Skip to main content

MultiScale Material Science for Energy and Environment

Logo MultiScale Material Science

MultiScale Materials Science for Energy and Environment

  • Home
  • The Lab
  • People
  • Publications
  • News / Events
  • GDRI
  • Home
  • The Lab
    • The Lab
    • Research
    • Education
    • Amazing People
    • Contact
  • People
  • Publications
  • News / Events
    • News
    • Seminars
    • Conferences
    • Winter School
  • GDRI
    • Presentation

Activated desorption at heterogeneous interfaces and long-time kinetics of hydrocarbon recovery from nanoporous media

TitleActivated desorption at heterogeneous interfaces and long-time kinetics of hydrocarbon recovery from nanoporous media
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2016
AuthorsLee T, Bocquet L, Coasne BA
JournalNature Communications
Volume7
Pagination Article Number 11890
Date PublishedJun-2016
Abstract

Hydrocarbon recovery from unconventional reservoirs (shale gas) is debated due to its environmental impact and uncertainties on its predictability. But a lack of scientific knowledge impedes the proposal of reliable alternatives. The requirement of hydrofracking, fast recovery decay and ultra-low permeability-inherent to their nanoporosity-are specificities of these reservoirs, which challenge existing frameworks. Here we use molecular simulation and statistical models to show that recovery is hampered by interfacial effects at the wet kerogen surface. Recovery is shown to be thermally activated with an energy barrier modelled from the interface wetting properties. We build a statistical model of the recovery kinetics with a two-regime decline that is consistent with published data: a short time decay, consistent with Darcy description, followed by a fast algebraic decay resulting from increasingly unreachable energy barriers. Replacing water by CO2 or propane eliminates the barriers, therefore raising hopes for clean/efficient recovery.

URLhttp://www.nature.com/articles/ncomms11890
DOI10.1038/ncomms11890
Short TitleNat Commun
  • DOI
  • BibTex
  • RIS

Login using Touchstone
  • MIT
  • CNRS
  • INVESTISSEMENT D'AVENIR
  • CINAM
  • MITEI
  • AMU