Predicting TOC, Organic Porosity and Gas Retention Distribution in a Shale-gas System

Natural gas generated by thermal maturation of organic matter is for a part expelled and, for another part, retained in the source rock itself. The production of this retained part is the goal of the gas shale EP projects. It is now known that this gas is for a part free in the porosity and fracture network of the source rock but also adsorbed on the shale matrix and on the kerogen. Natural gas adsorption capacity is pressure and temperature dependant but for a kerogen it is also almost a linear function of its organic content (TOC).