Thermal maturity: The controlling factor of wettability, pore structure, and oil content in the lacustrine Qingshankou shale, Songliao Basin

Shale oil resources are abundant in the Qingshankou Formation of the Songliao Basin, but there are significant production differences between wells. Although there are many factors affecting shale oil production capacity, they are all fundamentally reflected in the differences of pore structure and oil-bearing; however, research on the pore structure and oil-bearing characteristics of naturally mature shale is still rarely reported. Lacustrine shales with low to high maturity developed in the Qingshankou Formation, Songliao Basin; these shales can be used as good natural mature samples to reveal the wettability, pore structure, oil content, and evolution of shale under the control of thermal maturity. In this study, geochemistry, oil content, and mineral composition information were analyzed using total organic carbon, thermal maturity, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, and X-ray diffraction; low temperature nitrogen adsorption-desorption (N2GA), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), high-pressure mercury injection, and field emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) were used to analyze the shale pore structure; and spontaneous imbibition (SI) combined with NMR and contact angle measurement (CAM) experiments were performed to reveal the shale wettability. The results indicate that with the evolution of maturity from low to high, the cracking degree of organic matter (OM) and the amount of hydrocarbon generation increases, and the scale (number, size) of OM pore development continues to increase. The porosity, pore volume, and Brunauer-Emmet-Teller specific surface area of shale increased continuously due to the increased thermal evolution of OM, and a great many of micropores formed in the shale. Therefore, the average pore size decreased with increased maturity. In addition, shale oil content also improves with the continuous hydrocarbon generation of OM in the process of thermal evolution; The wettability of the shale interior and surfaces gradually changes from water wetting to oil wetting when vitrinite reflectivity (Ro) > ~1.20% and the degree of oil wetting continues to increase as maturity increases. The crude oil generated by kerogen continues to flow from micropores to macropores, and the pore network continues to develop with increasing oil wetting degree, which is beneficial to crude oil migration and accumulation in the shale reservoir.

Automated summary

This study reveals the wettability, pore structure, and oil-bearing characteristics of naturally mature shale in the Qingshankou Formation of the Songliao Basin. The results show that with increased maturity, the cracking degree of organic matter and the amount of hydrocarbon generation increase, leading to the development of shale pore networks. The increased thermal evolution of organic matter also improves the shale's porosity, pore volume, and specific surface area. Additionally, shale oil content improves with the continuous hydrocarbon generation of organic matter. The wettability of the shale changes from water wetting to oil wetting with increasing maturity, facilitating crude oil migration and accumulation in the shale reservoir.