Phase Behavior and Fluid Flow Characterization in Unconventional Gas Reservoirs

Submission Deadline: 01 May 2027 View: 20 Submit to Special Issue

Guest Editor(s)

Prof. Zheng Sun

Email: sunzheng@cumt.edu.cn

Affiliation: State Key Laboratory for Fine Exploration and Intelligent Development of Coal Resources, China University of Mining & Technology, Xuzhou, China

Homepage:

Research Interests: nanoconfined phase behavior, fluid flow capacity at nanoscale; unconventional gas reservoir development

Prof. Pengliang Yu

Email: pmy5077@psu.edu

Affiliation: Department of Energy and Mineral Engineering, Pennsylvania State University, United States

Homepage:

Research Interests: fluid flow; multiphysics coupling, CCUS, geothermal, and hydrogen

Prof. Yisheng Liu

Email: liuys@cdut.edu.cn

Affiliation: College of Energy, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, China

Homepage:

Research Interests: Nanoconfined phase behavior, Fluid flow capacity at nanoscale; Unconventional gas reservoir development

Prof. Dong Feng

Email: fengdong@cugb.edu.cn

Affiliation: School of Energy Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing, China

Homepage:

Research Interests: unconventional reservoir, micro- and nanoscale flow, interfical phenomenon

Summary

Unconventional gas reservoirs are characterized by highly heterogeneous pore structures, multiscale transport mechanisms, and strong fluid-solid interactions that substantially differ from those observed in conventional porous media. Although fluid phase behavior and flow dynamics at the macroscale have been extensively investigated, significant knowledge gaps remain regarding the transport and thermodynamic behavior of fluids confined within nanoporous geological formations.

Recent advances in fluid dynamics, nanoscale transport theory, and computational modeling have revealed that confinement effects at the nanometer scale can profoundly alter phase transitions, adsorption mechanisms, interfacial behavior, and flow characteristics. In turn, these phenomena play a critical role in determining storage capacity, flow efficiency, recovery mechanisms, and the overall economic performance of unconventional hydrocarbon resources. Understanding these coupled processes is essential for the reliable prediction and optimization of shale oil and gas production, coalbed methane recovery, and other unconventional energy systems.

This Special Issue aims to present recent advances along these lines. In particular, the issue welcomes studies employing advanced experimental and computational methodologies capable of capturing nanoscale and pore-scale transport mechanisms, including lab-on-chip experiments, molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, the lattice Boltzmann method (LBM), pore network modeling (PNM), mesoscale simulations, and continuum or multiscale theoretical models. Contributions integrating fluid mechanics, thermodynamics, porous-media transport, and high-performance computational approaches are especially encouraged.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:
· Nanoconfined fluid phase behavior and transport phenomena
· Fluid adsorption, desorption, and interfacial mechanisms
· Multiphase flow in nanoporous and ultra-tight reservoirs
· Shale oil, shale gas, and coalbed methane systems
· Deep coalbed methane reservoir development
· Pore-scale and multiscale flow characterization
· Molecular dynamics and mesoscale simulation methods
· Lattice Boltzmann and pore network modeling approaches
· Coupled thermal-fluid and transport processes
· Fluid-solid interactions in complex porous media
· Production mechanisms and enhanced recovery strategies
· Experimental characterization of unconventional reservoirs
· Field-scale studies and production performance analysis
· AI-assisted and data-driven reservoir modeling techniques

By connecting nanoscale transport physics with reservoir-scale engineering applications, this Special Issue seeks to promote innovative and physically grounded approaches for understanding fluid behavior in unconventional porous media and for advancing the efficient and sustainable development of unconventional energy resources.

Keywords