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A Review of Gas Injection in Shale Reservoirs: Enhanced Oil/Gas Recovery Approaches and Greenhouse Gas Control

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  • Fengshuang Du

    (Mining and Minerals Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA)

  • Bahareh Nojabaei

    (Mining and Minerals Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA 24060, USA)

Abstract

Shale oil and gas resources contribute significantly to the energy production in the U.S. Greenhouse gas emissions come from combustion of fossil fuels from potential sources of power plants, oil refineries, and flaring or venting of produced gas (primarily methane) in oilfields. Economic utilization of greenhouse gases in shale reservoirs not only increases oil or gas recovery, but also contributes to CO 2 sequestration. In this paper, the feasibility and efficiency of gas injection approaches, including huff-n-puff injection and gas flooding in shale oil/gas/condensate reservoirs are discussed based on the results of in-situ pilots, and experimental and simulation studies. In each section, one type of shale reservoir is discussed, with the following aspects covered: (1) Experimental and simulation results for different gas injection approaches; (2) mechanisms of different gas injection approaches; and (3) field pilots for gas injection enhanced oil recovery (EOR) and enhanced gas recovery (EGR). Based on the experimental and simulation studies, as well as some successful field trials, gas injection is deemed as a potential approach for EOR and EGR in shale reservoirs. The enhanced recovery factor varies for different experiments with different rock/fluid properties or models incorporating different effects and shale complexities. Based on the simulation studies and successful field pilots, CO 2 could be successfully captured in shale gas reservoirs through gas injection and huff-n-puff regimes. The status of flaring gas emissions in oilfields and the outlook of economic utilization of greenhouse gases for enhanced oil or gas recovery and CO 2 storage were given in the last section. The storage capacity varies in different simulation studies and is associated with well design, gas injection scheme and operation parameters, gas adsorption, molecular diffusion, and the modelling approaches.

Suggested Citation

  • Fengshuang Du & Bahareh Nojabaei, 2019. "A Review of Gas Injection in Shale Reservoirs: Enhanced Oil/Gas Recovery Approaches and Greenhouse Gas Control," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-33, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:12:y:2019:i:12:p:2355-:d:241233
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Zuloaga, Pavel & Yu, Wei & Miao, Jijun & Sepehrnoori, Kamy, 2017. "Performance evaluation of CO2 Huff-n-Puff and continuous CO2 injection in tight oil reservoirs," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 134(C), pages 181-192.
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    Cited by:

    1. Karolina Novak Mavar & Nediljka Gaurina-Međimurec & Lidia Hrnčević, 2021. "Significance of Enhanced Oil Recovery in Carbon Dioxide Emission Reduction," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(4), pages 1-27, February.
    2. Liang Gong & Yuan Zhang & Na Li & Ze-Kai Gu & Bin Ding & Chuan-Yong Zhu, 2020. "Molecular Investigation on the Displacement Characteristics of CH 4 by CO 2 , N 2 and Their Mixture in a Composite Shale Model," Energies, MDPI, vol. 14(1), pages 1-13, December.
    3. Ewa Knapik & Katarzyna Chruszcz-Lipska, 2020. "Chemistry of Reservoir Fluids in the Aspect of CO 2 Injection for Selected Oil Reservoirs in Poland," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(23), pages 1-19, December.
    4. Wenchao Liu & Yuejie Yang & Chengcheng Qiao & Chen Liu & Boyu Lian & Qingwang Yuan, 2023. "Progress of Seepage Law and Development Technologies for Shale Condensate Gas Reservoirs," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(5), pages 1-30, March.
    5. Tianjiao Cheng & Takeji Hirota & Hiroshi Onoda & Andante Hadi Pandyaswargo, 2024. "LCCO 2 Assessment and Fertilizer Production from Absorbed-CO 2 Solid Matter in a Small-Scale DACCU Plant," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(19), pages 1-16, October.
    6. Kaiyi Zhang & Fengshuang Du & Bahareh Nojabaei, 2020. "Effect of Pore Size Heterogeneity on Hydrocarbon Fluid Distribution, Transport, and Primary and Secondary Recovery in Nano-Porous Media," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(7), pages 1-22, April.
    7. Mohamed Mehana & Qinjun Kang & Hari Viswanathan, 2020. "Molecular-Scale Considerations of Enhanced Oil Recovery in Shale," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(24), pages 1-13, December.
    8. Xiaomeng Cao & Yuan Gao & Jingwei Cui & Shuangbiao Han & Lei Kang & Sha Song & Chengshan Wang, 2020. "Pore Characteristics of Lacustrine Shale Oil Reservoir in the Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation of the Songliao Basin, NE China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-25, April.
    9. Chenxu Yang & Jintao Wu & Haojun Wu & Yong Jiang & Xinfei Song & Ping Guo & Qixuan Zhang & Hao Tian, 2024. "Research on Gas Injection Limits and Development Methods of CH 4 /CO 2 Synergistic Displacement in Offshore Fractured Condensate Gas Reservoirs," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(13), pages 1-12, July.
    10. Huang, Jingwei & Jin, Tianying & Barrufet, Maria & Killough, John, 2020. "Evaluation of CO2 injection into shale gas reservoirs considering dispersed distribution of kerogen," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 260(C).

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