Laboratory Investigation to Assess the Impact of Pore Pressure Decline and Confining Stress on Shale Gas Reservoirs

Four core samples of outcrop type shale from Mancos, Marcellus, Eagle Ford, and Barnett shale formations were studied to evaluate the productivity performance and reservoir connectivity at elevated temperature and pressure. These laboratory experiments were conducted using hydrostatic permeability system with helium as test gas primarily to avoid potential significant effects of adsorption and/or associated swelling that might affect permeability. It was found that the permeability reduction was observed due to increasing confining stress and permeability improvement was observed related to Knudsen flow and molecular slippage related to Klinkenberg effect. Through the effective permeability of rock is improved at lower pore pressures, as 1000 psi. The effective stress with relatively high flow path was identified, as 100-200 nm, in Eagle Ford core sample. However other three samples showed low marginal flow paths in low connectivity.