Identification and evaluation of shale oil micromigration and its petroleum geological significance

Taking the Lower Permian Fengcheng Formation shale in Mahu Sag of Junggar Basin,NW China,as an example,core observation,test analysis,geological analysis and numerical simulation were applied to identify the shale oil micro-migration phenomenon.The hydrocarbon micro-migration in shale oil was quantitatively evaluated and verified by a self-created hydrocarbon expulsion potential method,and the petroleum geological significance of shale oil micro-migration evaluation was determined.Results show that significant micro-migration can be recognized between the organic-rich lamina and organic-poor lamina.The organic-rich lamina has strong hydrocarbon generation ability.The heavy components of hydrocarbon preferentially retained by kerogen swelling or adsorption,while the light components of hydrocarbon were migrated and accumulated to the interbedded felsic or carbonate organic-poor laminae as free oil.About 69% of the Fengcheng Formation shale samples in Well MY1 exhibit hydrocarbon charging phenomenon,while 31% of those exhibit hydrocarbon expulsion phenomenon.The reliability of the micro-migration evaluation results was verified by combining the group components based on the geochromatography effect,two-dimension nuclear magnetic resonance analysis,and the geochemical behavior of inorganic manganese elements in the process of hydrocarbon migration.Micro-migration is a bridge connecting the hydrocarbon accumulation elements in shale formations,which reflects the whole process of shale oil generation,expulsion and accumulation,and controls the content and composition of shale oil.The identification and evaluation of shale oil micro-migration will provide new perspectives for dynamically differential enrichment mechanism of shale oil and establishing a“multi-peak model in oil generation”of shale.

Basic principles of the whole petroleum system

This paper expounds the basic principles and structures of the whole petroleum system to reveal the pattern of conventional oil/gas-tight oil/gas-shale oil/gas sequential accumulation and the hydrocarbon accumulation models and mechanisms of the whole petroleum system.It delineates the geological model,flow model,and production mechanism of shale and tight reservoirs,and proposes future research orientations.The main structure of the whole petroleum system includes three fluid dynamic fields,three types of oil and gas reservoirs/resources,and two types of reservoir-forming processes.Conventional oil/gas,tight oil/gas,and shale oil/gas are orderly in generation time and spatial distribution,and sequentially rational in genetic mechanism,showing the pattern of sequential accumulation.The whole petroleum system involves two categories of hydrocarbon accumulation models:hydrocarbon accumulation in the detrital basin and hydrocarbon accumulation in the carbonate basin/formation.The accumulation of unconventional oil/gas is self-containment,which is microscopically driven by the intermolecular force(van der Waals force).The unconventional oil/gas production has proved that the geological model,flow model,and production mechanism of shale and tight reservoirs represent a new and complex field that needs further study.Shale oil/gas must be the most important resource replacement for oil and gas resources of China.Future research efforts include:(1)the characteristics of the whole petroleum system in carbonate basins and the source-reservoir coupling patterns in the evolution of composite basins;(2)flow mechanisms in migration,accumulation,and production of shale oil/gas and tight oil/gas;(3)geological characteristics and enrichment of deep and ultra-deep shale oil/gas,tight oil/gas and coalbed methane;(4)resource evaluation and new generation of basin simulation technology of the whole petroleum system;(5)research on earth system-earth organic rock and fossil fuel system-whole petroleum system.

A review of petroleum asphalt-based carbon materials in electrochemical energy storage

Petroleum asphalt,an important by-product of the petrochemical industry,has diverse applications but often suffers from low industrial added value.Because of its low cost,high carbon content,and high polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon content,appropriate modification can increase its value and expand its energy storage applications.Current research progress on the common preparation methods of petroleum asphalt-based carbon materials,including template-assisted pyrolysis,molten salt treatment,activation,heteroatom doping,and pre-oxidation is reviewed,and its use in supercapacitors and alkali metal ion batteries,is also elaborated.Feasible solutions for the current problems with petroleum asphalt are proposed,with the aim of providing insights into its high value-added utilization.

