Pore structure characteristics of shale in coal-bearing strata: In the case of the Shanxi formation of lower Permian in Huainan coalfield in China

Reservoir pore characteristics are an important part of shale gas reservoir capacity evaluation. Compared with Marine shale, the study of coal measure shale is relatively backward in China. In order to deeply analyze the reservoir properties of coal measure shale gas and give priority to favorable reservoirs, the pore structure characteristics of shale in coal measures from the Shanxi Formation of Lower Permian in Huainan Coalfield of China were investigated in this study. The pore size distribution, specific surface area (SSA), and pore volume (PV) were obtained. The BET surface area and PVs are inconsistent with the variability in total organic content (TOC) and composition of the samples. There are unobvious negative correlations between PV, SSA, and TOC for the samples in this study. However, the contribution of clay minerals to PV and SSA seems to be positive, especially for the mixed-layer minerals of illite and smectite.