Characterization and identification of petrophysical parameters of Shales from Jhuran Formation, Kachchh Basin, India

Summary The present study is aimed at understanding the petrophysical properties of shale such as porosity, permeability, capillary pressure and mineralogy of fine-grained sediment. It is a common perception that tight shale formation has good source rock properties, also with current energy scenario unconventional play are being sought for shale gas prospects. In context to this the Upper Jurassic Jhuran formation which is primarily a Shale dominated facies has been investigated for unconventional aspect in the Kachchh Basin. Jhuran formation is supposedly the source rock for the Kachchh Basin. Previous studies have indicated the hydrocarbon generation potential in the offshore part of the basin which is of thermogenic nature. Therefore a number of experiments to ascertain the flow storage and migration properties are carried out which include Routine Core Analysis such as Helium Porosimetry, Liquid Permeability as well as Special Core Analysis like Spontaneous and Forced Imbibition. The higher Quartz content preserve the porosity while compaction which is validated in porosity and Permeability measurements. The Capillary pressure curve gives an indication of the randomness and inter connectivity of the sparse void spaces in the shale. Conductometric titration was used to determine Cation Exchange capacity which helps in understanding the swelling characteristics under different drilling scenario. Ultimately, critical details regarding unconvectional reservoir quality can aid in the design of better and more efficient for shale gas recovery methods.