Fractal Characteristics of the Middle-Upper Ordovician Marine Shale Nano-Scale Porous Structure from the Ordos Basin, Northeast China.

The fractal characteristics of marine shale from the Middle-Upper Ordovician Wulalike Formation (O2w) in the southwest margin of the Ordos Basin are studied. Based on low-temperature nitrogen adsorption experiments, the FHH (Frenkel-Halsey-Hill) model was employed to investigate the relationship between the marine shale composition, such as TOC, mineral content and shale gas content, and pore structure parameters, such as BET specific surface area, average pore diameter, porosity and fractal dimension. The results show that the pore size distribution curve of shale slowly decreased after the pore size was greater than 50 nm, the pore size distribution showed multiple peaks, and the peak value was mainly in the range of 2-10 nm. Most pores are nanopores, although the pore type and shape are different. Two different fractal dimensions D1 and D2 are obtained from the two segments with relative pressures of 0-0.5 and 0.5-1.0, respectively: the D1 range is 2.77-2.82, and the D2 range is 2.63-2.66. As D1 is larger than D2, the pore structure of small pores is more uniform than that of large pores in the shale samples. The relationship between the fractal dimensions D1 and D2 and the total organic carbon (TOC) content is a convex curve. Fractal dimension D reaches its maximum when TOC is 0.53 wt.%. Fractal dimension D decreases with increasing specific surface area, porosity and average pore size. The fractal dimension has a different influence on the gas storage and migration in shale; the larger the fractal dimension is, the stronger the heterogeneity and the more complex the pore structure, and this outcome is conducive to the storage of gas in shale but not beneficial to the permeability and production of gas.

Effects of Water Immersion and Acidification on Nano-Pores in Tight Sandstones-A Case Study of the Gaotaizi Reservoir, Songliao Basin.

Hydraulic fracturing and acidification are among the most commonly used methods for stimulating the tight oil reservoirs and improving oil recovery. Therefore, examining the effects of water immersion and acidification on tight oil reservoirs is important for oilfield development plans. Core flooding testing, which analyzes the influence of core permeability variations before and after acid injection on the reservoir quality, is the conventional research method; however, it is difficult to observe the changes in minerals and pores caused by acidulation and water immersion in situ. In this study, we conduct field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM), MAPS, the quantitative evaluation of minerals through scanning electronic microscopy (QEM-SCAN), and describe the types of pores in tight sandstone. Further, the effects of water immersion and acidification on pores in tight sandstone were studied. The results indicate that: (1) intergranular pores, intragranular dissolution pores, clay mineral intercrystalline pores, and micro-cracks were developed in the Gaotaizi tight sandstone in Songliao Basin, with the intergranular pores observed to be dominant; (2) the hydration of clay minerals induced by water injection caused plugging of pores at the nanometer- micrometer scale, and plane porosity is slightly reduced (˜0.86%); (3) acidification resulted in the dissolution of carbonate minerals, increasing the porosity of the reservoir, therefore, the increase in porosity is influenced by the carbonate mineral content. We recommend that future studies should investigate the content, type, and distribution of carbonate minerals in the operation area. During the process of reservoir stimulation, such as acidification and CO2 injection- and-production, the influence of carbonate minerals dissolution on oil production should be considered.