Unlike macroscopic objects, any system of nanometric size shows characteristics that strongly depend on its size and geometric form. It is the consequence of the fact that the major part of atoms (or molecules) of nano-object is located at its surface, their cohesive energy is smaller than for the atoms in the bulk.
Here we show that when a fluid is confined in nano-volume, delimited by...
Clay minerals are ubiquitous in the subsurface: they are found in CO2 sequestration targets (e.g., sandstones) and in the seals above them, and are major constituents of unconventional shale plays considered for natural gas recovery. A significant fraction of the porosity in clay-rich systems is occupied by micro- and meso-pores that provide a large surface area for physical and chemical...
Compositional variation in multi-component system caused by adsorption and confinement in organic nanopores leads to capillary condensation and trapping of concentric hydrocarbon liquids. The objective of this paper is to show the presence of capillary condensation in kerogen pores, and argue that pressure depletion/fluid expansion is no longer effective and EOR process is required for these...
Under undrained heating, the interstitial water pressure in clays increases two to three times more than what would be expected according to the thermal expansion of bulk water. The thermal pressurization is typically circa 0.5 MPa/K, that is, thermal pressurization can well exceed material resistance upon heating of a few tens of Kelvin, which is critical for many geomechanical applications....
Production from tight oil reservoirs is challenging mainly due to low rock permeability and the resulting rapid decline in well production performance, specifically when the pressure drops to below the bubble point. Currently, there are several pilot tests focusing on different enhanced oil recovery (EOR) strategies to improve the recovery performance in these reservoirs. Specially in Canada,...
