New Technique for Determining Geomechanical Properties of Highly Heterogeneous Samples With the Help of Uniaxial Compression Stage and Micro-Computed tomography. Available to Purchase

This study represents a newly developed technique for the determination of geomechanical properties that can find its best application in studies of highly heterogeneous formations like shales. The main purpose of the study was to estimate the technique’s applicability for determining Young’s Modulus and Poisson’s Ratio for the set of shale samples, measure geomechanical properties of these samples and the change of these properties due to the heating exposure. A number of laboratory experiments were conducted with the help of uncommon equipment combination: micro-computed tomography scanner, uniaxial compression stage, pyrolysis workstation and special computer software for image processing and analyzing. Initial experimental results affirm that it is possible to retrieve static geomechanical properties of very tiny core samples with the designed experimental workflow. This combination of equipment truly allowed us to observe the change in geomechanical properties due to the kerogen decomposition for each of the tested samples. The technique’s applicability was proved by measuring geomechanical properties of shale samples and we also determined the change in geomechanical properties due to the change of TOC content in the shale’s samples.