Shale Gas
Trapped in the rock
More than 70 percent of the conventional gas reserves occur in Western Siberia and the Middle East. This amount can satisfy the global demand for the next decades considering the current demand. However, nearly the half of the conventional gas occurs in Russia putting this large country in a monopoly position. The long term accessibility to this energy reserve can thus be questionable or may cause geostrategic imbalances.
Shale gas is already an established energy source in the U.S.A. and contributes to more than 12 percent to the domestic U.S. gas production. Shale gas may thus also be an alternative, locally available resource in Europe, and -in the case of successful exploration- may prevent supply shortfall.
Conventional oil and gas fields are sourced by fine-grained siliciclastic or carbonate rocks both rich in organic matter. In such conventional scenarios the released fluids are trapped in porous and permeable reservoir rocks overlain by impermeable cap rocks. In contrast, shale gas systems differ in important aspects. Shales represent all three different elements: source rock, reservoir rock and cap rock. However, many open questions still offer space for detailed research, e.g., in terms of the individual geological development and shale gas controlling factors.
Currently shale gas is exclusively exploited in North America. But all successful U.S. shale gas systems differ, e.g., in age of the shale, mineralogical composition, etc. Moreover, each sedimentary basin underwent an individual history controlled by different factors. The burial histories of sedimentary basins vary, can cause thermogenic shale gas formation, but also gas formation from biogenic activity is a known phenomenon. Thus, no single and no generally accepted “prototype" of a shale gas system exists. Due to this variability it is our primary aim to focus our research activities on the resolution of those factors which control shale gas formation and preservation in time and space.
The long-term aim: Natural gas from domestic black shales
GeoEn research about shale gas focusses on processes which control shale gas formation. The approach includes research on black shales with proven source rock potential together with the development of exploitation strategies. In this context local and accessible gas resources shall be determined, which have potential to buffer the increasing energy demand.
It is the long-term aim to establish an economic, environmentally compatible and sustainable shale gas exploitation. Before this background we are active in the fields of geophysical exploration, drilling engineering, feasibility studies and reservoir geology.
Important to note that a strong focus of the second GeoEn phase is on environmental issues.
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Associated projects:
Gas shales in Europe
Biogenic Methane Potential
High temperature Methane
N2GEN
Nitrogen in Natural Gas Reservoirs
Fluorescent cutinit: source of gas and a possible storage of shale gas.
Picture: GFZ German Research Centre of Geosciences
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Shale Gas
