Advanced Characterization of Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoirs to Enhance CO2 Storage Resource Estimates Organic Structure and Porosity of Organic-Rich Shales
Advanced analytical and image analysis techniques have been employed to examine the detailed structure of organic matter (OM) in the shales of the Bakken Formation. Samples from three different locations in the Bakken Formation with varying levels of thermal maturity (immature, marginally mature, and mature) were selected for analysis. A high-resolution field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM) was used to observe detailed morphological features and nanoporosity of ion-milled specimens. Subsequent advanced image analysis and segmentation approaches applied to the FESEM images yielded estimates of porosity associated with OM and the shale matrix. Preliminary results indicate varying degrees of porosity within the OM, ranging from highly porous to little-to-no apparent porosity. Porosity estimates based on image analysis of the porous organics range from 5%8%, with average pore diameters of about 2040 nm. These types of data, including matrix porosity and organic porosity, are critical to better estimate the CO2 storage potential in organic-rich shales and to elucidate CO2 migration pathways and potential sorption mechanisms. This project is being conducted by the Energy & Environmental Research Center (EERC) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) and Hitachi High Technologies. The goal of this project is to use advanced FESEM, image analysis, and computed tomography (CT) visualization techniques to identify and quantify key features that could affect CO2 storage in unconventional formations.View/Download Document
Event/Meeting Information
PCOR Partnership 2017 Annual Membership Meeting
10/24/2017
Plano, TX