Atomic-Force Microscopy: A New Tool for Gas-Shale Characterization

An atomic-force microscope (AFM), a relatively new tool for studying surface characterization, can generate image features down to atomic resolution. Not only can the AFM obtain topographic images of surfaces, but it also can simultaneously identify different materials on a surface at high resolution. Since its invention in the 1980s, AFM has been used in material science and medical research, although it has not received the attention that it probably deserves in reservoir engineering. The emergence of unconventional shale-gas reservoirs, however, has opened new research frontiers for the AFM in the field of reservoir engineering. The unique capabilities of the AFM make it ideal for studying nanopores, organic materials (kerogen), minerals, and diagenetic fractures in shales. It also can be used to measure localized bulk modulus of elasticity on a surface for further implications in geophysical exploration and designing hydraulic fracturing. We introduce different AFM techniques for all these applications, along with example results.