Micro-characterization of montney unconventional hydrocarbon source rock

蒙特尼组是艾伯塔省和不列颠哥伦比亚省最大、产量最高的气田，也是世界上最大的非常规天然气资源之一。水平钻井和水力压裂(又名水力压裂)技术的进步使人们能够从Montney Play以及许多以前无法开采或不经济开采的低渗透(致密)油藏中释放碳氢化合物。尽管取得了这些技术进步，但由于目前在充分了解储集岩在这些复杂过程下如何破裂方面的局限性，许多井的表现仍然不佳，这些复杂过程最终要负责形成用于输送和开采目标油气资源的相互连通的裂缝网络。这项工作的目的是开发一种建立岩石力学模型的程序，该模型可用于预测蒙尼非常规烃源岩在水力压裂作业中的性能。预期的岩石力学模型将提供基于有限离散元模型(FDEM)技术的细观力学模型。FDEM结合了大应变有限元和离散单元的优点，允许显式地模拟裂纹在原始完整材料中的扩展，以及不同相和材料之间的相互作用。通过在微观尺度上模拟物理相互作用，FDEM能够将被测材料的响应重现为模型的紧急特性。然而，任何FDEM建模操作的可靠性在很大程度上取决于所用输入材料特性的准确性。富含碳氢化合物的粉砂岩的微观特征，加上在微型x射线计算机断层扫描仪(MicroCT)内进行的先进成像，将有助于了解和限制任何未来FDEM模型的发展。

The Montney formation is the largest and most productive play in Alberta and British Columbia and one of thelargest unconventional gas resources in the world. Technological advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulicfracturing (aka fracking) have made it possible to release hydrocarbon from the Montney play as well as manyother low-permeability (tight) reservoirs that were formerly inaccessible or uneconomical to exploit. Despitethese technological advancements, many wells still underperform because of the current limitation in fullyunderstanding how reservoir rocks fracture under those complex processes, which are ultimately responsiblefor creating the network of interconnected fractures used to channel and extract the targeted hydrocarbonresource. The objective of this work is to develop a procedure to create a rock mechanics model that could beused to predict the performance of Montney unconventional hydrocarbon source-rock during hydraulicfracturing operations. The expected rock mechanics model will inform a micro-mechanical modeling based onthe finite discrete element model (FDEM) technology. FDEM combines the advantages of large strain finiteelements with those of the discrete elements, allowing for explicitly modelling the propagation of cracks intoan originally intact material, as well as the interaction between the different phases and materials. By modellingthe physical interactions at the micro-scale, FDEM is able to reproduce the response of the tested material as anemergent property of the model. However, the reliability of any FDEM modeling exercise is highly dependenton the accuracy of the used input material properties. A micro-characterization of the hydrocarbon-richsiltstone, together with advanced imaging performed inside a micro x-ray computed tomography machine(microCT), will help to inform and constrain the development of any future FDEM model.