Unconventional shale reservoirs as the result of extremely low matrix permeability, higher potential gas productivity requires not only sufficient gas-in-place, but also a high concentration of brittle minerals (silica and/or carbonate) that is amenable to hydraulic fracturing. Shale lithofacies is primarily defined by mineral composition and organic matter richness, and its representation as a...

The gas flow in shale matrix is of great research interests for optimized shale gas extraction. The gas flow in the nano-scale pore may fall in flow regimes such as viscous flow, slip flow and Knudsen diffusion. A 3-dimensional nano-scale pore network model was developed to simulate dynamic gas flow, and to describe the transient properties of flow regimes. The proposed pore network model accou...

Recent reports show growing reserves of unconventional gas are available and that there is an appetite from policy makers, industry, and others to better understand the GHG impact of exploiting reserves such as shale gas. There is little publicly available data comparing unconventional and conventional gas production. Existing studies rely on national inventories, but it is not generally possib...

BACKGROUND The United States has experienced a boom in natural gas production due to recent technological innovations that have enabled this resource to be produced from shale formations. OBJECTIVES We reviewed the body of evidence related to exposure pathways in order to evaluate the potential environmental public health impacts of shale gas development. We highlight what is currently known ...

The objectives of this study are to (a) evaluate the exergy and energy demand for constructing a hydrofractured shale gas well and determine its typical exergy and energy returns on investment (ExROI and EROI), and (b) compute the gas flow and intrinsic exergy analysis in the shale gas matrix and created fractures. An exergy system analysis of construction of a typical U.S. shale gas well, whic...

The shale gas exploration and development is now a delicate and controversial subject. It is often assumed that unconventional exploration and extraction automatically brings prosperity for local, national and regional economies. In this paper, we argue that shale gas development requires a contextualized understanding of regional issues. We are also trying to identify the opportunities and the...

Worldwide interest in shale plays has rapidly increased in recently years, thanks to the combination of horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. Shale formations act as both the source and the reservoir for the natural gas and usually exhibit anisotropic properties at larger scale. Geological and petropysical studies found that the right combination of thickness, TOC (total organic carbon)...

Shale has been considered as good gas reservoir due to its abundant interior nanoscale pores. Thus, the study of the pore structure of shale is of great significance for the evaluation and development of shale oil and gas. To date, the most widely used approaches for studying the shale pore structure include image analysis, radiation and fluid invasion methods. The detailed pore structures can ...

The state of the art of modeling fluid flow in shale reservoirs is dominated by dual porosity models which divide the reservoirs into matrix blocks that significantly contribute to fluid storage and fracture networks which principally control flow capacity. However, recent extensive microscopic studies reveal that there exist massive microand nanopore systems in shale matrices. Because of this,...

In April 2011, we published the first comprehensive analysis of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from shale gas obtained by hydraulic fracturing, with a focus on methane emissions. Our analysis was challenged by Cathles et al. (2012). Here, we respond to those criticisms. We stand by our approach and findings. The latest EPA estimate for methane emissions from shale gas falls within the range of ...