A novel experimental study is conducted to reveal the effect of pore structure and salinity on spontaneous imbibition of shale samples using field emission scanning electron microscopy and low-field nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Core samples selected from Chang 7 shale, Ordos basin, contain different proportions of mineral components and exhibit different pore structures, as demonstrated by scanning electron microscopy. During the imbibition process, T2 spectra are obtained for each core sample under different salinities and imbibition time periods using NMR. The results are then used to characterize and compare the water imbibition process in different shale samples, with a focus on investigating the effects of pore structure and salinity. The results show that the amount of absorption water is positively correlated with the development of microcracks and with large pores in shale samples. The shale samples are shown to develop more microcracks as the imbibition time increases and the salinity decreases. These microcracks can improve the samples’ capacity of imbibition effectively, therefore increasing water absorption. Moreover, it is indicated that the imbibition capacity increases with an increasing content of illite clay minerals in the shale samples. Furthermore, the greatest amount of adsorbed water is seen when the water salinity is as high as the synthetic formation water. This is important in choosing hydraulic fracturing fluids, knowing that high-salinity fracturing fluids can effectively reduce water absorption in shale, therefore contributing to low flow-back and better fracturing performance.
