Thermal maturation-induced evolution of the elastic and transport properties of organic-rich shales
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- The primary focus of this dissertation is to improve the applicability of rock physics models for elastic anisotropy and fluid transport in organic-rich shale through the development and implementation of practical workflows and pioneering experimental methodologies. Shale accounts for the vast majority of rocks in sedimentary basins and, subsequently, the elastic anisotropy of shale must be comprehensively understood for proper processing and interpretation of surface seismic studies. Additionally, as unconventional reservoirs are increasingly targeted, the development of detailed physical relationships between geochemical indicators of hydrocarbon generation and retention with parameters quantifiable from remote sensing surveys, such as elastic anisotropy from seismic surveys, are key to improving unconventional exploration procedures and workflows. Further, the development of relationships between these geochemical indicators and transport properties, such as porosity and permeability, will be vital to the identification of sweet spots and the development of improved recovery efforts in unconventional reservoirs. However, previous attempts at developing these relationships by comparing shale samples from a vast range of formations are suspected to be contaminated by issues of heterogeneity in mineralogy, organic matter type, texture, and burial history between the samples. In this dissertation, I provide further evidence that relationships developed by comparing samples from multiple formations are obfuscated, or indeed corrupted, by inter-sample heterogeneity. Subsequently, I develop a pioneering methodology for the characterization of a single sample before and after inducing hydrocarbon generation (also called thermal maturation) on individual core plugs. This process is implemented in two manners: firstly, an experimentally simple method in which samples are thermally matured without any applied confining pressure, and, secondly, an experimentally taxing method in which samples are matured in a purpose-built vessel under in situ confining pressures.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | electronic; electronic resource; remote |
| Extent | 1 online resource. |
| Publication date | 2015 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Creators/Contributors
| Associated with | Allan, Adam M |
|---|---|
| Associated with | Stanford University, Department of Geophysics. |
| Primary advisor | Vanorio, Tiziana |
| Thesis advisor | Vanorio, Tiziana |
| Thesis advisor | Graham, S. A. (Stephan Alan), 1950- |
| Thesis advisor | Mavko, Gary, 1949- |
| Advisor | Graham, S. A. (Stephan Alan), 1950- |
| Advisor | Mavko, Gary, 1949- |
Subjects
| Genre | Theses |
|---|
Bibliographic information
| Statement of responsibility | Adam M. Allan. |
|---|---|
| Note | Submitted to the Department of Geophysics. |
| Thesis | Thesis (Ph.D.)--Stanford University, 2015. |
| Location | electronic resource |
Access conditions
- Copyright
- © 2015 by Adam Mark Allan
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