Accumulation sequence and exploration domain of continental whole petroleum system in Sichuan Basin,SW China

Based on the oil and gas exploration in the Sichuan Basin,combined with data such as seismic,logging and geochemistry,the basic geological conditions,hydrocarbon types,hydrocarbon distribution characteristics,source-reservoir relationship and accumulation model of the Upper Triassic–Jurassic continental whole petroleum system in the basin are systematically analyzed.The continental whole petroleum system in the Sichuan Basin develops multiple sets of gas-bearing strata,forming a whole petroleum system centered on the Triassic Xujiahe Formation source rocks.The thick and high-quality source rocks in the Upper Triassic Xujiahe Formation provide sufficient gas source basis for the continental whole petroleum system in the basin.The development of conventional-unconventional reservoirs provides favorable space for hydrocarbon accumulation.The coupling of faults and sandbodies provides a high-quality transport system for gas migration.Source rocks and reservoirs are overlapped vertically,and there are obvious differences in sedimentary environment,reservoir lithology and physical properties,which lead to the orderly development of inner-source shale gas,near-source tight gas,and far-source tight–conventional gas in the Upper Triassic–Jurassic,from bottom to top.The orderly change of geological conditions such as burial depth,reservoir physical properties,formation pressure and hydrocarbon generation intensity in zones controlled the formation of the whole petroleum system consisting of structural gas reservoir in thrust zone,shale gas-tight gas reservoir in depression zone,tight gas reservoir in slope zone,and tight gas–conventional gas reservoir in uplift zone on the plane.Based on the theory and concept of the whole petroleum system,the continental shale gas and tight gas resources in the Sichuan Basin have great potential,especially in the central and western parts with abundant unconventional resources.

Whole petroleum system and ordered distribution pattern of conventional and unconventional oil and gas reservoirs

The classical source-to-trap petroleum system concept only considers the migration and accumulation of conventional oil and gas in traps driven dominantly by buoyance in a basin,although revised and improved,even some new concepts as composite petroleum system,total petroleum system,total composite petroleum system,were proposed,but they do not account for the vast unconventional oil and gas reservoirs within the system,which is not formed and distributed in traps dominantly by buoyancedriven.Therefore,the petroleum system concept is no longer adequate in dealing with all the oil and gas accumulations in a basin where significant amount of the unconventional oil and gas resources are present in addition to the conventional oil and gas accumulations.This paper looked into and analyzed the distribution characteristics of conventional and unconventional oil/gas reservoirs and their differences and correlations in petroliferous basins in China and North America,and then proposed whole petroleum system(WPS)concept,the WPS is defined as a natural system that encompasses all the conventional and unconventional oil and gas,reservoirs and resources originated from organic matter in source rocks,the geological elements and processes involving the formation,evolution,and distribution of these oil and gas,reservoirs and resources.It is found in the WPS that there are three kinds of hydrocarbons dynamic fields,three kinds of original hydrocarbons,three kinds of reservoir rocks,and the coupling of these three essential elements lead to the basic ordered distribution model of shale oil/gas reservoirs contacting or interbeded with tight oil/gas reservoirs and separated conventional oil/gas reservoirs from source rocks upward,which is expressed as“S\T-C”.Abnormal conditions lead to other three special ordered distribution models:The first is that with shale oil/gas reservoirs separated from tight oil/gas reservoirs.The second is that with two direction ordered distributions from source upward and downward.The third is with lateral distribution from source outside.

Phytoremediation of petroleum polluted soil

An experimental study of the rhizosphere effect on phytoremediation of petroleum polluted soil was carried out with three species of grasses, namely Pannicum, Eleusine indica （L.） Gaerth, and Tall Fescue. After a period of 150 days, this pot experiment showed that the rhizosphere of these three species accelerated the degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons to different extents. The results showed that the number of microorganisms in the rhizosphere increased by three orders of magnitude. The induction of the plant rhizosphere and the coercion influence of petroleum changed the species and activity of microorganisms. The degradation of petroleum hydrocarbons in the rhizosphere was 3-4 times that in unplanted soil. The dehydrogenase activity in the rhizosphere was 1.61-2.20 times that in unplanted soil, but the catalase activity was 0.90-0.93 times that in unplanted soil, and soil moisture content increased by 5% compared with the unplanted soil.

