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Hierarchical integration of porosity in shales

Ma, L; Slater, T; Dowey, PJ; Yue, S; Rutter, EH; Taylor, KG; Lee, PD; (2018) Hierarchical integration of porosity in shales. Scientific Reports , 8 (1) , Article 11683. 10.1038/s41598-018-30153-x. Green open access

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Abstract

Pore characterization in shales is challenging owing to the wide range of pore sizes and types present. Haynesville-Bossier shale (USA) was sampled as a typical clay-bearing siliceous, organic-rich, gas-mature shale and characterized over pore diameters ranging 2 nm to 3000 nm. Three advanced imaging techniques were utilized correlatively, including the application of Xe+ plasma focused ion beam scanning electron microscopy (plasma FIB or PFIB), complemented by the Ga+ FIB method which is now frequently used to characterise porosity and organic/inorganic phases, together with transmission electron microscope tomography of the nano-scale pores (voxel size 0.6 nm; resolution 1-2 nm). The three pore-size scales each contribute differently to the pore network. Those <10 nm (greatest number), 10 nm to 100 nm (best-connected hence controls transport properties), and >100 nm (greatest total volume hence determines fluid storativity). Four distinct pore types were found: intra-organic, organic-mineral interface, inter-mineral and intra-mineral pores were recognized, with characteristic geometries. The whole pore network comprises a globally-connected system between phyllosilicate mineral grains (diameter: 6-50 nm), and locally-clustered connected pores within porous organic matter (diameter: 200-800 nm). Integrated predictions of pore geometry, connectivity, and roles in controlling petrophysical properties were verified through experimental permeability measurements.

Type: Article
Title: Hierarchical integration of porosity in shales
Location: England
Open access status: An open access version is available from UCL Discovery
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-30153-x
Publisher version: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-30153-x
Language: English
Additional information: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
UCL classification: UCL
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science
UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of Engineering Science > Dept of Mechanical Engineering
URI: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10054675
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