E&P Services > Unconventional Natural Gas Compositional Analysis

Unconventional Gas Resource Testing

Unconventional Gas Reservoir Evaluation Services

Intertek provides global laboratory and field services for unconventional reservoir natural gas assessment services, including tight gas sands, coalbed methane (CBM) reservoirs and gas shales. Intertek has the field capabilities for collection and desorping core and laboratory capabilities to perform source rock evaluation and gas analysis. Similar tests and services are available for shale evaluation projects. Intertek technical and laboratory services to help clients better understand opportunities and improve production and yield. Intertek E&P professionals have significant industry experience and expertise, providing clients with state-of-the-art solutions for their unconventional gas play.

Wellsite Services:

• Core Catching and Transport
• Desorption using temperature controlled canister baths
• Canister rental for both 3” diameter and 1 “ rotary sidewall cores

Gas in Place determination:

• Total sorbed gas content = lost gas + residual gas + desorbed gas
• Lost Gas Calculation to extrapolate gas lost while tripping out of the hole
• Residual Gas per gram of crushed coal after desorption curve has flattened
• Desorption at wellsite and in lab for Cumulative volume of gas over time

Gas Evaluation:

• GC Analysis to evaluate dryness and quality
• Compositional change over time of produced gas
• Stable isotope analysis
  • Thermogenic, biogenic, and migrated origin
  • CO2, Carbon & Hydrogen of methane, ethane and gas condensates
• Sorption Isotherm
  • Gas adsorption capacity over a range of pressures
  • Multicomponent to simulate actual gas composition

Coal Proximate Analysis:

• Ash, Moisture, Volatile matter, Fixed carbon content forDry, Ash-free Basis

Shale Permeability and Porosisty:

• Specialized pulse decay method for tight rock
• Bulk Density

Source rock Analysis:

• Total Organic Carbon
• Rock Eval Pyrolysis
• Vitrinite reflectance

Petrography:

• Lithological Description
• Cleat Orientation
• Scanning Electron Microscopy
• Thin Sections
• X-Ray Diffraction

Special Core Analysis:

• Capillary Pressure
• Relative Permeability
• Mechanical Properties
• Fluid Sensitivity/Formation Damage
• CT Scan Evaluations

E&P Laboratory Locations:

• Intertek petroleum and gas E&P technical services support facilities and laboratories are located across the globe.

E&P Technical Services and Research Center: Westport Technology Center

Unlike conventional reservoirs, Coal and Shale are the source rock as well as the reservoir. As result, gas production for unconventional reservoirs depends to a greater extent on adsorption capacity and maturity, than on porosity and permeability of the rock. Whole core samples are required to assess the adsorbed gas phase content, to directly measure the volume of gas that desorbs over time as pressure is reduced in your reservoir. Desorption data and adsorption isotherm data acquired in the lab over a range of pressures are used to determine the saturation level of the reservoir.