The role of supercritical carbon dioxide for recovery of shale gas and sequestration in gas shale reservoirs

Lyu, Qiao; Tan, Jingqiang; Li, Lei; Ju, Yi‐Hsu; Busch, Andreas; Wood, David A.; Ranjith, P.G.; Middleton, Richard S.; Shu, Biao; Hu, Chenger; Wang, Zhanghu; Hu, Ruining

doi:10.1039/d0ee03648j

Cited by 122 publications

(48 citation statements)

References 309 publications

(349 reference statements)

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“…5,28,30−34 Because of their large resources, cleaner energy option, and CCS potential, unconventional shales have been identified as a possible bridge toward our transition to renewable energy resources. 34 The CO 2 , when injected in deep shale or other reservoirs, undergo phase transition to supercritical state beyond its critical point at 31.1 °C and 7.38 MPa, and is known as supercritical CO 2 (SC-CO 2 ). Figure 1 displays the phase transition diagram of CO 2 .Different researchers have demonstrated the interaction mechanism of SC-CO 2 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Impact of Supercritical CO₂ on Shale Reservoirs and Its Implication for CO₂ Sequestration

et al. 2022

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Hydraulic fracturing has transformed the international energy landscape by becoming the go-to method for the exploitation of natural gas from unconventional shale reservoirs. However, in the recent years, the search for an alternative method of shale-gas exploration has intensified, because of various problems (e.g., contamination of ground and surface water, overexploitation of precious water resources, air pollution, etc.) associated with the usage of water-based fracturing techniques. The use of CO2 for shale gas exploitation has emerged as a better alternative to aqueous-based gas exploration techniques. CO2 when injected into deep shale reservoirs, transitions into supercritical CO2 (SC-CO2) when temperature and pressure condition exceeds the critical point, i.e., 31.1 °C and 7.38 MPa. In this paper, we comprehensively review the impact of SC-CO2 on shale gas reservoirs during the different stages of shale-gas exploration, i.e., (i) drilling, which involves the superiority of SC-CO2 over water-based drilling fluids, in terms of achieving under-balanced well condition, higher rates of penetration, and resistance to formation damage; (ii) fracturing, which involves factors affecting the tortuosity of fractures created by SC-CO2 fracturing, breakdown pressure, and proppant-carrying capacity; and (iii) injection, which involves the twin-headed benefit of enhanced recovery due to CO2/CH4 competitive adsorption and geological sequestration, CO2 vs CH4 excess sorption as a function of pressure, etc. Several research works have indicated discrepancies on how SC-CO2 impacts different shale properties. Some studies show low-pressure N2-gas-adsorption-derived surface area and total pore volume to be increasing with SC-CO2 imbibition, while others show a decreasing trend for the same. Similarly, for some shales, the quartz content, along with the clay mineral contents, decreased as the exposure to SC-CO2 increased, while in some other studies, with similar long-term exposure to SC-CO2, the quartz content was observed to increase along with the decrease in clay content and vice versa. Essentially, the increased exposure to SC-CO2 results in the dissolution of primary porous structures and fractures, and reformation of newer porous structure and conduits in shales. Nonetheless, these changes in the mineralogy weaken the microstructure of the rock bringing significant changes in the mechanical properties of the shales with implications on the wellbore stability and fracturing efficiency. The mechanical properties such as uniaxial compressive strength (UCS), Young’s modulus, and tensile strength decrease as the SC-CO2 saturation period increases. However, some studies have shown factors like bedding angle and phase-state of CO2 having varying effect on the strength behavior of the shales. Moreover, changes in the structure of shales caused by the creation of fractures and the reduction of their strength can also pose major risks, because of potential leakage of CO2 through these created pathways. How these processes would i...

