Fracture Mechanisms in Organic-Rich Shales: Role of Kerogen
In this work we study role of kerogen in the fracture properties of organic-rich shales and, in particular, in the ductility of shales. The presence of kerogen and clays in shale is known to increase the ductility. We propose here a multiscale approach to develop a fine understanding of shale ductil...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)
2018
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/117479 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7089-8069 https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5559-4190 |
| Summary: | In this work we study role of kerogen in the fracture properties of organic-rich shales and, in particular, in the ductility of shales. The presence of kerogen and clays in shale is known to increase the ductility. We propose here a multiscale approach to develop a fine understanding of shale ductility from the molecular scale. We develop and validate a methodology at the molecular scale that can capture the toughness and ductility of a material. We apply this methodology successfully to a silica polymorph and to a kerogen analog, and we confirm the significant ductility of kerogen. Interestingly the silica-kerogen interface exhibits a similar ductility, which is central for the properties of the heterogeneous shale. Finally, we consider a tentative upscaling considering the pull out phenomenon as a likely mechanism of fracture of the shale. |
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