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Correlation study between fracability and brittleness of shale-gas reservoir

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Abstract

A correlation study between the fracability and brittleness of shale gas reservoir is crucial for optimize reservoir reconstruction and enhance shale gas recovery. To investigate the relationship between fracability and brittleness of shale, a series of uniaxial compression tests of Silurian Longmaxi shale samples were carried out using a novel setup that combines X-ray micro-computed tomography with a uniaxial loading apparatus. Based on the CT images obtained from the test, fractal dimension of crack distribution that regarded as an effective index describing the fracability of shale was estimated, and the Weibull shape parameter that deemed as a reliable index to describe the brittleness of shale was calculated. The ratio of fractal dimension and Weibull shape parameter was close to a constant value of 2. To reveal the relationship between the fractal dimension and Weibull shape parameter, the quantitative relationship between the fractal dimension of the crack distribution and the Weibull shape parameter of the shale under tensile and compressive stress conditions was established by coupling the fracture mechanics and Weibull’s weakest-link theory, which validated that the shale fracability was directly proportional to its brittleness. The applicable range of the quantitative relationship showed that the proportional relationship only held for a low-brittleness shale. These results are significant for the fracturing and recovery of shale-gas reservoirs.

Article Highlights

  • Uniaxial compression experiments of shale were conducted using novel X-ray microscopy, and three-dimensional CT reconstruction images with a time series were obtained.

  • Laboratory test results analyzed the qualitative relationship between shale fracability and brittleness.

  • A quantitative relationship between shale fracability and brittleness was established by coupling fracture mechanics and Weibull’s weakest link theory.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41977249; U1704243; 41572311; 42007243) and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (N2001028).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Resources and Civil Engineering, Northeastern University, Shenyang, 110819, China

    Baicun Yang & Yongting Duan

  2. Key Laboratory of Shale Gas and Geoengineering, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Lei Xue

  3. Innovation Academy for Earth Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100029, China

    Lei Xue

  4. School of Highway, Chang’an University, Xi’an 710064, China

    Miaomiao Wang

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  1. Baicun Yang
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  2. Lei Xue
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Each author contributed to this paper. Baicun Yang designed and conducted the experiments, Baicun Yang and Lei Xue analyzed the test data, Baicun Yang wrote the paper, Yongting Duan and Miaomiao Wang provided guidance on the writing style and language. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Baicun Yang or Lei Xue.

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Yang, B., Xue, L., Duan, Y. et al. Correlation study between fracability and brittleness of shale-gas reservoir. Geomech. Geophys. Geo-energ. Geo-resour. 7, 31 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40948-021-00231-y

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