Lecture: Pore-Scale Flow in Tight Rocks: An Integrated Experimental-Theoretical Framework for Geologic Storage and Unconventional Reservoirs

Lecturer: Yang Yun, PhD Supervisor

Time: 16:00-18:00, Dec. 24^th, 2025

Venue: A403, State Key Laboratory

Bio.: Dr. Yang Yun currently serves as a Research Scientist at the College of Energy Resources at the University of Wyoming, USA. Her research focuses on multi-scale, multi-physics coupled flow and transport mechanisms in porous media, addressing key scientific and engineering challenges in unconventional oil and gas development as well as CO₂ and H₂ geological storage. Her research has yielded systematic findings in gas diffusion and adsorption kinetics within reservoir rocks, evaluation of reservoir caprock sealing properties, and enhanced recovery techniques for unconventional natural gas and CO₂ injection. She has published 26 papers in internationally renowned journals including PNAS Nexus, Applied Energy, SPE Journal, and ACS Earth and Space Chemistry.

Abstract: The lecture focuses on the challenges of unconventional gas recovery in ultra-low-permeability shale and coal reservoirs, where recovery factors are typically below 20% despite supplying most of the natural gas in the U.S. Because flow in these tight, heterogeneous rocks is poorly characterized, especially the multiscale transport from matrix to fractures (diffusion, desorption, etc.), there is both low recovery and a risk of long-term fugitive emissions. The speaker frames two key questions: (1) how pore structure controls gas desorption and diffusion in shale/coal matrices, and (2) how to optimize pressure management and engineering strategies to maximize recovery efficiency in unconventional reservoirs. To address these questions, the talk presents an integrated experimental–theoretical framework that links lab-scale measurements to field-scale reservoir simulation. This includes: (1) high-pressure/high-temperature adsorption experiments using an improved volumetric setup to obtain reliable adsorption isotherms for multiple gases on organic-rich rocks; (2) investigation of gas adsorption and kinetics in nanopores, highlighting the limits of simple Langmuir models in heterogeneous media; (3) development of mechanistic, multiscale flow models for nanoporous networks using concepts such as fractal theory to capture diffusion behavior; and (4) exploration of cryogenic fracturing as a feasible method to enhance diffusion-dominated flow by altering pore and fracture structures from the pore scale to the fracture scale. Together, these components aim to build a physics-based foundation for better forecasting and improving unconventional gas production while managing environmental risks.

Organizer and Sponsor：

State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation

ARMA Student Chapter, SWPU

Petroleum Engineering School, SWPU

Institute of Science and Technology Development