PORE TYPE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HUAI HIN LAT FORMATION IN SAP PHLU BASIN, NORTHEASTERN THAILAND: CONTRIBUTION TO THE UNDERSTANDING OF GAS STORAGE IN FINE-GRAINED ROCKS
Abstract
In this article, pore characteristics were studied in the exposed fine-grained sediments of the Huai Hin Lat Formation, Sap Phlu Basin in northeastern Thailand. The proxies of a variety of pore types which are important for shale gas reservoir evaluation were presented and classified using field emission scanning electron microscopy. The proxies represent a variety of pore shapes and sizes, dominantly of nano- to micrometer scale, which are dispersed in the rock matrix. The detected pore types can be classified into 10 types, which include organic matter pores, flocculation pores, intergranular pores, pores between crystals, pores at the rim of rigid grains, intercrystalline pores, intraplatelet pores, pores within fossil fragments, pores within a covering of pyrite crystal, and microfracture and microchannel-related pores. Most pores are associated with the organic and inorganic constituents formed by diagenetic alterations and thermal maturity (Ro). However, the microfracture and microchannel-related pores were formed by external forces. Overall, the micropores can contribute to good gas storage in the Huai Hin Lat Formation of the Sap Phlu Basin. The microfracture and microchannel- and other microstructure-related pores are also considered to be good migration pathways for generated hydrocarbon.
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