Predicting Fluid Flow Regime, Permeability, and Diffusivity in Mudrocks from Multiscale Pore Characterisation
Transport in Porous Media, vol. 141, pp. 201–229
Abstract
Abstract In geoenergy applications, mudrocks prevent fluids to leak from temporary (H 2 , CH 4 ) or permanent (CO 2 , radioactive waste) storage/disposal sites and serve as a source and reservoir for unconventional oil and gas. Understanding transport properties integrated with dominant fluid flow mechanisms in mudrocks is essential to better predict the performance of mudrocks within these applications. In this study, small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) experiments were conducted on 71 samples from 13 different sets of mudrocks across the globe to capture the pore structure of nearly the full pore size spectrum (2 nm–5 μm). We develop fractal models to predict transport properties (permeability and diffusivity) based on the SANS-derived pore size distributions. The results indicate that transport phenomena in mudrocks are intrinsically pore size-dependent. Depending on hydrostatic pore pressures, transition flow develops in micropores, slip flow in meso- and macropores, and continuum flow in larger macropores. Fluid flow regimes progress towards larger pore sizes during reservoir depletion or smaller pore sizes during fluid storage, so when pressure is decreased or increased, respectively. Capturing the heterogeneity of mudrocks by considering fractal dimension and tortuosity fractal dimension for defined pore size ranges, fractal models integrate apparent permeability with slip flow, Darcy permeability with continuum flow, and gas diffusivity with diffusion flow in the matrix. This new model of pore size-dependent transport and integrated transport properties using fractal models yields a systematic approach that can also inform multiscale multi-physics models to better understand fluid flow and transport phenomena in mudrocks on the reservoir and basin scale.
Authors 8
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Amirsaman Rezaeyan corresponding
Affiliation as printed
Lyell Centre, Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
Lyell Centre, Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
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Forschungszentrum Jülich · Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum
Affiliation as printed
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science, JCNS at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum MLZ, 85748, Garching, Germany
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science, JCNS at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum MLZ, Garching, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, SW7 2AZ, UK
Department of Earth Science and Engineering, Imperial College London, London, UK
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Affiliation as printed
Clay and Interface Mineralogy, RWTH Aachen University, 52072, Aachen, Germany
Clay and Interface Mineralogy, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN, 37922, USA
Chemical Sciences Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, USA
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Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation · Forschungszentrum Jülich · Australian Synchrotron · Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum
Affiliation as printed
Australian Synchrotron, ANSTO, Clayton, 3168, Australia
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science, JCNS at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum MLZ, 85748, Garching, Germany
Australian Synchrotron, ANSTO, Clayton, Australia
Forschungszentrum Jülich GmbH, Jülich Centre for Neutron Science, JCNS at Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum MLZ, Garching, Germany
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Affiliation as printed
Lyell Centre, Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, EH14 4AS, UK
Lyell Centre, Institute of GeoEnergy Engineering, Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, UK
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