Special Issue on micro-nano scale pore-fracture architecture and fluid dynamics in shale and coal reservoirs (MPAFD)
Submission deadline: 30 June 2025
The exploration and development of shale and coal reservoirs are pivotal to modern unconventional fossil energy production. The intricate micro-nano scale pore-fracture architecture within these reservoirs significantly influences storage capacity, fluid occurrence, and migration dynamics. A comprehensive understanding of these factors is crucial for optimizing extraction techniques, enhancing hydrocarbon recovery efficiency, addressing critical challenges related to CO2 sequestration and fostering environmental sustainability.
The interplay between nanopores and micro fractures affects fluid mobility and hydrocarbons recovery efficiency. Characterizing these features with advanced techniques such as field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), mercury intrusion, gas physisorption, nuclear magnetic resonance, small-angle scattering, and X-ray tomography is crucial for gaining deeper insights into reservoir properties. Fluid migration within these reservoirs is governed not only by the structural characteristics of the pore-fracture network but also by the interactions between the fluid phases and the solid matrix at the micro-nano scale. These interactions can dictate the efficiency of enhanced oil recovery (EOR) methods (e.g., CO2 immiscible flooding or huff and puff), and contribute to the overall understanding of fluid dynamics under varying geological conditions.
This special issue aims to explore the current state of research on the micro-nano scale pore-fracture architecture in shale and coal reservoirs, focusing particularly on the occurrence, migration, and transport mechanisms of fluids within these complex systems. By integrating experimental, theoretical, and computational studies, we aim to provide a comprehensive perspective on the factors that govern reservoir behavior. Contributions to this issue will highlight novel approaches for characterizing pore structures, understanding fluid-phase behavior, and advancing modeling techniques to reveal fluid flow mechanisms and optimize reservoir management strategies.
Guest editors:
Mengdi Sun, Professor, Northeast Petroleum University, China
Email: sunmd@nepu.edu.cn
Yeping Ji, Research fellow, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO), Australia
Email: yeping.ji@csiro.au
Ke Xu, Professor, Peking University, China
Email: KEXU1989@PKU.EDU.CN
Mehdi Ostadhassan, Professor, Kiel University (CAU), Germany
Email: mehdi.ostadhassan@ifg.uni-kiel.de
Rui Zhang, Associate Research Scientist, Arizona State University, USA
Email: rui.zhang.10@asu.edu
Paweł P. Ziemiański, Postdoctoral Researcher, EMPA - Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology, Switzerland
Email: pawel.ziemianski@empa.ch
Jianchao Cai, Professor, China University of Petroleum-Beijing, China
Email: caijc@cup.edu.cn
Submission Guidelines:
All submitted papers must be clearly written in excellent English and contain only original work, which has not been published by or is currently under review for any other journals. All papers will be peer-reviewed according to the reviewing policy of AGER. This is virtual special issue, in which all accepted papers will be published immediately. Requests for additional information should be addressed to the guest editors.
Guidelines for preparation of manuscript is highly recommended before your submission. Papers should be submitted via online submission system. To ensure that all manuscripts are correctly identified for consideration for this special issue, it is important that authors select VSI: MPAFD as the ‘Article Type’ during the submission process.
Open Access: free for readers with article processing charges (APC), more detail please see HERE
All submissions to the journal’s Call for Papers for topical Special Issues are treated as contributions to virtual special issue. This means that once a paper is accepted for a special issue, it will be immediately published in a current original issue of the journal. Manuscripts accepted early, will be published early too.
The editorial process of papers submitted to Special Issues, also involves a single anonymized review process. All submissions are initially assessed by the Editor-in-Chief and lead guest editor for suitability for the journal and the special issue topic. The Editor-in-Chief is entitled to reject a manuscript which is deemed to be unsuitable before subjecting it to peer review. Potentially suitable manuscripts are assigned to at least two independent expert reviewers on the basis of their subject expertise to assess the scientific quality and provide a peer-review report. The peer review assessments are initially assessed by the guest editor(s). In the full peer-review process, the identities of reviewers are not disclosed to the authors at any stage. The Editor-in-Chief is responsible for the final decision regarding acceptance or rejection of articles. The Editor-in-Chief's decision is final. Guest editors are not involved in any decision making or review processes concerning manuscripts for which they are authors or co-authors. Moreover, the identity of the reviewers conducting reviews of such paper are not disclosed to Guest Editors at any stage. After the Special Issue is completed, all the accepted papers will be ultimately compiled with a link to the compilation placed on the journal’s website. Please consult to, for published Virtual Special Issues.