Quantitative characterization of pore network and influencing factors of methane adsorption capacity of transitional shale from the southern North China Basin

Quantitative characterization of pore structure and analysis of influencing factors of methane adsorption are important segments in shale gas reservoir and resources evaluation and have not been systematically carried out in marine–continental shale series. A series of integrated methods, including total organic carbon (TOC) contents, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, mineral composition analysis, pore structure measurement, high-pressure CH4 adsorption analysis and FE-SEM observation, were conducted on 12 transitional shale samples of well WBC-1 in the southern North China Basin (SNCB). The results indicate that TOC contents of the transitional shales range from 1.03 to 8.06% with an average of 2.39%. The transitional shale consists chiefly of quartz, white mica and clay minerals. Interparticle pore, intraparticle pore, dissolution pore and microfracture were observed in the FE-SEM images. The specific surface area (SSA) of BET for the samples ranges from 3.3612 to 12.1217 m2/g (average: 6.9320 m2/g), whereas the DR SSA for the samples ranges from 12.9844 to 35.4267 m2/g (average: 19.67 m2/g). The Langmuir volume (VL) ranges from 2.05 to 4.75 cm3/g (average = 2.43 cm3/g). There is unobvious correction between BET and DR SSA with TOC contents, which means inorganic pores are the main component of pore space in the transitional shale from the SNCB. The relationship of SSA and pore volume shows that micropore has a greater impact on the CH4 adsorption capacity than mesopore–macropore in the transitional shale. Different from shales in other petroliferous basin, clay minerals are the primary factor affecting adsorption capacity of CH4 for transitional shale in this study. The pore structure of the transitional shale for this study is characterized by higher fractal dimension and more heterogeneous pore structure compared to shale in other petroliferous basin. This study provides an example and new revelation for the influencing factors of pore structure and methane adsorption capacity of marine–continental transitional shale.