Pore-scale modelling of water sorption in nanopore systems of shale

Abstract

Water vapor sorption in nanoporous media with complex pore structures, like shale, is not well understood. To address this, a pseudopotential lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) is developed to investigate water sorption behavior. The LBM model incorporates long-range molecular forces using a modified Shan-Chen model based on the Carnahan-Starling equation of state. The simulation results show that the presence of water films in nanopores can create a liquid pressure difference of up to 100 MPa between confined and free states. The adsorption theories based on simple pore shapes are not applicable to nanoporous systems with complex pore geometries. Additionally, when the relative humidity exceeds 1, water vapor condenses inside hydrophobic nanostructures while being attracted by neighboring liquid, leading to cluster formation. In water-wet nanoporous media, capillary condensation occurs progressively from small throats to large pores, and the sorption curves vary smoothly with pressure variation. In mixed-wet nanoporous media, the sorption curves exhibit no hysteresis in the early desorption stage, where the adsorption and desorption processes occur in the region around the hydrophobic particles and are reversible. Overall, this study provides valuable insights into water sorption behavior in nanopore systems of shale and sets the foundation for modelling liquid-vapor distribution in nanoporous media at the pore scale.