Pore structure and free gas transport characteristics of deep shale: taking Longmaxi Formation shale in Sichuan Basin as an example

Deep shale gas is an important research direction for increasing shale gas storage and production in the Longmaxi Formation of Sichuan Basin. But there are differences in reservoir and seepage characteristics between shallow and medium-buried shale gas, which to some extent limits the progress of exploration and development of deep shale gas. In order to clarify the pore structure characteristics of deep shale gas reservoirs and the transport characteristics of shale free gas, this paper takes the high-quality shale of Longmaxi Formation in southern Sichuan as an example to carry out experiments on observing and quantitatively characterizing the pore structure of shale reservoirs. In addition, based on the transport mechanism of bulk gas, the transport characteristics, critical conditions, and dynamic evolution laws of shale free gas were explored. The experimental and computational results indicate that: (1) The pore morphology characteristics of deep shale reservoirs are not significantly different from those of shallow and medium-buried shale, but the pore structure characteristics of medium pores are more obvious, with pore volume accounting for 62.5%-69.7%; (2) The transport modes of deep shale free gas are divided into three types: transitional flow, slippage flow, and Darcy flow. The critical pore sizes of the three modes in the Yongchuan area are 4.2 nm and 420 nm, respectively. On this basis, a transport chart for free gas in the entire basin has been established; (3) From shallow to deep shale, the critical pore size corresponding to different transport modes of free gas decreases accordingly. The main transport mode of free gas changes from the transitional flow (up to 63.0%) to the slippage flow (up to 67.3%) and the Darcy flow accounts for no more than 2%. The transport capacity of free gas rapidly decreases from shallow to medium-buried shale, while the transport capacity of medium to deep shale free gas remains basically stable with increasing burial depth. By analyzing and comparing the pore structure characteristics and free gas transport characteristics of deep and shallow shale reservoirs, this study can effectively support the deployment of efficient exploration and development plans for deep shale gas and even shallow shale gas in the next step.