Detection and significance of higher thiadiamondoids and diamondoidthiols in oil from the Zhongshen 1C well of the Tarim Basin, NW China

Oil and gas breakthroughs have been achieved in the Zhongshen 1(ZS1) and 1 C(ZS1 C) wells in Cambrian pre-salt from the Tarim Basin in northwest China. However, Middle and Lower Cambrian reservoirs reveal substantial differences in the geochemistry and secondary alteration characteristics between the oils collected from the two wells. High concentrations of thiadiamondoids and diamondoidthiols, including thiatetramantanes, tetramantanethiols, thiapentamantanes, and pentamantanethiols, are detected in the organic sulfur compound fraction of concentrated oil collected from the ZS1 C well, which samples the Lower Cambrian Xiaoerbulake Formation. Higher diamondoids, such as tetramantanes, pentamantanes, hexamantanes, and cyclohexamantane, also occur in the saturate fractions of the concentrated ZS1 C oil. The presence of these compounds is verified by mass spectra analysis and comparison with previous studies. During thermochemical sulfate reduction(TSR), the cage of higher diamondoids is interpreted to open because of sulfur radicals forming open-cage higher diamondoid-like thiols, followed by cyclization that leads to the formation of high thiadiamondoids. Using D_(16)-adamantane as an internal standard, the concentrations of lower diamondoids and thiadiamondoids of non-concentrated Cambrian oil from well ZS1 C are 83874 and8578 μg/g, respectively, which are far higher than Cambrian oil from well ZS1 and most Ordovician oils in the Tarim Basin. The high concentrations of lower thiadiamondoids and occurrence of higher thiadiamondoids and diamondoidthiols support that the oil from well ZS1 C is a product of severe TSR alteration.

Characteristics and geochemical implications of light hydrocarbons from ultra-deep Ordovician oils in the North Shuntuoguole area, Tarim Basin

The ultra-deep Ordovician reservoirs in North Shuntuoguole Oilfield(or Shunbei Oilfield)of Sinopec have achieved annual production of one million ton,and the oil&gas in different faults show different physical properties and fluid phases.In this study,the 28 oil samples from the ultra-deep Ordovician were analyzed using whole oil chromatography.The heptane and isoheptane values of the oil samples were in the range of 29.79%‒46.86%and 1.01%-3.06%,respectively,indicating the oils are high mature.The maturity that calculated based on light hydrocarbon values was higher than which calculated by using aromatic hydrocarbon parameters,suggesting the light hydrocarbon maturity mostly reflects the maturity of the late charged hydrocarbon.The 2M-/3M-C5 and 2M-/3M-C_(6) ratios varied in the ranges of 1.41‒1.81 and 0.79-1.09,respectively,and the iC_(5)/nC_(5) and 3M-C_(5)/nC_(6) ratios were 0.31‒0.90 and 0.16-0.37,respectively,indicating that ultra-deep Ordovician reservoirs have not experienced biodegradation.The Mango parameter K_(1) of the oil samples ranges 0.96‒1.01 except for the oil from Well SB4,which suggests that most of the reservoirs have not suffered thermochemical sulfur reduction(TSR).Meanwhile,the oils have not experienced evaporative fractionation since the toluene/nC_(7) and nC_(7)/MCC_(6) ratios range from 0.10-0.38 and 1.50‒1.80,respectively.The close correlation between P_(3) and P_(2)+N_(2) and between P_(2) and N_(2)/P_(3) indicates that the oils from different faults have the same origin.According to the characteristics of LHs rich in n-alkane,as well as other biomarkers,such as aryl isoprenoids,and aromatic hydrocarbon parameters,the oil originated from the source rock of Lower Cambrian Yu’ertusi Formation.Meanwhile,the source rocks in different fault zones slightly differed in organic facies.