Ange-Therese Akono, Assistant Professor, C&EE Department University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, presents “Elucidating the Mechanical Resistance of Advanced Geo-composites at the Molecular Length-scale” 

The efficient extraction of natural gas from shale relies heavily on our evaluation of the maturity and mechanical properties of gas shale. Current measurement methods of maturity and mechanical properties are not convenient and reliable. This lecture explores the application of two small scale testing methods for application to this problem. First, microscale computed tomography scans are informed with nano-indentation data and analyzed using spatial statistics to evaluate changes in topology as an indicator for maturity. Secondly, mico-scale scratch tests are conducted and analyzed using fracture mechanics to obtain fracture parameters. This evaluation is done considering an intrinsic size effect formulation to allow for the development of a fracture process length. The results suggest these measurement methods provide unique insights into the fracture behavior of shale and may be promising for the evaluation of shale after further development.