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Advances in Geo-Energy Research 2018, 2(3): 269-281 https://doi.org/10.26804/ager.2018.03.05
Original Article | Open Access | Issue | Published: 28 June 2018

Investigation of methane adsorption mechanism on Longmaxi shale by combining the micropore filling and monolayer coverage theories

Show Author's Information Shangwen Zhou1,2( ),  Yang Ning3,  Hongyan Wang1,2,  Honglin Liu1,2,  Huaqing Xue1,2
PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
National Energy Shale Gas R & D (Experiment) Center, Langfang 065007, P. R. China
Department of Petroleum Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, USA
Keywords:
adsorption mechanism, nanopores, Shale gas, micropore filling, monolayer adsorption, adsorption model
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Zhou S, Ning Y, Wang H, et al. Investigation of methane adsorption mechanism on Longmaxi shale by combining the micropore filling and monolayer coverage theories. Advances in Geo-Energy Research, 2018, 2(3): 269-281. https://doi.org/10.26804/ager.2018.03.05
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Abstract Full text About this article

Understanding the methane adsorption mechanism is critical for studying shale gas storage and transport in shale nanopores. In this work,we conducted low-pressure nitrogen adsorption (LPNA),scanning electron microscopy (SEM),and high-pressure methane adsorption experiments on seven shale samples from the Longmaxi formation in Sichuan basin. LPNA and SEM results show that pores in the shale samples are mainly nanometersized and have a broad size distribution. We have also shown that methane should be not only adsorbed in micropores (< 2 nm) but also in mesopores (2-50 nm) by two hypotheses. Therefore,we established a novel DA-LF model by combining the micropore filling and monolayer coverage theories to describe the methane adsorption process in shale. This new model can fit the high-pressure isotherms quite well,and the fitting error of this new model is slightly smaller than the commonly used D-A and L-F models. The absolute adsorption isotherms and the capacities for micropores and mesopores can be calculated using this new model separately,showing that 77% to 97% of methane molecules are adsorbed in micropores. In addition,we conclude that the methane adsorption mechanism in shale is: the majority of methane molecules are filled in micropores,and the remainder are monolayer-adsorbed in mesopores. It is anticipated that our results provide a more accurate explanation of the shale gas adsorption mechanism in shale formations.


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About this article

Investigation of methane adsorption mechanism on Longmaxi shale by combining the micropore filling and monolayer coverage theories

Show Author's information Shangwen Zhou1,2( ), Yang Ning3, Hongyan Wang1,2, Honglin Liu1,2, Huaqing Xue1,2
PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, Beijing 100083, P. R. China
National Energy Shale Gas R & D (Experiment) Center, Langfang 065007, P. R. China
Department of Petroleum Engineering, University of Houston, Houston, Texas 77204, USA

Abstract

Understanding the methane adsorption mechanism is critical for studying shale gas storage and transport in shale nanopores. In this work,we conducted low-pressure nitrogen adsorption (LPNA),scanning electron microscopy (SEM),and high-pressure methane adsorption experiments on seven shale samples from the Longmaxi formation in Sichuan basin. LPNA and SEM results show that pores in the shale samples are mainly nanometersized and have a broad size distribution. We have also shown that methane should be not only adsorbed in micropores (< 2 nm) but also in mesopores (2-50 nm) by two hypotheses. Therefore,we established a novel DA-LF model by combining the micropore filling and monolayer coverage theories to describe the methane adsorption process in shale. This new model can fit the high-pressure isotherms quite well,and the fitting error of this new model is slightly smaller than the commonly used D-A and L-F models. The absolute adsorption isotherms and the capacities for micropores and mesopores can be calculated using this new model separately,showing that 77% to 97% of methane molecules are adsorbed in micropores. In addition,we conclude that the methane adsorption mechanism in shale is: the majority of methane molecules are filled in micropores,and the remainder are monolayer-adsorbed in mesopores. It is anticipated that our results provide a more accurate explanation of the shale gas adsorption mechanism in shale formations.

Keywords: adsorption mechanism, nanopores, Shale gas, micropore filling, monolayer adsorption, adsorption model

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Publication history

Received: 01 June 2018
Revised: 21 June 2018
Accepted: 22 June 2018
Published: 28 June 2018
Issue date: September 2018

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© The Author(s) 2018

Acknowledgements

This study was funded by National Science and Technology Major Project (No. 2017ZX05035002-002).

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