Experimental, Theoretical, and Numerical Investigations of Geomechanics/Flow Coupling in Energy Georeservoirs

The development of hydrocarbon energy resources from shale, a fine-grained, low-permeability geological formation, has altered the global energy landscape. Constricting pressure exerted on a shale formation has a significant effect on the rock's apparent permeability. Gas flow in low-permeability shales is significantly different from liquid flow due to the Klinkenberg effect caused by gas molecule slip at the nanopore wall surfaces. This has the effect of increasing apparent permeability (i.e., the measured permeability). Optimizing the conductivity of the proppant assembly is another critical component of designing subsurface hydrocarbon production using hydraulic fracturing. Significant fracture conductivity can be achieved at a much lower cost than conventional material costs, according to the optimal partial-monolayer proppant concentration (OPPC) theory. However, hydraulic fracturing performance in unconventional reservoirs is problematic due of the complex geomechanical environment, and the experimental confirmation and investigation of the OPPC theory have been rare in previous studies. In this dissertation, a novel multiphysics shale transport (MPST) model was developed to account for the coupled multiphysics processes of geomechanics, fluid dynamics, and the Klinkenberg effect in shales. Furthermore, A novel multi-physics multi-scale multi-porosity shale gas transport (M3ST) model was developed based on the MPST model research to investigate shale gas transport in both transient and steady states, and a double-exponential empirical model was also developed as a powerful substitute for the M3ST model for fitting laboratory-measured apparent permeability. Additionally, throughout the laboratory experiment of fracture conductivity with proppant, the four visible stages documented the evolution of non-monotonic conductivity and proppant concentration. The laboratory methods and empirical model were then applied to the shale plugs from Central Appalachia to investigate the formation properties there. The benefits of developing these regions wisely include a smaller surface footprint, reduced infrastructure requirements, and lower development costs. The developed MPST, M3ST, double-exponential empirical models and research findings shed light on the role of multiphysics mechanisms, such as geomechanics, fluid dynamics and transport, and the Klinkenberg effect, in shale gas transport across multiple spatial scales in both steady and transient states. The fracture conductivity experiments successfully validate the theory of OPPC and illustrate that proppant embedment is the primary mechanism that causes the competing process between fracture width and fracture permeability and consequently the non-monotonic fracture conductivity evolution as a function of increasing proppant concentration. The laboratory experimental facts and the numerical fittings in this study provided critical insights into the reservoir characterization in Central Appalachia and will benefit the reservoir development using non-aqueous fracturing techniques such as CO2 and advanced proppant technologies in the future.