Effect of organic-matter type and thermal maturity on methane adsorption in shale-gas systems

High-pressure adsorption of methane on montmorillonite, kaolinite and illite

“…The experimental evaluation showed that the CH 4 adsorption capacity of shale increases with the increment of pressure (Cheng and Huang, 2004;Loucks et al, 2009;Lu et al, 1995;Bustin, 2007, 2008), implying that the high pressures in the actual shale gas reservoir might result in a large CH 4 adsorption amount. In contrast, high reservoir temperatures are unfavorable with respect to CH 4 adsorption and decrease the adsorption capacity of shale (Ross and Bustin, 2008;Zhang et al, 2012).…”

“…Shale gas, which is derived from organic matters in shale and stored in shale deposits, is an important unconventional gas resource and has recently attracted attention for its promising exploitation (Chalmers and Bustin, 2008;Curtis, 2002;Jing et al, 2011;Loucks et al, 2009;Bustin, 2007, 2009;Zhang et al, 2012). Methane (CH 4 ) sourced from thermogenesis and/or biogenesis of organisms is the dominant component of shale gas (Hill et al, 2007;Strapoc et al, 2010;Zhang et al, 2012).…”

“…Methane (CH 4 ) sourced from thermogenesis and/or biogenesis of organisms is the dominant component of shale gas (Hill et al, 2007;Strapoc et al, 2010;Zhang et al, 2012). The adsorption state is one of the most important forms of CH 4 in shale, and the content of adsorbed gases is up to 20-85% of total gases (Curtis, 2002;Jing et al, 2011;Montgomery et al, 2005).…”

“…The adsorption state is one of the most important forms of CH 4 in shale, and the content of adsorbed gases is up to 20-85% of total gases (Curtis, 2002;Jing et al, 2011;Montgomery et al, 2005). Therefore, investigating the adsorbed gases in shale is required not only to understand the reservoir and deliverability of shale gas but also to reduce the risks of exploration and to determine the economic feasibility of exploiting this resource (Chalmers and Bustin, 2008;Curtis, 2002;Bustin, 2007, 2008;Strapoc et al, 2010;Zhang et al, 2012).…”

“…The mechanism of CH 4 adsorption in organic matters has been well documented, illustrating that the surface functional groups and micropores provided the adsorption sites for CH 4 (Loucks et al, 2009;Ross and Bustin, 2007Zhang et al, 2012). The effects of the characteristics of organic matters on CH 4 adsorption, including the total organic carbon (TOC) content (Cluff and Dickerson, 1982;Harris et al, 1970), kerogen type (Zhang et al, 2012) and thermal maturity (Loucks et al, 2009), have also been investigated.…”