  The lattice Boltzmann method (LBM) has experienced tremendous advances and
been well accepted as a popular method of simulation of various fluid flow
mechanisms on pore scale in tight formations. With the introduction of an
effective relaxation time and slip boundary conditions, the LBM has been
successfully extended to solve micro-gaseous related transport and phenomena.
As gas flow in shale matrix is mostly in the slip flow and transition flow
regimes, given the difficulties of experimental techniques to determine
extremely low permeability, it appears that the computational methods
especially the LBM can be an attractive choice for simulation of these
micro-gaseous flows. In this paper an extensive overview on a number of
relaxation time and boundary conditions used in LBM-like models for
micro-gaseous flow are carried out and their advantages and disadvantages are
discussed. Furthermore, potential application of the LBM in flow simulation in
shale gas reservoirs on pore scale and representative elementary volume(REV)
scale is evaluated and summarised. Our review indicates that the LBM is capable
of capturing gas flow in continuum to slip flow regimes which cover significant
proportion of the pores in shale gas reservoirs and identifies opportunities
for future research.
