Shale-gas accumulation and pore structure characteristics in the lower Cambrian Niutitang shales, Cen-gong Block, South China.

To evaluate pore networks of the lower Cambrian Niutitang Shale in the Cen-gong Block, multiple techniques, including geochemical analysis, low-pressure gas (CO2 and N2) adsorption, mercury intrusion capillary porosimetry (MICP) and field-emission scanning electron microscope (FE-SEM), were performed to investigate pore structure, including pore-size distribution (PSD), pore volume and surface area of black organic-rich shales from two wells to better understand the mechanism of shale-gas accumulation. Geochemical analysis shows that equivalent vitrinite reflectance ranges from 2.1 to 3.5% and are overmature. Surface areas and pore volumes of micropores calculated from CO2 adsorption, which vary from 8.23 to 37.39 m2/g and from 3.06  10−3 to 10.89  10−3 cm3/g, respectively, can provide large amounts of adsorptive sites for shale-gas accumulation. N2 adsorption shows reversed S-shaped isotherms, which are classified into type H2 and H3 hysteresis loops, indicative of ink-bottle pores and slit-or plate-like pores. N2 adsorption and MICP analysis indicates that the inorganic-associated pores in shales may play a significant role in the storage and production of hydrocarbons. High-resolution FE-SEM analysis suggests that OM pores (OMPs) are common in Niutitang samples with a dominant diameter less 50 nm, but a sample with the highest total organic carbon (TOC) of 10.01 wt% has few OMPs, whereas a sample with the TOC of 7.51 wt% has more OMPs. The percentage of OMP area vs total organic matter area (Øs) ranges from 1.70 to 7.92%. The pore structure characteristics of TX1 well, calculated by multiple techniques, are better than samples from TM1 well. In addition, pore types are dominated by interparticle, intraparticle and organic matter pores, and the minor amounts of OMPs in TM1 well indicates that most of the organic matter may have lost the potential to generate hydrocarbons owing to the release of formation pressure with some graphitisation and high-angle fractures larger in the TX1 well. TOC content, mineral composition and tectonically related thermal maturity may be the main controlling factors of the pore structure and the lower Cambrian Niutitang Shale demonstrates the greatest potential for shale-gas production in South China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]