Adsorption characteristics and thermodynamic analysis of shale in northern Guizhou, China: Measurement, modeling and prediction

The Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation shale is the principal organic-rich shale formation in the northern Guizhou Province of China, which has great shale gas development prospects. In this study, the isothermal adsorption data from 26 shale samples from Niutitang Formation in northern Guizhou were obtained through the isothermal adsorption experiment of self-sampled specimens, along with published data. On this basis, we analyzed the control effects of temperature and physical parameters on adsorption capacity. An adsorption model with two new physical meaning parameters was constructed, and the accuracy of the model was validated. In addition, the isosteric enthalpy of adsorption in shale was further calculated, and the factors that affected the isosteric enthalpy were discussed. The results showed that the isosteric enthalpy decreased with an increase in temperature, and increased with an increase of TOC, but was controlled at a higher TOC. TOC-normalized heat revealed a more obvious segmental change rule for thermal maturity. Finally, we provided a new method to predict adsorption isotherms at other temperature conditions through the isosteric enthalpy of adsorption, and obtained better prediction results. This study provided a new insight for further understanding of shale adsorption characteristics from the perspective of thermodynamics.