Micro- to nano-scale areal heterogeneity in pore structure and mineral compositions of a sub-decimeter-sized Eagle Ford Shale

Wang, Q.*; Hu, Q.*; Zhao, C.*; Yang, X.*; Zhang, T.*; Ilavsky, J.*; Kuzmenko, I.*; Ma, B.*; Tachi, Yukio  

To understanding the spatial heterogeneity of mineral and pore structure variations in fine-grained shale, microscale X-ray fluorescence (micro-XRF) mapping, (ultra-) small-angle X-ray scattering [(U)SAXS] and wide-angle X-ray scattering were applied for two samples from a piece of Eagle Ford Shale in South Texas. Thin section petrography and field emission-scanning electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction (XRD), total organic carbon, and pyrolysis were also utilized to investigate the potential spatial heterogeneity of pore types, mineral and organic matter compositions for both samples. Overall, the siliceous-carbonate mineral contents in these carbonate-rich Eagle Ford Shale vary between laminations at mm scales. By analyzing six selected sub-samples on each of two samples with X-ray scattering and XRD techniques, nm-sized pores are mainly interparticle ones in the higher calcite regions, where the porosity is also relatively lower, while the lower calcite regions consist of both interparticle and intraparticle pore types with higher porosity. Finally, the micro-XRF and (U)SAXS are combined to generate porosity distribution maps to provide more insights about its heterogeneity related to the laminations and fractures at our observational scales.