Many currently producing shale-gas reservoirs are overmature oil-prone source rocks. Through burial and heating these reservoirs evolve from organic-matter-rich mud deposited in marine, lacustrine, or swamp environments. Key characterization parameters are: total organic carbon (TOC), maturity level (vitrinite reflectance), mineralogy, thickness, and organic matter type. Hydrogento-carbon (HI) and oxygen-to-carbon (OI) ratios are used to classify organic matter that ranges from oil-prone algal and herbaceous to gas-prone woody/coaly material.Although organic-matter-rich intervals can be hundreds of meters thick, vertical variability in TOC is high (<1-3 meters) and is controlled by stratigraphic and biotic factors. In general, the fundamental geologic building block of shale-gas reservoirs is the parasequence, and commonly 10's to 100's of parasequences comprise the organic-rich formation whose lateral continuity can be estimated using techniques and models developed for source rocks.Typical analysis techniques for shale-gas reservoir rocks include: TOC, X-ray diffraction, adsorbed/canister gas, vitrinite reflectance, detailed core and thin-section descriptions, porosity, permeability, fluid saturation, and optical and electron microscopy. These sample-based results are combined with full well-log suites, including high resolution density and resistivity logs and borehole images, to fully characterize these formations. Porosity, fluid saturation, and permeability derived from core can be tied to log response; however, several studies have shown that the results obtained from different core analysis laboratories can vary significantly, reflecting differences in analytical technique, differences in definitions of fundamental rock and fluid properties, or the millimeter-scale variability common in mudstones that make it problematic to select multiple samples with identical attributes.Porosity determination in shale-gas mudstones is complicated by very small pore sizes and, thus, large surface area (and associated surface water); moreover, smectitic clays that are commonly present in mud have interlayer water, but this clay family tends to be minimized in high maturity formations due to illitization. Finally, SEM images of ion-beam-milled samples reveal a separate nanoporosity system contained within the organic matter, possibly comprising >50% of the total porosity, and these pores may be hydrocarbon wet, at least during most of the thermal maturation process. A full understanding of the relation of porosity and gas content will result in development of optimized processes for hydrocarbon recovery in shale-gas reservoirs.

Many currently producing shale-gas reservoirs are overmature oil-prone source rocks. Through burial and heating these reservoirs evolve from organic-matter-rich mud deposited in marine, lacustrine, or swamp environments. Key characterization parameters are: total organic carbon (TOC), maturity level (vitrinite reflectance), mineralogy, thickness, and organic matter type. Hydrogen-to-carbon (HI) and oxygen-to-carbon (OI) ratios are used to classify organic matter that ranges from oil-prone algal and herbaceous to gas-prone woody/coaly material. Although organic-matter-rich intervals can be hundreds of meters thick, vertical variability in TOC is high (&lt;1–3 meters) and is controlled by stratigraphic and biotic factors. In general, the fundamental geologic building block of shale-gas reservoirs is the parasequence, and commonly 10's to 100's of parasequences comprise the organic-rich formation whose lateral continuity can be estimated using techniques and models developed for source rocks. Typical analysis techniques for shale-gas reservoir rocks include: TOC, X-ray diffraction, adsorbed/canister gas, vitrinite reflectance, detailed core and thin-section descriptions, porosity, permeability, fluid saturation, and optical and electron microscopy. These sample-based results are combined with full well-log suites, including high resolution density and resistivity logs and borehole images, to fully characterize these formations. Porosity, fluid saturation, and permeability derived from core can be tied to log response; however, several studies have shown that the results obtained from different core analysis laboratories can vary significantly, reflecting differences in analytical technique, differences in definitions of fundamental rock and fluid properties, or the millimeter-scale variability common in mudstones that make it problematic to select multiple samples with identical attributes. Porosity determination in shale-gas mudstones is complicated by very small pore sizes and, thus, large surface area (and associated surface water); moreover, smectitic clays that are commonly present in mud have interlayer water, but this clay family tends to be minimized in high maturity formations due to illitization. Finally, SEM images of ion-beam-milled samples reveal a separate nano-porosity system contained within the organic matter, possibly comprising &gt;50% of the total porosity, and these pores may be hydrocarbon wet, at least during most of the thermal maturation process. A full understanding of the relation of porosity and gas content will result in development of optimized processes for hydrocarbon recovery in shale-gas reservoirs.

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Gas shales have gained significant attention in recent years as a source of natural gas, resulting in significant focus on storage and flow mechanisms in these rocks. The permeability of shale reservoirs is a key control that determines the producibility and profitability of the resource. In contrast to conventional reservoir rocks, gas shales have significant organic content and, often, most of the pores are in the organic matter. Furthermore, most pores are in the 1–100 nanometer size range, and gas can be stored in these pores as sorbed gas as well as free gas, which has raised concerns such as deviation of the flow mechanism from Darcy flow, and the effect of sorption on permeability in shales. The common industry practice of measuring permeability using crushed rock samples and helium as test gas at room conditions has been found to have a number of shortcomings, including inconsistent results reported by different laboratories using such methods. In this paper we present the results of steady-state permeability measurements on shale samples conducted at reservoir conditions, and demonstrate the effect of stress, pressure, temperature, sorption, and type of gas utilized for measuring permeability of intact shale samples. The results presented in this paper show that net stress, pore pressure, and temperature have strong effects on permeability of shales. Additionally, we show that the type of gas utilized for measurements, and sorption phenomenon can have a significant influence on the measured permeability, particularly for organic rich samples such as gas shales. We also demonstrate through examination of Klinkenberg flow model, that currently, with the exception of the effect of pressure on permeability, no existing model accurately predicts the effects of other factors such as temperature and type of gas on permeability of shale samples in the absence of actual experimental measurements. This paper documents that there may be significant errors associated with measurements that are conducted at room conditions using non-reservoir or non-sorbing gas, and accurate permeability measurements require tests to be conducted at conditions that are close to the in-situ conditions. Accurate permeability measurements conducted at reservoir conditions enable superior characterization, supporting sound business decisions in the development phase of a project, and more accurate production forecasting in the production phase.

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