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Advanced Studies of Oil and Gas Flow in Unconventional Oil...
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Advanced Studies of Oil and Gas Flow in Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoir

A special issue of Processes (ISSN 2227-9717). This special issue belongs to the section "Chemical Processes and Systems".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 25 April 2026 | Viewed by 2349

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Adebayo Abdulrauf

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Integrative Petroleum Research (CIPR), College of Petroleum Engineering and Geosciences, King Fahd Univesity of Petroleum & Minerals, Dhahran 31261, Saudi Arabia
Interests: experimental petrophysics; CCUS; hydrogen storage; foam flow in porous media; unconventional reservoirs
Dr. Liwu Jiang

E-Mail Website1 Website2
Guest Editor
1. Unconventional Petroleum Research Institute, China University of Petroleum-Beijing at Karamay, Karamay 834000, China
2. Petroleum Systems Engineering, University of Regina, Regina, SK S4S 0A2, Canada
Interests: seepage flow in porous media; reservoir numerical simulation; CCUS; transient pressure/rate analysis
Dr. Ahmed Al-Yaseri

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Center for Integrative Petroleum Research, Dhahran, Saudi Arabia
Interests: energy storage

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Hydrocarbons have been explored and produced for many decades, with a particular focus on conventional reservoirs. Increased energy demands coupled with a decline in new conventional resources necessitate the exploration of non-conventional reservoirs such as shale, tight gas sands, coalbed methane, gas hydrates, and tar sands. Because the fluids in these reservoir rocks are bounded by strong capillary forces, with a reduced pathway available for flow, a new set of challenges ranging from characterization to production must be addressed. In recent years, significant technological advances have been witnessed in this field, but futher research is still needed. This Special Issue, entitled “Advanced Studies of Oil and Gas Flow in Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoir”, aims to collect high-quality articles that present new findings, enhance our understanding of the field, and propose novel technologies related to all aspects of unconventional reservoirs. The scope of this Special Issue includes, but is not limited to, the following topics:

  • Reaservoir-scale and laboratory-scale characterization of unconventional reservoir rocks (geomechancs, petropjysics, petrography, geochemistry, etc.);
  • Simulation of oil and gas flow in unconventional rocks;
  • Unconventional rocks with respect to the United Nations sustainable development goals, such as CO2 storage and water management;
  • Systematic review papers on unconventional rocks.

Dr. Adebayo Abdulrauf
Dr. Liwu Jiang
Dr. Ahmed Al-Yaseri
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. Processes 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

  • unconventionals
  • petrophysics
  • geomechanics
  • oil
  • gas
  • carbondioxide
  • hydrogen storage

