Characterization of the natural flow and methane concentration in shales from the Irati Formation on the edge of the Paraná Basin

• Grant number: 13/23915-4
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: March 01, 2014
• End date: July 31, 2015
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Geosciences - Geology
• Principal Investigator: André Oliveira Sawakuchi
• Grantee: Marcelo Garcia Pereira de Camargo
• Host Institution: Instituto de Geociências (IGC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

The term shale gas, generally called (wrongly) "schist gas" in Brazil, refers to gaseous hydrocarbons (mainly methane) stored in this rock, which have as their origin the thermal or biogenic degradation of pre-existing organic material. The shale gas gained prominence on the world stage recently, due to its growing use as an alternative source of fossil fuels by countries like the United States and Canada. This fact spurred the research and development of techniques for exploration and exploitation, and, in a few years, the amount of information about potential gas deposits grew sharply. In Brazil, there are important sedimentary basins whose methane in shale ocurrences are known, such as Parnaíba, Amazonas and Paraná Basins. The Irati Formation of the Paraná Basin, which is composed by mudstones, shales and limestones (Hachiro, 1997), stands out for its location extending along the Central-South Brazil, close to comercial centers and gas pipelines, and for their gas generation potential. This project aims to evaluate several aspects of Irati Formation/s shale gas, highlighting the east edge of the Paraná Basin. Among the objectives, there are the quantification of the methane natural flow, which occurs from the reservoirs to the atmoshere, the concentration of gas in shale samples, and the evaluation of the possible origin of this gas, and possible pollution of soils, aquifers, etc. due to extraction methods. (AU)