Testing Mechanical Properties of Shale by Instrumented Indentation

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Shale is a fine-grained rock often composed of clay and other minerals. The predominance of clays influences its mechanical properties and typically imparts a strong elastic anisotropy. Shales are often rich in organic material called kerogen which acts as a source during hydrocarbon generation. Shale formations are interesting to the oil and gas industry because they host vast natural gas and oil resources. Gas flows to the wellbore primarily through natural and induced fractures. The natural fractures are caused by tectonic forces, desiccation and hydrocarbon generation while the process of hydraulic fracturing stimulates and induces fractures. Advances in drilling technology—specifically the ability to drill laterally and induce multiple massive hydraulic fractures—have increased profitability of shale gas. Thus, the ability to form extensive, stable fractures in the shale is directly related to the profitability of gas production from shales.

Mechanical properties are necessary in the design of these fractures; however, because of the mineralogical variability of shale, mechanical properties vary considerably. Many shales are chemically and mechanically unstable making recovery of suitably sized samples for standard mechanical testing impossible. Nano-indentation testing of drill cuttings, fragments or sidewall cores provides a viable and economically attractive option for recovering needed mechanical properties. Thus, the purpose of this work was to use instrumented indentation testing to measure the mechanical properties of small volumes of shale. Details of instrumentation and analysis are explained elsewhere[2-4]. Instrumented indentation yields a force-displacement (P-h) trace, Young’s modulus (E), and hardness (H).

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