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Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 9993 KB  
Article
Evaluation of Tight Gas Reservoirs and Characteristics of Fracture Development: A Case Study of the He 8 Member in the Western Sulige Area, Ordos Basin
by Zhaoyu Zhang, Jingong Zhang, Zhiqiang Chen and Wanting Wang
Processes 2025, 13(9), 2838; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13092838 - 4 Sep 2025
Abstract
This study focuses on the tight sandstone reservoirs of the He 8 Member (Lower Permian Shihezi Formation) in the western Sulige area, Ordos Basin. Multiple analytical methods were integrated, including core observation, thin-section analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and rock mechanics experiments, to systematically [...] Read more.
This study focuses on the tight sandstone reservoirs of the He 8 Member (Lower Permian Shihezi Formation) in the western Sulige area, Ordos Basin. Multiple analytical methods were integrated, including core observation, thin-section analysis, X-ray diffraction (XRD), and rock mechanics experiments, to systematically evaluate the reservoir’s petrology, pore microstructure, physical properties, and fracture formation mechanisms. Results indicate that the reservoir is primarily composed of quartz arenite (78%), characterized by low porosity (avg. 5.5%) and permeability (avg. 0.15 mD). The pore system comprises dissolution pores, lithic dissolution pores, intergranular pores, and intercrystalline pores. Depositional microfacies significantly influence reservoir quality. Subaqueous distributary channel sands exhibit the best properties (porosity > 5%), followed by mouth bar deposits. The reservoir experienced intense compaction and siliceous cementation, which considerably reduced primary porosity. In contrast, dissolution and tectonic fracturing processes significantly enhanced reservoir quality. Rock mechanics tests reveal that highly heterogeneous rocks are more prone to fracturing under differential stress (σ1–σ3). These fractures considerably improve the flow capacity of tight reservoirs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies of Oil and Gas Flow in Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoir)
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12 pages, 1987 KB  
Article
Study on the Microscopic Mechanism of Supercritical CO2 and Active Water Alternating Flooding in a Tight Oil Reservoir
by Bin Wang, Jingfeng Dong, Peiyao Zhou and Kaixin Liu
Processes 2025, 13(8), 2535; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13082535 - 12 Aug 2025
Viewed by 358
Abstract
Tight oil reservoirs are characterized by low porosity, low permeability, and low saturation, making it difficult to achieve economic development through conventional water injection. This study experimentally evaluated different injection media and oil displacement methods and used nuclear magnetic resonance methods to explain [...] Read more.
Tight oil reservoirs are characterized by low porosity, low permeability, and low saturation, making it difficult to achieve economic development through conventional water injection. This study experimentally evaluated different injection media and oil displacement methods and used nuclear magnetic resonance methods to explain the micro mechanisms of oil displacement during different oil displacement processes. The experiments showed that supercritical CO2 flooding and supercritical CO2 and active water alternating flooding were much more useful for low-permeability reservoirs compared with conventional water flooding. This technology can increase the recovery rate by more than 12.0%, which is 33.24% higher than the rate achieved with conventional water injection. In addition, it can effectively improve the rapid increase in water content caused by the rapid advance in the water front during the water injection process. The NMR results indicated good consistency for the recovery efficiency of pores under different oil displacement conditions. When the aperture varied between 0.1 µm and 1 µm (type III), the utilization rate was highest, followed by type IV (1–10 µm), type II (0.01–0.1 µm), and type I (0.001–0.01 µm). By comparison, conventional water and CO2 alternating flooding was more effective for type III pores, increasing oil recovery by 12.58%, while active water + CO2 alternating flooding can further drive oil, increasing oil recovery by 33.24% and greatly displacing oil in micro-pores and macro-pores. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies of Oil and Gas Flow in Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoir)
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33 pages, 8851 KB  
Article
Advanced Research on Stimulating Ultra-Tight Reservoirs: Combining Nanoscale Wettability, High-Performance Acidizing, and Field Validation
by Charbel Ramy, Razvan George Ripeanu, Salim Nassreddine, Maria Tănase, Elias Youssef Zouein, Alin Diniță, Constantin Cristian Muresan and Ayham Mhanna
Processes 2025, 13(7), 2153; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13072153 - 7 Jul 2025
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 507
Abstract
Unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs with low matrix permeability (<0.3 mD), high temperatures, and sour conditions present significant challenges for stimulation and production enhancement. This study examines field trials for a large oil and gas operator in the UAE, focusing on tight carbonate deposits with [...] Read more.
Unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs with low matrix permeability (<0.3 mD), high temperatures, and sour conditions present significant challenges for stimulation and production enhancement. This study examines field trials for a large oil and gas operator in the UAE, focusing on tight carbonate deposits with reservoir temperatures above 93 °C and high sour gas content. A novel multi-stage chemical stimulation workflow was created, beginning with a pre-flush phase that alters rock wettability and reduces interfacial tension at the micro-scale. This was followed by a second phase that increased near-wellbore permeability and ensured proper acid placement. The treatment’s core used a thermally stable, corrosion-resistant retarded acid system designed to slow reaction rates, allow deeper acid penetration, and build prolonged conductive wormholes. Simulations revealed considerable acid penetration of the formation beyond the near-wellbore zone. The post-treatment field data showed a tenfold improvement in injectivity, which corresponded closely to the acid penetration profiles predicted by modeling. Furthermore, oil production demonstrated sustained, high oil production of 515 bpd on average for several months after the treatment, in contrast to the previously unstable and low-rate production. Finally, the findings support a reproducible and technologically advanced stimulation technique for boosting recovery in ultra-tight carbonate reservoirs using the acid retardation effect where traditional stimulation fails. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies of Oil and Gas Flow in Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoir)
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16 pages, 30990 KB  
Article
Reservoir Characterization of Tight Sandstone Gas Reservoirs: A Case Study from the He 8 Member of the Shihezi Formation, Tianhuan Depression, Ordos Basin
by Zihao Dong, Xinzhi Yan, Jingong Zhang, Zhiqiang Chen and Hongxing Ma
Processes 2025, 13(5), 1355; https://doi.org/10.3390/pr13051355 - 29 Apr 2025
Viewed by 528
Abstract
Tight sandstone gas reservoirs, characterized by low porosity (typically < 10%) and ultra-low permeability (commonly < 0.1 × 10⁻3 μm2), represent a critical transitional resource in global energy transition, accounting for over 60% of total natural gas production in regions [...] Read more.
Tight sandstone gas reservoirs, characterized by low porosity (typically < 10%) and ultra-low permeability (commonly < 0.1 × 10⁻3 μm2), represent a critical transitional resource in global energy transition, accounting for over 60% of total natural gas production in regions such as North America and Canada. In the northern Tianhuan Depression of the Ordos Basin, the Permian He 8 Member (He is the abbreviation of Shihezi) of the Shihezi Formation serves as one of the primary gas-bearing intervals within such reservoirs. Dominated by quartz sandstones (82%) with subordinate lithic quartz sandstones (15%), these reservoirs exhibit pore systems primarily supported by high-purity quartz and rigid lithic fragments. Diagenetic processes reveal sequential cementation: early-stage quartz cementation provides a framework for subsequent lithic fragment cementation, collectively resisting compaction. Depositionally, these sandstones are associated with fluvial-channel environments, evidenced by a sand-to-mud ratio of ~5.2:1. Pore structures are dominated by intergranular pores (65%), followed by dissolution pores (25%) formed via selective leaching of unstable minerals by acidic fluids in hydrothermal settings, and minor intragranular pores (10%). Authigenic clay minerals, predominantly kaolinite (>70% of total clays), act as the main interstitial material. Reservoir properties average 7.01% porosity and 0.5 × 10⁻3 μm2 permeability, defining a typical low-porosity, ultra-low-permeability system. Vertically stacked sand bodies in the He 8 Member display large single-layer thicknesses (5–12 m) and moderate sealing capacity (caprock breakthrough pressure > 8 MPa), hosting gas–water mixed-phase occurrences. Rock mechanics experiments demonstrate that fractures enhance permeability by >60%, significantly controlling reservoir heterogeneity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advanced Studies of Oil and Gas Flow in Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoir)
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