Quantitative evaluation of adsorbed and free water in deep shales: a case study on the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formations from the Luzhou area, southern Sichuan Basin, China

doi:10.1007/s11707-022-1056-4

2024, Vol. 18

Issue (2) : 336-346 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-022-1056-4

Quantitative evaluation of adsorbed and free water in deep shales: a case study on the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formations from the Luzhou area, southern Sichuan Basin, China

Shengxian ZHAO^1,^2,³, Yongyang LIU³, Shuangfang LU⁴(

), Shuaihu LIU^1,², Wenbiao LI⁴, Zhiyan ZHOU^1,², Yashuo WANG^1,², Zhaojing SONG^1,²(

)

¹. Key Laboratory of Deep Oil and Gas, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
². School of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum (East China), Qingdao 266580, China
³. Shale Gas Research Institute of PetroChina Southwest Oil & Gasfield Company, Chengdu 610051, China
⁴. Sanya Offshore Oil & Gas Research Institute, Northeast Petroleum University, Sanya 572025, China

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Abstract

Deep shale gas reservoirs commonly contain connate water, which affects the enrichment and migration of shale gas and has attracted the attention of many scholars. It is significant to quantitatively estimate the amounts of adsorbed and free water in shale matrix pores, considering the different impacts of pore water (adsorbed water and free water) on shale gas. In this paper, pore water in six deep shale samples from the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formations in the Luzhou area, southern Sichuan Basin, China, was quantitatively evaluated by saturation-centrifugation experiments. Further, the impact of shale material composition and microstructure on the pore water occurrence was analyzed. The results show that amounts of adsorbed and free water are respectively 1.7967–9.8218 mg/g (mean 6.4501 mg/g) and 9.5511–19.802 mg/g (mean 13.9541 mg/g) under the experimental conditions (30°C, distilled water). The ratio of adsorbed water to total water is 15.83%–42.61% (mean 30.45%). The amounts of adsorbed and free water are related to the pore microstructure and material compositions of shale. The specific surface area of shale controls the amount of adsorbed water, and the pore volume controls the amount of free water; organic pores developed in shale solid asphalt contribute specific surface area and pore volume, and inorganic pores developed in clay mineral contribute pore volume. Therefore, the pores of shale solid asphalt accumulate the adsorbed water and free water, and the pores of clay minerals mainly accumulate the free water.

Keywords deep shales pore water adsorbed amount free amount

Corresponding Author(s): Shuangfang LU,Zhaojing SONG

Online First Date: 27 February 2024 Issue Date: 19 July 2024

Cite this article:

Shengxian ZHAO,Yongyang LIU,Shuangfang LU, et al. Quantitative evaluation of adsorbed and free water in deep shales: a case study on the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formations from the Luzhou area, southern Sichuan Basin, China[J]. Front. Earth Sci., 2024, 18(2): 336-346.

URL:

https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/10.1007/s11707-022-1056-4
https://academic.hep.com.cn/fesci/EN/Y2024/V18/I2/336

Fig.1 Results of centrifugation experiment. (a) Relationship between movable water amount and centrifugal force; (b) relationship between reciprocal of centrifugal force and reciprocal of movable water amount.

Tab.1 Basic information of shale samples

Tab.2 Calculated results of adsorbed water, free water, and their proportions

Fig.2 Relationships of total water amount with free (a) and adsorbed (b) water amounts.

Fig.3 Vertical distribution of adsorbed and free water amounts.

Fig.4 Material compositions of studied shales. (a) Inorganic constituents; (b) TOC content.

Fig.5 Shale inorganic minerals.

Tab.3 Shale organic micro-composition

Fig.6 Development characteristics of solid bitumen. S is the solid bitumen.

Fig.7 Relationships between TOC content and quartz (a) and pyrite (b) contents.

Fig.8 The proportion of pores at different scales in shale.

Fig.9 Correlation between microstructural parameters.

Fig.10 The relationship between shale material composition and microstructure.

Fig.11 Relationship between adsorbed water amount and specific surface area (a), and the relationship between free water amount and pore volume (b).

Fig.12 Relationship between adsorbed water/free water amounts and material composition.

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