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, with preferential adsorption of CO 2 and desorption of CH 4 , SC-CO 2 -based unconventional-play development can further sequester additional CO 2 . 22,34,40,41 In the recent past, the importance of SC-CO 2 has been identified, and, consequently, a lot of research has focused on SC-CO 2 and shale/coal interaction.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of Supercritical CO₂ on Shale Reservoirs and Its Implication for CO₂ Sequestration

et al. 2022

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“…Schematic illustration of multi‐scale flow with coupling the multi‐physical phenomena and multi‐phase fluid distribution. The illustration is modified from Lyu et al and Wang et al [ 28,29 ] …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…[44,45] F I G U R E 2 Schematic illustration of multi-scale flow with coupling the multiphysical phenomena and multi-phase fluid distribution. The illustration is modified from Lyu et al and Wang et al [28,29] Dissolved gas refers to the gas dissolved in kerogen. Compared with the other two, the amount of dissolved gas is much lower, and its contribution to gas flow can be ignored.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A comprehensive review on the flow behaviour in shale gas reservoirs: Multi‐scale, multi‐phase, and multi‐physics

Feng

Chen

et al. 2022

Can J Chem Eng

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An accurate description of fluid flow is critical for the prediction of the productivity of shale gas reservoirs. In this paper, we present the current advances and a systematic summary on the fluid flow in shale gas reservoirs. First, shale pore structures, consisting of organic pores and inorganic pores ranging from nanoscale to micro-scale, and reservoir fluids, including free gas, absorbed gas, and water, are systematically presented. Thereafter, multi-physics flow phenomena motivated by scale effects, such as continuum flow, slip flow, transition flow, free molecular flow, and surface diffusion for gas, as well as the effective viscosity and slip boundary condition for water, are carefully summarized. Meanwhile, these flow mechanisms are discussed with molecular dynamics (MD) simulations and theoretical analysis. Subsequently, on the basis of upscaling approaches, including capillary bundle models, the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), and pore network models (PNMs), fluid flow through heterogeneous shale matrix is reviewed and the influences of scale effects and pore structures are clarified. Additionally, shale gas well performance is discussed by combining the multiple transport mechanisms and a fracturing-shut-in-flowback-production process. Our review concluded that the fluid flow behaviour in shale gas reservoirs is a complex multi-scale process accompanied by multi-physical phenomena and multi-fluid distributions. Keeping this in mind is helpful for predicting the shale gas production and recoverable gas resources. We expect this study can not only help by providing a better understanding of the fluid flow in shale reservoirs but also provide significant implications to address other multiphase flow processes.

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“…It was then concluded that the process can be applied with the objectives of drilling, fracturing and sequestration. 12…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring the CO₂ enhanced oil recovery process at the nanoscale: an in situ neutron scattering study

et al. 2022

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The role of supercritical carbon dioxide for recovery of shale gas and sequestration in gas shale reservoirs

Abstract: The development of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques has promoted the exploitation of shale gas resources. However, using water has several potential drawbacks including environmental issues, e.g., the contamination...

Cited by 122 publications

References 309 publications

Impact of Supercritical CO₂ on Shale Reservoirs and Its Implication for CO₂ Sequestration

Impact of Supercritical CO₂ on Shale Reservoirs and Its Implication for CO₂ Sequestration

A comprehensive review on the flow behaviour in shale gas reservoirs: Multi‐scale, multi‐phase, and multi‐physics

Monitoring the CO₂ enhanced oil recovery process at the nanoscale: an in situ neutron scattering study

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The role of supercritical carbon dioxide for recovery of shale gas and sequestration in gas shale reservoirs

Abstract: The development of hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling techniques has promoted the exploitation of shale gas resources. However, using water has several potential drawbacks including environmental issues, e.g., the contamination...

Cited by 122 publications

References 309 publications

Impact of Supercritical CO2 on Shale Reservoirs and Its Implication for CO2 Sequestration

Impact of Supercritical CO2 on Shale Reservoirs and Its Implication for CO2 Sequestration

A comprehensive review on the flow behaviour in shale gas reservoirs: Multi‐scale, multi‐phase, and multi‐physics

Monitoring the CO2 enhanced oil recovery process at the nanoscale: an in situ neutron scattering study

Contact Info

Product

Resources

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Impact of Supercritical CO₂ on Shale Reservoirs and Its Implication for CO₂ Sequestration

Impact of Supercritical CO₂ on Shale Reservoirs and Its Implication for CO₂ Sequestration

Monitoring the CO₂ enhanced oil recovery process at the nanoscale: an in situ neutron scattering study