Fluid phase behavior of tight and shale reservoirs: Monte Carlo simulations

Abstract

Tight and shale reservoirs are forming important components of the global hydrocarbon landscape, which impede the free thermal movement of fluid molecules, with numerous nanoscale pores. The confined hydrocarbons in the nanopores cannot be industrially produced from conventional exploration and development methods, with deviated fluid phase behavior under nano-confinement effects. Most commonly important fluid phase behavior in nanopores has been simulated and compared with the bulk cases previously, including phase coexistence, critical properties, and density distribution of confined fluids. This paper focuses on the deviated fluid phase behavior under nano-confinement effects by Monte Carlo modeling. The Monte Carlo simulation is still limited to modeling the macroscopic pore-related behavior like capillarity and complex fluid and solid materials. Moreover, the Monte Carlo simulation is usually scale-restricted and the pore-size range where the nano-confinement effect fails to work needs to be quantitatively determined. Overall, for the tight and shale fluid phase behavior, a functional Monte Carlo model, coupled with the long-range correction and configuration bias techniques, is suggested to include both the multi-component fluids and skeleton.

Document Type: Perspective

Cited as: Chu, W., Zhang, K. Fluid phase behavior of tight and shale reservoirs: Monte Carlo simulations. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2023, 7(2): 132-135. https://doi.org/10.46690/ager.2023.02.06

References

Devegowda, D., Sapmanee, K., Civan, F., et al. Phase behavior of gas condensates in shales due to pore proximity effects: Implications for transport reserves and well productivity. Paper SPE 160099 Presented at SPE Annual Technical Conference and Exhibition, San Antonio, Texas, USA, 8-10 October, 2012.

Didar, B. R., Akkutlu, I. Y. Pore-size dependence of fluid phase behavior and properties in organic-rich shale reservoirs. Paper SPE 164099 Presented at SPE International Symposium on Oilfield Chemistry, The Woodlands, Texas, USA, 8-10 April, 2013.

Feng, Q., Xu, S., Xing, X. et al. Advances and challenges in shale oil development: A critical review. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2020, 4(4): 406-418.

Jiang, J., Sandler, S. I., Smit, B. Capillary phase transitions of n-alkanes in a carbon nanotube. Nano Letters, 2004, 4(2): 241-244.

Jin, B., Bi, R., Nasrabadi, H. Molecular simulation of the pore size distribution effect on phase behavior of methane confined in nanopores. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 2017, 452: 94-102.

Jin, B., Nasrabadi, H. Phase behavior of multi-component hydrocarbon systems in nano-pores using gauge-GCMC molecular simulation. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 2016, 425: 324-334.

Leach, A. R. Molecular Modelling: Principles and Applications. London, UK, Pearson, 2001.

Liu, X., Zhang, D. A review of phase behavior simulation of hydrocarbons in confined space: Implications for shale oil and shale gas. Journal of Natural Gas Science and Engineering, 2019, 68: 102901.

Lowry, E., Piri, M. Effects of chemical and physical heterogeneity on confined phase behavior in nanopores. Microporous and Mesoporous Materials, 2018, 263: 53-61.

Mota, J. P. B., Esteves, I. A. A. C. Simplified gauge-cell method and its application to the study of capillary phase transition of propane in carbon nanotubes. Adsorption, 2007, 13: 21-32.

Pathak, M., Cho, H., Deo, M. Experimental and molecular modeling study of bubble points of hydrocarbon mixtures in nanoporous media. Energy & Fuels, 2017, 31(4): 3427-3435.

Peterson, B. K., Gubbins, K. E. Phase transitions in a cylindrical pore. Molecular Physics, 1987, 62(1): 215-226.

Pitakbunkate, T., Balbuena, P. B., Moridis, G. J., et al. Effect of confinement on pressure/volume/temperature properties of hydrocarbons in shale reservoirs. SPE Journal, 2016, 21(2): 621-634.

Singh, S. K., Singh, J. K. Effect of pore morphology on vapor-liquid phase transition and crossover behavior of critical properties from 3D to 2D. Fluid Phase Equilibria, 2011, 300(1-2): 182-187.

Singh, S. K., Sinha, A., Deo, G. et al. Vapor-liquid phase coexistence, critical properties, and surface tension of confined alkanes. The Journal of Physical Chemistry C, 2009, 113(17): 7170-7180.

Singh, S. K., Saha, A. K., Singh, J. K. Molecular simulation study of vapor-liquid critical properties of a simple fluid in attractive slit pores: Crossover from 3D to 2D. Journal of Physical Chemistry B, 2010, 114(12): 4283-4292.

Sobecki, N., Wang, S., Ding, D. et al. Tight oil and shale gas PVT modelling for flow simulation with matrix-fracture interaction. Paper SPE 193867 Presented at SPE Reservoir Simulation Conference, Galveston, Texas, USA, 10-11 April, 2019.

Xing, X., Feng, Q., Zhang, W. et al. Vapor-liquid equilibrium and criticality of CO2 and n-heptane in shale organic pores by the Monte Carlo simulation. Fuel, 2021, 299: 120909.

Yu, C., Zhao, J., Wang, Z. et al. Vapor-liquid phase equilibrium of n-pentane in quartz nanopores by grand canonical Monte Carlo calculation. Journal of Molecular Liquids, 2022, 365: 120075.