Status quo of soil petroleum contamination and evolution of bioremediation

Along with the rapid development of oil industries internationally,petroleum prospecting and exploitation activities are growing intensively.Especially in China,with the fastest economic growth in the world and shortage of petroleum resources,we are leading the practices of petroleum deep exploitation.Obviously,the risk of damage to the natural environment from these activities is high.Oil contamination in soils and groundwater is becoming a big issue along with pesticide pollution,which makes organic pollution prevention and control （OPPC） much more complex.In this paper,based on recent research on oil-contaminated soil at home and abroad,we make comments on the remediation technologies for polluted soil,emphasizing bioremediation techniques and degradation mechanisms in order to push forward research into bound organic pollution prevention and control （OPPC）,especially in China.

Further Recognition of Petroleum Exploration Potential of Marine Carbonates in Western Tarim Basin

A series of significant discoveries in marine carbonate rocks show great petroleum exploration potential in the Tarim Basin. However, the oil and gas fields discovered in the carbonate rocks are mainly distributed around the Manjiaer Sag in the eastern Tarim Basin. Some explorations occurred and no oil or gas field was discovered around the Awati Sag in the western Tarim Basin. Information from wells and outcrops reveals that there are excellent oil and gas source rock conditions around the Awati Sag. Transformed reef-shoal reservoirs could be formed in the Ordovician carbonate rocks with paleo-geographic background and hydrothermal conditions. Therefore, it is necessary to make a systematical study and overall evaluation of the potential of the periphery of the Awati Sag in terms of source rock evolution, resource potential, high-grade reservoir formation and distribution, and main factors controlling hydrocarbon migration and accumulation.

Preferential petroleum migration pathways and prediction of petroleum occurrence in sedimentary basins:A review

The aim of this paper is to review the major points of contention concerning secondary petroleum migration, to discuss the nature and primary controls of the positions of petroleum migration pathways in sedimentary basins, and to illustrate the importance of preferential petroleum migration pathways for the formation of large oil/gas fields away from generative kitchens. There is competition between the driving force （buoyancy） and the restraining force （capillary pressure controlled largely by permeability contrast） in controlling the positions of petroleum migration pathways in heterogeneous carrier beds. At a large scale, there is a critical angle of dip of the carrier beds which determines the relative importance of structural morphology or permeability contrasts in controlling the positions of petroleum migration pathways in heterogeneous carrier beds. Maximum-driving-force-controlled migration pathways occur in carrier beds with an angle of dip greater than the critical dip and the positions of petroleum migration pathways are controlled mainly by the morphology of the sealing surfaces. Minimum-restraining-force-determined migration pathways occur in carrier beds with an angle of dip smaller than the critical angle where permeability contrasts would exert a more important influence on the positions of petroleum migration pathways. Preferential petroleum migration pathways （PPMP）, defined as very restricted portions of carrier-beds that focus or concentrate petroleum from a large area of the generative kitchen, determine the distribution of oil and gas in sedimentary basins. The focusing of petroleum originating from a large area of the generative kitchens into restricted channels seems to be essential not only for long-range petroleum migration in hydrostatic conditions, but also for the formation of large oil or gas fields. Regions may miss out on petroleum migration because of its three-dimensional behavior, and two-dimensional migration modeling may be misleading in predicting petroleum occurrences in certain circumstances.

Depositional characteristics and petroleum geological significance of wetland

Wetland is a new type of sedimentary facies proposed for the first time in this paper. It is a type of sedimentary environment, transitional between land facies and water (sea or lake) facies. In this paper, wetland is redefined as “a type of sedimentary environments whose ground surface is flat and wet throughout the year, which may be covered with very shallow water (less than 2 m deep), and is covered with lush plant growth”. Wetland is reclassified into two types, swamp wetland (swamp in brief) and wet plain wetland (wet plain in brief). Swamp deposits are coal, while wet plain deposits are dark colored mudstones or silty mudstones rich in plant fossils and carbon debris. The deposits of wet plain are different from those of lake and floodplain in the abundance of plant fossils, color, resistivity well logging curve, and other sedimentary characteristics. In boreholes, resistivity logging can be used to distinguish between wet plain mudstones and lake mudstones. Understanding the sedimentary characteristics of wet plain wetland can help to identify wet plain deposits which were formerly classified as floodplain or lake deposits. This will help to reconstruct the palaeogeography and to understand the history of basin and climate evolution accurately, and is especially important in evaluation of the hydrocarbon generating potential of a basin. With the Jurassic Sangonghe Formation of the Yanqi Basin as an example, the identification characteristics of wetland are described.

