Journal
JOURNAL OF GEOPHYSICAL RESEARCH-SOLID EARTH
Volume 120, Issue 12, Pages 8073-8087Publisher
AMER GEOPHYSICAL UNION
DOI: 10.1002/2015JB012103
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Funding
- RPSEA through the Ultra-Deepwater and Unconventional Natural Gas and Other Petroleum Resources program [09122-12]
- U.S. Department of Energy's National Energy Technology Laboratory
- State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation at Chengdu University of Technology [PLC-201301]
- State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting at China University of Petroleum in Beijing [PRP/open-1403]
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Gas-producing wells in the Barnett Formation show a steep decline from initial production rates, even within the first year, and only 12-30% of the estimated gas in place is recovered. The underlying causes of these production constraints are not well understood. The rate-limiting step in gas production is likely diffusive transport from matrix storage to the stimulated fracture network. Transport through a porous material such as shale is controlled by both geometry (e.g., pore size distribution) and topology (e.g., pore connectivity). Through an integrated experimental and theoretical approach, this work finds that the Barnett Formation has sparsely connected pores. Evidence of low pore connectivity includes the sparse and heterogeneous presence of trace levels of diffusing solutes beyond a few millimeters from a sample edge, the anomalous behavior of spontaneous water imbibition, the steep decline in edge-accessible porosity observed in tracer concentrations following vacuum saturation, the low (about 0.2-0.4% by volume) level presence of Wood's metal alloy when injected at 600 MPa pressure, and high tortuosity from mercury injection capillary pressure. Results are consistent with an interpretation of pore connectivity based on percolation theory. Low pore connectivity of shale matrix limits its mass transfer interaction with the stimulated fracture network from hydraulic fracturing and serves as an important underlying cause for steep declines in gas production rates and a low overall recovery rate.
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