Implications of thin laminations on pore structure of marine shale reservoir: Goldwyer Formation case study from Western Australia
Muhammad Atif Iqbal A C , Reza Rezaee A , Gregory Smith B and Partha Pratim Mandal AA Department of Petroleum Engineering, Western Australian School of Mines: Minerals, Energy and Chemical Engineering, Curtin University, 26 Dick Perry Avenue, Kensington, WA 6151, Australia.
B Department of Applied Geology, West Australian School of Mines, Curtin University, Perth, Australia.
C Corresponding author. Email: m.atifiqbal16@gmail.com
The APPEA Journal 61(1) 205-215 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ20025
Submitted: 17 December 2020 Accepted: 17 February 2021 Published: 2 July 2021
Abstract
The pore structure of a shale reservoir is a major control on hydrocarbon potential, yet shale pore systems are complex and affected by various factors. This paper focuses on the differences in pore structure between thinly laminated and massive black shale (MBSh) beds in the Ordovician Goldwyer-III shale, Canning Basin, Western Australia. A multiscale approach included image logs, core descriptions, thin sections, scanning electron microscope and X-ray diffraction analysis with low-pressure nitrogen and carbon dioxide gas adsorption tests. The results indicate that the Goldwyer shale comprises laminated beds of quartz silt and shale with thin beds of organic-rich clay, plus minor interbedded carbonate bands or concretions. The pore types are subjected to rock type, and the thinly laminated shale (LSh) is enriched in intergranular and intragranular pores. In contrast, the MBSh mainly comprises organic matter pores. The LSh is slightly enriched in mesopores but has negligible micropores. The mesopores are wedge-shaped and associated with an inorganic matrix of clay and pyrite. In comparison, the MBSh contains both mesopores and micropores. These pores are slit-like and related to organic matter and clay. The clay content and total organic carbon fluctuations control the development of mesopores and micropores in both the laminated and MBSh beds in the Goldwyer-III shale. The MBSh layers are suggested as the most important rock types for fluid flow via pore systems due to higher total pore volume, specific surface area and gas adsorption capacity.
Keywords: Western Australia, Goldwyer Formation, Goldwyer-III shale, shale reservoir, laminations, massive beds, pore structure, shale pore systems, Canning Basin, hydrocarbon potential, Ordovician.
Mr Muhammad Atif Iqbal is currently a PhD Candidate in Western Australia School of Mines (WASM), Curtin University. His PhD research is focused on the high-resolution mineralogical and petrophysical characterisation of shale reservoirs. He is solving a research problem about heterogeneity understanding through multiscale (analytical and machine learning-based) rock typing and its influence on the total gas content of marine shale reservoirs. This research is timely and will be helpful for accurate reserve estimations in the shale. He has more than five years of industry and research experience as a Geoscientist for petroleum and mineral exploration companies. His expertise lies in core logging, petrophysics, geological and geochemical characterisation and well logs analysis. He has won different research scholarships throughout his academic career. He received his BSc (Hons) degree in Applied Geology from University of the Punjab, Lahore, Pakistan and MSc by Research degree in Geosciences from University Teknologi PETRONAS, Malaysia. |
Professor Reza Rezaee of Curtin University’s Department of Petroleum Engineering has a PhD degree in Reservoir Characterisation. He has over 27 years’ experience in academia, being responsible for both teaching and research. During his career, he has been engaged in several research projects supported by major oil and gas companies. These commissions, together with his supervisory work at various universities, have involved a wide range of achievements. During his research career, he has led several major research projects funded by various oil and gas companies. He has published more than 160 peer-reviewed journal and conference papers and is the author of four books on petroleum geology, logging and log interpretation and gas shale reservoirs. His research has been mostly on integrated solutions for reservoir characterisation, formation evaluation and petrophysics. Currently, he is focused on unconventional gas, including gas shale and tight gas sand studies. As a founder of the ‘Unconventional Gas Research Group’ of Australia, he has established a unique and highly sophisticated research lab at the Department of Petroleum Engineering, Curtin University. This lab was established to conduct research on petrophysical evaluation of tight gas sands and shale gas formations. He is the winner of Australian Gas Innovation Award for his innovation on tight gas sand treatment for gas production enhancement. |
Gregory Smith is Adjunct Professor of Petroleum Geology at Curtin University in the School of Earth and Planetary Sciences. He has over 40 years’ experience in petroleum geology, geophysics and geochemistry involving technical, research and managerial positions at Exxon, ARCO, BHP, Woodside/Shell and the Herman Research Laboratory. Initial research into 3D modelling of basins, sediments and organic geochemistry was followed by successful coal, oil shale and petroleum exploration. This included several major discoveries and field developments leading to production for many large projects in Australia and overseas. Greg undertakes research with Honours, Masters and PhD students on interpretation, organic geochemical and geostatistical analysis of large seismic, well log, core and production datasets. The results are used to build 3D structural and property models of sedimentary basins or petroleum fields, and analyses, using machine learning and multi factor scenario modelling, to estimate the probable geology and associated resource estimates. Specific interests include low temperature-pressure burial and thermal history modelling, organic matter petrology and geochemistry, and characterisation of sediments and their diagenesis with Curtin University departments of statistics and engineering, the WA Organic and Isotope Geochemistry group and the John de Laeter Centre. Greg is a member of AAPG, PESA, TSOP, ICCP, past corporate member of AusIMM, and has held various positions in GSA, PESA, APPEA and ASA. |
Partha Pratim Mandal is a current PhD student at the WASM, Curtin University. His research focuses on creating geomechanical workflows to conduct laboratory measurements of the deformation aspect of shale gas, including the viscoelastic deformation, stress partitioning factor of rock composition, multi-channel active and passive wave velocity recording and elastic anisotropy. He is also interested in transferring geotechnical skill from the energy industry to the deep earth mining activity for safer operation. He is the recipient of several scholarships and research grants, such as the RTP Scholarship, EAGE Student Fund, PESA Federal Post-graduate Scholarship, AAPG Grant-in-Aid and the AIG Student Bursary Program. He was the founding member and the president of EAGE-SEG student chapter at Curtin University and currently serves as Secretary of the ASEG, WA branch. Previously, he worked for six years as the Imaging Geophysicist at PGS, both in India and Australia. He received his first-class BSc (Hons) degree in Physics from the Presidency College, University of Calcutta, India, and his MSc Tech degree in Applied Geophysics from the IIT (ISM), Dhanbad, India. |
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