426.

Wu, K., Li, X., Wang, C., et al. A model for gas transport in microfractures of shale and tight gas reservoirs. AIChE J. 2015, 61(6): 2079-2088.

Xiong, X., Devegowda, D., Villazon, G.G.M., et al. A fully-coupled free and adsorptive phase transport model for shale gas reservoirs including non-darcy flow effects. Paper SPE 159758 Presented at the SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 8-10 October, 2012.

Yao, J., Sun, H., Huang, Z., et al. Key mechanical problems in the developmentof shale gas reservoirs. Scientia Sinica Physica,Mechanica & Astronomica 2013, 43(12): 1527-1547. (in Chinese)

Zhang, L., Li, D., Lu, D., et al. A new formulation of apparent permeability for gas transport in shale. J. Nat. Gas Sci. Eng. 2015a, 23: 221-226.

Zhang, R., Ning, Z., Yang, F., et al. Impacts of nanopore structure and elastic properties on stress-dependent permeability of gas shales. J. Nat. Gas Sci. Eng. 2015b, 26: 1663-1672.

Zhang, R., Ning, Z., Yang, F., et al. A laboratory study of the porosity-permeability relationships of shale and sandstone under effective stress. Int. J. Rock. Mech. Min. 2016, 81: 19-27.

Zou, C., Dong, D., Wang, S., et al. Geological characteristics and resource potential of shale gas in China. Pet. Explor. Dev. 2010, 37(6): 641-653.

Zou, C., Zhu, R., Bai, B., et al. First discovery of nano-pore throat in oil and gas reservoir in China and its scientific value. Acta Petrologica Sinica 2011, 27(6): 1857-1864. (in Chinese)