Effect of dilute acid treatment on adhesion properties of Longmaxi black shale

Abstract Properties of shale in an acid environment are important when acid or CO2 is injected into geologic formations as a working fluid for enhanced oil and gas recovery, hydraulic fracturing and reduced fracture initiation pressure. It has previously been shown that acid fluids can enhance the formation conductivity and decrease the hardness of shale. However, less is known about the effect of dilute acid on the adhesion properties of shale. In the study, shale samples are characterized in detail with advanced analysis. Adhesion properties of shale via dilute acid treatment were revealed by atomic force microscopy (AFM) for the first time. Results indicate that acid treatment can greatly enhance adhesion forces of the shale surface. After acid treatment, the average adhesion forces show a platform-like growth with an increase in loading force. Through analysis of results from AFM, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction, we affirm that the enhanced adhesion forces are mainly from increased specific surface area and reduced elastic modulus. The results presented in this work help understand the adhesion properties of shale oil/gas present in an acidic environment, which have great significance in unconventional resources development.