• Energy Research

The reservoir properties of low–medium-maturity shale undergo complex changes during the in situ conversion process (ICP). The experiments were performed at high temperature (up to 450 °C), high pressure (30 MPa), and a low heating rate (0.4 °C/h) on low–medium-maturity shale samples of the Chang 7 Member shale in the southern Ordos Basin. The changes in the shale composition, pore structure, and reservoir properties during the ICP were quantitatively characterized by X-ray diffraction (XRD), microscopic observation, vitrinite reflectance (Ro), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), and reservoir physical property measurements. The results showed that a sharp change occurred in mineral and maceral composition, pore structure, porosity, and permeability at a temperature threshold of 350 °C. In the case of a temperature > 350 °C, pyrite, K-feldspar, ankerite, and siderite were almost completely decomposed, and organic matter (OM) was cracked into large quantities of oil and gas. Furthermore, a three-scale millimeter–micrometer–nanometer pore–fracture network was formed along the shale bedding, between OM and mineral particles and within OM, respectively. During the ICP, porosity and permeability showed a substantial improvement, with porosity increasing by approximately 10-times and permeability by 2- to 4-orders of magnitude. Kerogen pyrolysis, clay–mineral transformation, unstable mineral dissolution, and thermal stress were the main mechanisms for the substantial improvement in the reservoir’s physical properties. This study is expected to provide a basis for formulating a heating procedure and constructing a numerical model of reservoir properties for the ICP field pilot in the Chang 7 shale of the Ordos Basin.

Using the conventional fracture parameters is difficult to characterize and predict the complex natural fractures in the tight conglomerate reservoirs. In order to quantify the fracture behaviors, a fractal method was presented in this work. Firstly, the characteristics of fractures were depicted, then the fracture fractal dimensions were calculated using the box-counting method, and finally the geological significance of the fractal method was discussed. Three types of fractures were identified, including intra-gravel fractures, gravel edge fractures and trans-gravel fractures. The calculations show that the fracture fractal dimensions distribute between 1.20 and 1.50 with correlation coefficients being above 0.98. The fracture fractal dimension has exponential correlation with the fracture areal density, porosity and permeability and can therefore be used to quantify the fracture intensity. The apertures of micro-fractures are distributed between 10 μm and 100 μm, while the apertures of macro-fractures are distributed between 50 μm and 200 μm. The areal densities of fractures are distributed between 20.0 m·m−2 and 50.0 m·m−2, with an average of 31.42 m·m−2. The cumulative frequency distribution of both fracture apertures and areal densities follow power law distribution. The fracture parameters at different scales can be predicted by extrapolating these power law distributions.