The Method for Total Organic Carbon Content Prediction in Shale Based on Terrestrial Laser Scanning

Shale oil and gas resources are abundant all over the world. TOC (Total Organic Carbon) content is an important index of shale evaluation. TOC content in organic shale is usually obtained through the shale physics experiment. In this paper we discussed a new method of TOC content prediction in organic shale using laser intensity of terrestrial laser scanning. Firstly, we studied on the correlation relationship between TOC content and laser intensity. Then we built the exponential relationship model between TOC content and laser intensity using exponential fitted methods to predict TOC content. Chang7 shale of Yanchang Formation is one of high-quality source rocks in Erdos Basin, China. So, Chang7 shale was used for testing the TOC content prediction method in shale in this paper. Experiments showed that laser intensity can efficiently predict TOC content in shale. This method can be used to directly predict TOC content in field outcrops of organic shale.