Relationship between Shale Hydration and Shale Collapse

[Image: see text] Shale gas has become the major source of natural gas. However, shale is rich in clay and easily collapsed by water invasion. This not only causes collapse of the reservoir but also causes the loss of natural gas and can even cause local earthquakes and affect the safety of human beings. This paper describes an investigation of the relationship between hydration and collapse. Shale samples were obtained from a series of wells drilled in the lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation at a depth of 3500 m. The different hydrated shales were simulated to analyze the hydration–collapse relationship. Magnetic resonance analysis and mechanical analysis were combined to analyze the collapse of the hydrated shales. The collapse progression was found to follow an S-shaped growth curve that can be divided into three parts, namely, the potential period, the exciting period, and the mature period. The hydration state and degree of damage were determined from the magnetic resonance of water molecules. This paper proposes a mechanism for shale hydration collapse based on basal and numerical data that can be used to predict shale collapse as a function of hydration.