Shale Gas Exploitation and Utilization

Abstract

Shale gas is one of the most promising unconventional resources both in China and abroad. It is known as a form of self-contained source-reservoir system with large and continuous dimensions. The geological theories for shale gas development have progressed rapidly all over the word. The shale gas storage mechanism has been widely accepted as differing from conventional natural gas in that it is adsorbed on organic matter or a mineral surface or occurs as free gas trapped in pores and fractures of the shale. Significant advances in the techniques of microstructural characterization have provided new insights on how gas molecules are stored in micro-and nano-scale porous shales. Furthermore, newly-developed concepts and practices in the petroleum industry, like hydraulic fracturing, have made the production of this unevenly distributed but promising unconventional natural gas a reality. China has 10-36 trillion m3 of promising shale gas among the world's whole predicted technically recoverable reserves of 206.6 trillion m;. China is on the way to achieving its goal of an annual yield of 30-50 billion m3 by launching more trials within shale gas projects. Additionally, we also introduced the potential dangers of shale gas development and the inconvenience caused to people.