Diagenetic Evolution and Water-Rock Interaction of Unconventional Reservoirs
A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Mineral Geochemistry and Geochronology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 30 June 2026 | Viewed by 14
Special Issue Editors
Interests: sequence stratigraphy; sedimentology; water–rock interaction; reservoir evaluation
Interests: sequence stratigraphy; sedimentology; reservoir evaluation
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
With the rising global energy demand and the depletion of conventional resources, the exploration and development of unconventional reservoirs—such as organic-rich shales, sandstones, and carbonates with extremely low porosity and permeability—have fundamentally reshaped the energy landscape. Unlike conventional reservoirs, where hydrocarbons are stored in discrete, interconnected pore systems, economic production from unconventional resources relies on accessing hydrocarbons trapped within nano-scale pores of a vast, low-permeability matrix. The petrophysical properties that govern the storage capacity (porosity) and flow potential (permeability) of these reservoirs are not primarily a function of depositional environment but are overwhelmingly dictated by a complex history of diagenetic processes and their interplay with fluids. Therefore, unraveling the diagenetic evolution and water–rock interactions is not merely an academic exercise; it is critical for accurately predicting reservoir quality, identifying “sweet spots”, optimizing hydraulic fracturing designs, and ultimately improving recovery efficiency.
This Special Issue will focus on the following topics, but is not limited to:
- High-resolution diagenetic and water-rock interaction chronology and evolution pathway reconstruction;
- Coupling relationship between organic matter, thermal evolution, and diagenesis;
- Mechanisms of water-rock interaction and multi-scale pore evolution;
- Controls of diagenesis on the formation and preservation of pore networks;
- Mechanisms of “sweet spot” reservoirs;
- Application of advanced experimental and numerical simulation techniques.
We invite authors to submit their original research papers on the abovementioned topics. All submissions will undergo rigorous peer review to ensure their scientific quality and relevance to the Special Issue.
Dr. Yong Zhou
Prof. Dr. Youliang Ji
Dr. Hao Wu
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- water–rock interaction
- unconventional reservoirs
- diagenesis
- diagenetic evolution
- pore network characterization
- reservoir quality
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