Swelling of Shales: A Multiscale Experimental Investigation

Shale swelling can cause a series of problems during the exploitation of shale gas. However, because of the complex fabric of shale, a thorough understanding of shale swelling has not been gained. In this work, an experimental multiscale approach is employed to characterize the swelling properties of a shale sample from Sichuan basin of China. Wetting/drying tests are performed by environmental scanning electron microscopy (ESEM), and...