Application of low-pressure gas adsorption to nanopore structure characterisation of organic-rich lower Cambrian shale in the Upper Yangtze Platform, South China

The pores in shales are mainly on a nanometer scale, and the pore-size distribution is vital with regard to the preservation and exploitation of shale gas. This study focuses on the organic-rich lower Cambrian black shale in the Upper Yangtze Platform, South China and investigates their TOC, mineralogical composition and nanopore structure. Low-pressure N-2 and CO2 adsorption experiments were conducted at 77.35K and 273.15K, respectively, and the nanopore structures were characterised by the modified Brunauer-Emmett-Teller, Dubinin-Radushkevich, t-plot, Barrett-Joyner-Halenda and density functional theory (DFT) methods. The results indicate the following. (1) The lower Cambrian shale has a high TOC content (1.77-7.23 wt%) and a high quartz content (27.7-51.6 vol%). The total specific surface area varies from 12.02 to 28.87 m(2)/g. Both the total specific surface area and quartz content are positively associated with the TOC content. (2) Shale samples with a higher TOC content have a greater number of micropores, resulting in more complicated nanopore structures. Micropore volumes/surface areas and non-micropore surface areas all increase with increasing TOC content, indicating that TOC is the key factor determining the nanopore structure of the lower Cambrian shale. (3) A combination of N-2 and CO2 adsorption provides the most suitable detection range (approximate to 0.3-60 nm) and is both highly reliable and accurate with regard to nanopore structure characterisation.