Analysis of Geological Pore Structure Based on Fractal Theory

Dear Colleagues,

Oil and gas account for more than half of global energy consumption, making them essential resources for modern life. With an increasing energy demand and the declining production of conventional oil and gas, utilizing unconventional hydrocarbon resources has become critical to meet our energy needs. However, the efficient development of these resources is still hindered by certain theoretical or technical issues, particularly in pore structure characterization.

Multiple methods are employed to characterize the pore structure at the micro to nano scale, including scanning electron microscopy (SEM), nitrogen adsorption (NA), mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP), and small-angle neutron scattering (SANS). However, certain factors complicate the high‑resolution characterization of pore spaces. For instance, shale oil within nanopores is challenging to remove due to low pore connectivity and its strong adsorption onto nanopore surfaces, often resulting in the significant underestimation of the pore volume. Of the multiple techniques that are used, each operates based on different theories and models, making accurate comparisons difficult.

Given these challenges, further research is essential for the efficient development of unconventional oil and gas resources. This Special Issue will focus on the analysis of geological pore structures based on fractal theory in unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs. Potential topics include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The efficiency of oil extraction;
• Pore–crack observation in two dimensions;
• Pore–crack reconstruction in three dimensions;
• Pore connectivity and the whole pore network;
• Scanning electron microscopy (SEM);
• Nitrogen adsorption (NA);
• Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP);
• Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR);
• Small-angle neutron scattering (SANS);
• Spontaneous imbibition.

We look forward to receiving your valuable contributions.

Dr. Wei Yang
Prof. Dr. Mianmo Meng
Guest Editors

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• fractal theory
• fractal analysis
• multifractal theory
• multifractal analysis
• pore structure
• pore–crack observation
• pore connectivity