Controls of Tectonics on both Sedimentary Sequences and Petroleum Systems in Tarim Basin, Northwest China

Various orders of sequences were recognized in the Tarim Basin from unconformities. Three mega-sequence groups, six mega-sequences, sixteen super-sequences and forty-two sequences were determined from the Sinian to the Quaternary. The mega-sequences and super-sequences were in accordance with the locally tectonic events occurring in both the north and the south margins of the Tarim plate. The global sea level changes only worked to control formations in the tectonically stable periods or in the low order sequences. The sequences had close relationship to the source rocks, reservoirs and cap rocks, and the tectonic events determined the migration, accumulation, and preservation of the hydrocarbon. The three mega-sequence group cycles, including the early cycle-the Sinian-middle Devonian, the middle cycle-the upper Devonian-Triassic, and the late cycle-the Jurassic-Quaternary, corresponded to three reservoir formation cycles. So, it can be concluded that the local tectonic events controlled both the sequences and the distribution of oil and gas in the Tarim Basin.

Application of Improved Grey Prediction Model to Petroleum Cost Forecasting

The grey theory is a multidisciplinary and generic theory that deals with systems that lack adequate information and/or have only poor information. In this paper, an improved grey model using step function was proposed. Petroleum cost forecast of the Henan oil field was used as the case study to test the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed method. According to the experimental results, the proposed method obviously could improve the prediction accuracy of the original grey model.

Effect of Petroleum Sulphonate on Interfacial Property and Stability of Crude Oil Emulsions

The influence of petroleum sulphonate (TRS) on interfacial properties and stability of the emulsions formed by formation water and asphaltene, resin and crude model oils from Gudong crude oil was investigated by measurement of interfacial shear viscosity, interfacial tension (IFT) and emulsion stability. With increasing petroleum sulphonate concentration, IFT between the formation water and the asphaltene, resin and crude model oils decreases significantly. The interfacial shear viscosity and emulsion stability of asphaltene and crude model oil system increase for the petroleum sulphonate concentration in the range 0.1% to 0.3%, and decrease slightly when the concentration of the surfactant is 0.5%. There exists a close correlation between the interfacial shear viscosity and the stability of the emulsions formed by asphaltene or crude model oils and petroleum sulphonate solution.The stability of the emulsions is determined by the strength of the interfacial film formed of petroleum sulphonate molecules and the natural interfacial active components in the asphaltene fraction and the crude oil. The asphaltene in the crude oil plays a major role in determining the interfacial properties and the stability of the emulsions.

Dynamic Systems of Petroleum Accumulation in the Nanpu Depression,Bohai Bay Basin,China

It is significant to distinguish the dynamic systems of petroleum accumulation （DSPA） for the understanding of petroleum accumulation and distribution. According to the formation pressure framework, genetic types of petroleum and characteristics of conduit systems, three dynamic systems of petroleum accumulation were identified in the vertical profile in the Nanpu depression, Bohai Bay basin. The deeper DSPA （including formations Es3 to Es2） is a sealed system with high-overpressure and high-mature self-sourced oil. Most of the crude oil in the system accumulated in the periods of late Oligocene （23.5 Ma） and late Pliocene （2.4 Ma）. The middle DSPA （including formations Es~ to Edl） is an overpressured half-sealed system with mature or lower-mature self-sourced oil. The accumulation of oil in the system also occurred in the late Oligocene （23.5 Ma） and late Pliocene （2.4 Ma）. The shallower DSPA （including formations Ed2 to Q） is a hydrostatic system with lower-mature aliensourced oil from the middle system. Oil within this system accumulated only in the late Pliocene period. The oil in the shallower system migrated vertically along the faults from the formerly accumulated oil in the middle system by lateral migration along the sandbodies, whereas petroleum accumulation in the deeper system was mainly derived from the system itself by lateral migration along the sandbodies and rarely migrated out of the system. In this case, it seems that the deeper system is a more potential exploration prospect in addition to the other two proved favorable systems.

