Quantification of the gas and liquids in place and flow characteristics of shale and other fine grained rocks in Western Canada

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Tremendous resources of unconventional gas and hydrocarbon liquids exist in Western Canada in fine grained rocks generally referred to as shales. Predicting the distribution of liquid hydrocarbons in shales and the production rates of the liquids has however remained elusive. Simple analyses of the current level of organic maturity has not proved to be satisfactory particularly in areas where maturity, kerogen type, reservoir conditions (pressure and temperature) and rock character changes laterally (i.e. Eagle Ford and Duvernay formations). Overall our success in developing shales as petroleum reservoirs has not been paralleled with increased understanding of either the geological processes that determine gas and liquids in place, methods for quantifying hydrocarbons in place or the flow characteristics of the rocks, all of which are critical to economic development. Hydrocarbon liquids have proved particularly challenging with problems anticipated due to changing relatively permeability during production and inevitable retrograde condensation and potential phase blocking in some reservoirs with declining pressures and temperatures during production. This proposal has two interrelated components: 1) development of better methodologies for quantifying gas and liquid in place in gas shale and shale oil reservoirs and measuring matrix flow characteristics (such as relatively permeability and diffusivity); and 2) quantification of the gas and liquids in place and flow capacity of important shales in Western Canada using established and novel methodologies. The research will focus on several key horizons for which considerable data is in hand: the Exshaw, Doig, Montney, Nordegg and Wilrich formations and equivalent strata which are prospective reservoirs and for which the principal investigator has considerable experience.