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Permeability of Intact and Fractured Whitby Mudstone
- Publisher: European Association of Geoscientists & Engineers
- Source: Conference Proceedings, 80th EAGE Conference and Exhibition 2018, Jun 2018, Volume 2018, p.1 - 5
Abstract
Shale reservoir potential is largely determined by the connected pore network in the rock and the connection between the pore network and the naturally present or mechanically induced fracture network, together determining the total permeability of the rock. Pore connectivity in shales is poorly understood because most of the porosity is present in sub ?m-sized pores that are connected through nm-sized pore throats. We have used a number of different techniques to investigate the microstructure and permeability of Early Jurassic Shales from the UK (Whitby mudstone) when intact and with a mechanical induced fracture network. Whitby mudstone is a clay matrix rich rock (50–70%), with mineralogical different layers on the sub-mm scale and very low natural permeability (10-19-10-22 m2). Artificial fracturing of this shale increases its permeability by 2–5 orders of magnitude at low confining pressure (5 MPa) for all bedding orientations. At high confining pressures (30MPa), permeability changes were more sensitive to measuring direction with respect to the bedding orientation.