Abstract
Hydrocarbon production from tight rocks is constrained by slow diffusion within the shale matrix, limited by small pore sizes and low permeability. The nanopore proportion and size distribution significantly influence matrix permeability, a key property for optimizing hydrocarbon recovery and supporting hydrogen production while minimizing environmental impacts. Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS) has been an important tool for exploring the characteristics and structure of shale nanopores. This study used SANS to analyze nanoporosity and pore size distribution (<100 nm) in tight rocks with varying compositions to determine the influence of rock heterogeneity on SANS measurements. Results showed that nanoporosity correlates with clay content, with the highest clay-rich shale (52.48 wt% clay) exhibiting 8.8 % nanoporosity. SANS also revealed more nanopores than traditional nitrogen adsorption measurements, affirming its ability to reflect bulk mineralogy and upholding the relevance of experimental findings using this technique to optimize field operational approaches.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 134578 |
| Journal | Fuel |
| Volume | 389 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Jun 1 2025 |
Funding
This work was supported by the Chevron Technical Center, a division of Chevron USA, through a cooperative research and development agreement (CRADA) to the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) (Project PIs: Michael Cheshire and Hongwu Xu) and by the Laboratory Directed Research and Development program of Los Alamos National Laboratory under project number 20230022DR. LANL is operated by Triad National Security, LLC, for the National Nuclear Security Administration of U.S. Department of Energy (Contract No. 89233218NCA000001). This research used resources at the High Flux Isotope Reactor, a DOE Office of Science User Facility operated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The beam time was allocated to GP-SANS on proposal number IPTS-26361.1.]