Curtin University Homepage
  • Library
  • Help
    • Admin

    espace - Curtin’s institutional repository

    JavaScript is disabled for your browser. Some features of this site may not work without it.
    View Item 
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item
    • espace Home
    • espace
    • Curtin Research Publications
    • View Item

    Comparisons of pore size distribution: A case from the Western Australian gas shale formations

    Access Status
    Fulltext not available
    Authors
    Al Hinai, Adnan
    Rezaee, M. Reza
    Esteban, L.
    Labani, Mohammad Mahdi
    Date
    2014
    Type
    Journal Article
    
    Metadata
    Show full item record
    Citation
    Al Hinai, A. and Rezaee, M.R. and Esteban, L. and Labani, M.M. 2014. Comparisons of pore size distribution: A case from the Western Australian gas shale formations. Journal of Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources. 8: pp. 1-13.
    Source Title
    Journal of Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources
    DOI
    10.1016/j.juogr.2014.06.002
    ISSN
    2213-3976
    School
    Department of Petroleum Engineering
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/25475
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Pore structure of shale samples from Triassic Kockatea and Permian Carynginia formations in the Northern Perth Basin, Western Australia is characterized. Transport properties of a porous media are regulated by the topology and geometry of inter-connected pore spaces. Comparisons of three laboratory experiments are conducted on the same source of samples to access such micro-, meso- and macro-porosity: (i) Mercury Injection Capillary Pressure (MICP), (ii) low field Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) and nitrogen adsorption (N2). High resolution FIB/SEM image analysis is used to further support the experimental pore structure interpretations at sub-micron scale. A dominating pore throat radius is found to be around 6 nm within a meso-pore range [2 nm – 50 nm] based on MICP, with a common porosity around 3%. This relatively fast experiment offers the advantage to be reliable on well chips or cuttings up the pore throat sizes > 2 nm. However, nitrogen adsorption method is capable to record pore sizes below 2 nm through the determination of the total pore volume from the quantity of vapour adsorbed at relative pressure. But the macro-porosity and part of the meso-porosity is damaged or even destroyed during the sample preparation. BET specific surface area results usually show a narrow range of values from 5 to 10 m2/g. Inconsistency was found in the pore size classification between MICP and N2 measurements mostly due to their individual lower- and upper-end pore size resolution limits. In hand, the water filled pores disclosed from NMR T2 relaxation time were on average 30% larger than MICP tests. Evidence of artifical cracks generated from the water interactions with clays after re-saturation experiments could explain such porosity over-estimation. It is therefore fundamental to work on preserved shale gas to properly assess the porosity and pore distribution from NMR. The computed pore body to pore throat ratio extracted from the Timur-Coates NMR model, calibrated against gas permeability experiments, revealed that such pore geometry directly control the permeability while the porosity and pore size distribution remain similar between different shale gas formations and/or within the same formation. The combination of pore size distribution obtained from MICP, N2 and NMR seems appropriate to fully cover the range of pore size from shale gas and overcome the individual method limits.

    Related items

    Showing items related by title, author, creator and subject.

    • Pore geometry in gas shale reservoirs
      Al Hinai, Adnan Saif Hamed; Rezaee, M. Reza (2015)
      Assessing shale formations is a major challenge in the oil and gas industry. The complexities are mainly due to the ultra-low permeability, the presence of a high percentage of clay, and the heterogeneity of the formation. ...
    • Comparative porosity and pore structure assessment in shales: Measurement techniques, influencing factors and implications for reservoir characterization
      Yuan, Yujie; Rezaee, Reza (2019)
      Porosity and pore size distribution (PSD) are essential petrophysical parameters controlling permeability and storage capacity in shale gas reservoirs. Various techniques to assess pore structure have been introduced; ...
    • Shale lithofacies controls on porosity and pore structure: An example from Ordovician Goldwyer Formation, Canning Basin, Western Australia
      Iqbal, Muhammad Atif; Rezaee, Reza ; Smith, Gregory; Ekundayo, Jamiu (2021)
      The hydrocarbon storage and transport capacity of shale reservoirs are dependent on its complex pore systems. This study focuses on Ordovician Goldwyer Formation (Goldwyer shale) from Canning Basin, Western Australia. ...
    Advanced search

    Browse

    Communities & CollectionsIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument TypeThis CollectionIssue DateAuthorTitleSubjectDocument Type

    My Account

    Admin

    Statistics

    Most Popular ItemsStatistics by CountryMost Popular Authors

    Follow Curtin

    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 
    • 

    CRICOS Provider Code: 00301JABN: 99 143 842 569TEQSA: PRV12158

    Copyright | Disclaimer | Privacy statement | Accessibility

    Curtin would like to pay respect to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander members of our community by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land on which the Perth campus is located, the Whadjuk people of the Nyungar Nation; and on our Kalgoorlie campus, the Wongutha people of the North-Eastern Goldfields.