Synchrotron tomographic quantification of strain and fracture during simulated thermal maturation of an organic-rich shale, UK Kimmeridge Clay

DOI: 10.1002/2016JB013874

Authors: Fernando Figueroa Pilz (University of Manchester; Research Complex at Harwell) , Patrick J. Dowey (University of Manchester) , Anne-Laure Fauchille (University of Manchester; Research Complex at Harwell) , Loic Courtois (University of Manchester; Research Complex at Harwell) , Brian Bay (Oregon State University) , Lin Ma (University of Manchester; Research Complex at Harwell) , Kevin Taylor (University of Manchester) , Julian Mecklenburgh (University of Manchester) , Peter Lee (University of Manchester; Research Complex at Harwell)
Co-authored by industrial partner: No

Type: Journal Paper
Journal: Journal Of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth

State: Published (Approved)
Published: March 2017
Diamond Proposal Number(s): 9866

Abstract: Analyzing the development of fracture networks in shale is important to understand both hydrocarbon migration pathways within and from source rocks, and the effectiveness of hydraulic stimulation upon shale reservoirs. Here we use time resolved synchrotron X-ray tomography to quantify in four dimensions (3D plus time) the development of fractures during the accelerated maturation of an organic-rich mudstone (the UK Kimmeridge Clay), with the aim of determining the nature and timing of crack initiation. Electron microscopy (EM, both scanning backscattered and energy dispersive) was used to correlatively characterize the microstructure of the sample pre- and post-heating. The tomographic data was analyzed using digital volume correlation (DVC) to measure the three-dimensional displacements between subsequent time/heating steps allowing the strain fields surrounding each crack to be calculated, enabling crack opening modes to be determined. Quantification of the strain eigenvectors just before crack propagation suggests the main mode driving crack initiation is the opening displacement perpendicular to the bedding, mode I. Further, detailed investigation of the DVC measured strain evolution revealed the complex interaction of the laminar clay matrix and the maximum principal strain on incipient crack nucleation. Full field DVC also allowed accurate calculation of the coefficients of thermal expansion (8x10-5/°C perpendicular, and 6.2x10-5/°C parallel to the bedding plane). These results demonstrate how correlative imaging (using synchrotron tomography, DVC, and EM) can be used to elucidate the influence of shale microstructure on its anisotropic mechanical behavior.

Journal Keywords: Digital Volume Correlation; Shale; Fracture; Strain; Maturation; Synchrotron Tomography

Subject Areas: Earth Science, Energy
Collaborations: Diamond Manchester

Instruments: I13-2-Diamond Manchester Imaging

Added On: 07/04/2017 13:42

Discipline Tags:

Earth Sciences & Environment Energy Geology Geophysics

Technical Tags:

Imaging Tomography