Carbon isotope fractionation during methane transport through tight sedimentary rocks: Phenomena, mechanisms, characterization, and implications

The phenomenon of carbon isotopic fractionation, induced by the transport of methane in tight sedimentary rocks through processes primarily involving diffusion and adsorption/desorption, is ubiquitous in nature and plays a significant role in numerous geological and geochemical systems. Consequently, understanding the mechanisms of transport-induced carbon isotopic fractionation both theoretically and experimentally is of considerable scientific importance. However, previous experimental studies have observed carbon isotope fractionation phenomena that are entirely distinct, and even exhibit opposing characteristics. At present, there is a lack of a convincing mechanistic explanation and valid numerical model for this discrepancy. Here, we performed gas transport experiments under different gas pressures (1–5 MPa) and confining pressures (10–20 MPa). The results show that methane carbon isotope fractionation during natural gas transport through shale is controlled by its pore structure and evolves regularly with increasing effective stress. Compared with the carbon isotopic composition of the source gas, the initial effluent methane is predominantly depleted in ¹³C, but occasionally exhibits ¹³C enrichment. The carbon isotopic composition of effluent methane converges to that of the source gas as mass transport reaches a steady state. The evolution patterns of the isotope fractionation curve, transitioning from the initial non-steady state to the final steady state, can be categorized into five distinct types. The combined effect of multi-level transport channels offers the most compelling mechanistic explanation for the observed evolution patterns and their interconversion. Numerical simulation studies demonstrate that existing models, including the Rayleigh model, the diffusion model, and the coupled diffusion-adsorption/desorption model, are unable to describe the observed complex isotope fractionation behavior. In contrast, the multi-scale multi-mechanism coupled model developed herein, incorporating diffusion and adsorption/desorption across multi-level transport channels, effectively reproduces all the observed fractionation patterns and supports the mechanistic rationale for the combined effect. Finally, the potential carbon isotopic fractionation resulting from natural gas transport in/through porous media and its geological implications are discussed in several hypothetical scenarios combining numerical simulations. These findings highlight the limitations of carbon isotopic parameters for determining the origin and maturity of natural gas, and underscore their potential in identifying greenhouse gas leaks and tracing sources.