Hydrolysis and acidification of activated sludge from a petroleum refinery

The cost-effective treatment of activated sludge that is generated by refining petroleum is a challenging industrial problem.In this study, semi-continuous stirred tank reactors(CSTRs) containing petroleum refinery excess activated sludge(PREAS)were used to comparatively investigate hydrolysis and acidification rates, after the addition of heneicosane(C_(21)H_(44))(R1)and 1-phenylnaphthalene(C16 H12)(R2) to different and individual reactors. Operation of the reactors using a sludge retention time(SRT) of 6 days and a pH of 5.0, resulted in the maintenance of stable biological activity as determined by soluble chemical oxygen demand(SCOD), volatile fatty acids(VFAs) production and oil removal efficiency. The optimum conditions for hydrogen production include a SRT of 8 days, at pH 6.5. Under these conditions, hydrogen production rates in the control containing only PREAS were 1567 mL/L(R0), compared with 1365 mL/L in Rl and 1454 mL/L-PREAS in R2.Coprothermobacter, Fervidobacterium, Caldisericum and Tepidiphilus were the dominant bacterial genera that have the potential to degrade petroleum compounds and generate VFAs. This study has shown that high concentrations of heneicosane and 1-phenylnaphthalene did not inhibit the hydrolytic acidification of PREAS.

Petroleum Migration Characteristics in the Northeastern Part of the Baiyun Depression,Pearl River Mouth Basin,South China Sea

This paper investigates the origin and migration characteristics of petroleum in the northeastern part of the Baiyun Depression,Pearl River Mouth Basin(PRMB).The discovered petroleum in the study area is mainly located in the Lower Zhujiang Member(N_(1)z^(2))and mainly originated from the Enping Formation source rocks in the eastern sag.Active faults(vertical migration)and N_(1)z^(2)sandstones(lateral migration)acted as the petroleum migration systems.The fault activities in the Dongsha event controlled the episodic petroleum migration.Fractures in the fault zones provided effective conduits,and overpressure was the driving force.The vertical migration could not cross the fault zones laterally.The petroleum injection areas in the carrier beds were the contact zones of petroleum-migration faults and carrier beds.The lateral migration was steady-state migration,and buoyancy was the driving force.The migration pathways in the carrier beds were controlled by the structural morphology.Secondary petroleum migration in the study area could be divided into two parts:vertical migration along the fractures in the fault zones and lateral migration through preferential petroleum migration pathways(PPMPs)in the carrier beds.The petroleum migration behaviors,including migrating direction,driving force,and migration pattern,in the faults and sandstone carrier beds were quite different.This study provides a typical example for comprehending secondary migration processes and has great importance for determining future exploration targets in the deep-water area of the PRMB.

Institutional preparation for relaxation of control over the upstream petroleum industry in China

Relaxation of control over the upstream business of the petroleum industry in China is discussed. The authors suggest that a basic institutional preparation should be made before relaxing control over the upstream business, and that the institutional preparation includes at least four parts： 1） setting up the admission standards, 2） perfecting the management system of mining rights, 3） reforming the royalty and taxation system for oil and gas resources, and 4） improving the supervision and management system. Stressing the institutional preparation before relaxation of control does not mean that China could not relax control over the upstream business until the management systems are perfected, but the authors suggest that China could establish a necessary system for relaxation of control and to improve it with future practice.

Organic geochemistry and petrology of source rocks from the Banqiao Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, China: Implications for petroleum exploration

The organic geochemistry and petrology of source rocks determine the hydrocarbon generation potential of the Banqiao Sag. In this study, organic geochemistry and petrology were used to determine the abundance of organic matter(OM), OM type, OM maturity, and sedimentary environments of the source rocks, collected from Cenozoic Shahejie Formation, Banqiao Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, China. Vitrinite and liptinite are the main maceral composition of the source rocks, and range from 18% to 81% and from 2% to82% on a mineral matter free(MMF) basis, respectively. The values of vitrinite reflectance(Ro)(0.36%-1.20%) and the Tmaxvalues(397-486.C) show that the thermal maturity range from low mature to peak-maturity. The abundance of OM varies between 0.22% and 4.37%, suggesting that the source rocks of the Shahejie(Es) Formation are mainly fair to good source rocks. The Rock-Eval pyrolysis results show that the source rocks have good petroleum generation potential. The amount of free hydrocarbons(S_1)and hydrocarbons generated from pyrolysis(S_(2)) range within 0.01-3.70 mg/g, and 0.04-29.17 mg/g. The hydrogen index(HI) varies between 18.18 and 741.13 mg HC/g TOC, with most of the samples appearing to be mainly Type II kerogen, and thereby exhibiting the ability to generate both oil and gas. The ratios of Pr/Ph, the cross plot of Pr/nC_(17)-Ph/nC_(18), the cross plot of C_(29)/C_(27)-Pr/Ph, and ternary of dibenzothiophene, dibenzofuran, and fluorene, indicate that the Shahejie Formation deposited in suboxic and weak reducing environments. The main biological source is from advanced plants. The maceral composition and rock pyrolysis data indicate the kerogen type is a humic type or mixed sapropelic-humic type. The source rocks of the Shahejie(Es) Formation occur in the oil window, and the abundant organic richness,humic kerogen demonstrate that these rocks are effective oil and gas source rocks. The mudstone rocks in the Shahejie Formation are the main source of oil and gas and represent the main exploration target for the Banqiao Sag. This study enhances the great prospect of oil and gas production in the Banqiao Sag.

Effect of petroleum chemical fraction and residual oil content in saline lacustrine organic-rich shale: A case study from the Paleogene Dongpu Depression of North China

Halite and gypsum minerals in saline shale make the retention mechanism and chemical fractionation of residual oil unique. The Dongpu Depression in North China is a typically saline lacustrine basin with developing halite and gypsum. The effect of gypsum minerals on residual oil content and chemical fractionation remains unclear. In this study, shale samples with different gypsum contents were used in organic geochemical experiments, showing that the high total organic matter (TOC) content and type II kerogen leads to a high residual oil content, as shown by high values of volatile hydrocarbon (S1) and extractable organic matter (EOM). XRD and FE-SEM result indicate that the existence of gypsum in saline shale contributes to an enhanced pore space and a higher residual oil content in comparison to non-gypsum shale. Additionally, the increase in the gypsum mineral content leads to an increase in the saturated hydrocarbon percentage and a decrease in polar components percentage (resins and asphaltene). Furthermore, thermal simulation experiments on low-mature saline shale show that the percentage of saturated hydrocarbons in the residual oil is high and remains stable and that the storage space is mainly mesoporous (> 20 nm) in the oil expulsion stage. However, the saturated hydrocarbons percentage decreases rapidly, and oil exists in mesopores (> 20 nm and < 5 nm) in the gas expulsion stage. In general, gypsum is conducive to the development of pore space, the adsorption of hydrocarbons and the occurrence of saturated hydrocarbon, leading to large quantities of residual oil. The data in this paper should prove to be reliable for shale oil exploration in saline lacustrine basins.

Upper Paleozoic total petroleum system and geological model of natural gas enrichment in Ordos Basin, NW China

Based on the analysis of Upper Paleozoic source rocks, source-reservoir-caprock assemblage, and gas accumulation characteristics in the Ordos Basin, the gas accumulation geological model of total petroleum system is determined. Then, taking the Carboniferous Benxi Formation and the Permian Taiyuan Formation and Shanxi Formation as examples, the main controlling factors of gas accumulation and enrichment are discussed, and the gas enrichment models of total petroleum system are established. The results show that the source rocks, faults and tight reservoirs and their mutual coupling relations control the distribution and enrichment of gas. Specifically, the distribution and hydrocarbon generation capacity of source rocks control the enrichment degree and distribution range of retained shale gas and tight gas in the source. The coupling between the hydrocarbon generation capacity of source rocks and the physical properties of tight reservoirs controls the distribution and sweet spot development of near-source tight gas in the basin center. The far-source tight gas in the basin margin is mainly controlled by the distribution of faults, and the distribution of inner-source, near-source and far-source gas is adjusted and reformed by faults. Generally, the Upper Paleozoic gas in the Ordos Basin is recognized in four enrichment models: inner-source coalbed gas and shale gas, inner-source tight sandstone gas, near-source tight gas, and far-source fault-transported gas. In the Ordos Basin, inner-source tight gas and near-source tight gas are the current focuses of exploration, and inner-source coalbed gas and shale gas and far-source gas will be important potential targets in the future.