Buoyance-driven hydrocarbon accumulation depth and its implication for unconventional resource prediction

The discovery of unconventional hydrocarbon resources since the late 20th century changed geologists’understanding of hydrocarbon migration and accumulations and provides a solution to energy shortage.In 2016,unconventional oil production in the USA accounted for 41%of the total oil production;and unconventional natural gas production in China accounted for 35%of total gas production,showing strong growth momentum of unconventional hydrocarbons explorations.Unconventional hydrocarbons generally coexist with conventional petroleum resources;they sometimes distribute in a separate system,not coexisting with a conventional system.Identification and prediction of unconventional resources and their potentials are prominent challenges for geologists.This study analyzed the results of 12,237 drilling wells in six representative petroliferous basins in China and studied the correlations and differences between conventional and unconventional hydrocarbons by comparing their geological features.Migration and accumulation of conventional hydrocarbon are caused dominantly by buoyance.Wepropose a concept of buoyance-driven hydrocarbon accumulation depth to describe the deepest hydrocarbon accumulation depth driven dominantly by buoyance;beyond this depth the buoyance becomes unimportant for hydrocarbon accumulation.We found that the buoyance-driven hydrocarbon accumulation depth in petroliferous basins controls the different oil/gas reservoirs distribution and resource potentials.Hydrocarbon migration and accumulations above this depth is dominated by buoyancy,forming conventional reservoirs in traps with high porosity and permeability,while hydrocarbon migration and accumulation below this depth is dominated by non-buoyancy forces(mainly refers to capillary force,hydrocarbon volumeexpansion force,etc.),forming unconventional reservoirs in tight layers.The buoyance-driven hydrocarbon accumulation depths in six basins in China range from 1200mto 4200 m,which become shallowerwith increasing geothermal gradient,decreasing particle size of sandstone reservoir layers,or an uplift in the whole petroliferous basin.The predicted unconventional resource potential belowthe buoyance-driven hydrocarbon accumulation depth in six basins in China is more than 15.71×10^(9) t oil equivalent,among them 4.71×10^(9) t reserves have been proved.Worldwide,94%of 52,926 oil and gas reservoirs in 1186 basins are conventional reservoirs and only 6%of them are unconventional reservoirs.These 94%conventional reservoirs show promising exploration prospects in the deep area below buoyance-driven hydrocarbon accumulation depth.

A unified model for the formation and distribution of both conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs

The discovery and large-scale exploration of unconventional oil/gas resources since 1980s have been considered as the most important advancement in the history of petroleum geology;that has not only changed the balance of supply and demand in the global energy market,but also improved our understanding of the formation mechanisms and distribution characteristics of oil/gas reservoirs.However,what is the difference of conventional and unconventional resources and why they always related to each other in petroliferous basins is not clear.As the differences and correlations between unconventional and conventional resources are complex challenging issues and very critical for resources assessment and hydrocarbon exploration,this paper focused on studying the relationship of formations and distributions among different oil/gas reservoirs.Drilling results of 12,237 exploratory wells in 6 representative petroliferous basins of China and distribution characteristics for 52,926 oil/gas accumulations over the world were applied to clarify the formation conditions and genetic relations of different oil/gas reservoirs in a petroliferous basin,and then to establish a unified model to address the differences and correlations of conventional and unconventional reservoirs.In this model,conventional reservoirs formed in free hydrocarbon dynamic field with high porosity and permeability located above the boundary of hydrocarbon buoyancy-driven accumulation depth limit.Unconventional tight reservoirs formed in confined hydrocarbon dynamic field with low porosity and permeability located between hydrocarbon buoyancy-driven accumulation depth limit and hydrocarbon accumulation depth limit.Shale oil/gas reservoirs formed in the bound hydrocarbon dynamic field with low porosity and ultra-low permeability within the source rock layers.More than 75%of proved reserves around the world are discovered in the free hydrocarbon dynamic field,which is estimated to contain only 10%of originally generated hydrocarbons.Most of undiscovered resources distributed in the confined hydrocarbon dynamic field and the bound hydrocarbon dynamic field,which contains 90%of original generated hydrocarbons,implying a reasonable and promising area for future hydrocarbon explorations.The buried depths of hydrocarbon dynamic fields become shallow with the increase of heat flow,and the remaining oil/gas resources mainly exist in the deep area of“cold basin”with low geothermal gradient.Lithology changing in the hydrocarbon dynamic field causes local anomalies in the oil/gas dynamic mechanism,leading to the local formation of unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs in the free hydrocarbon dynamic field or the occurrence of oil/gas enrichment sweet points with high porosity and permeability in the confined hydrocarbon dynamic field.The tectonic movements destroy the medium conditions and oil/gas components,which leads to the transformation of conventional oil/gas reservoirs formed in free hydrocarbon dynamic field to unconventional ones or unconventional ones formed in confined and bound hydrocarbon dynamic fields to conventional ones.

Post-Triassic thermal history of the Tazhong Uplift Zone in the Tarim Basin, Northwest China: Evidence from apatite fssion-track thermochronology

The Tarim Basin is a representative example of the basins developed in the northwest China that are characterized by multiple stages of heating and cooling.In order to better understand its complex thermal history,apatite fission track （AFT） thermochronology was applied to borehole samples from the Tazhong Uplift Zone （TUZ）.Twelve sedimentary samples of Silurian to Triassic depositional ages were analyzed from depths coinciding with the apatite partial annealing zone （～60-120 ℃）.The AFT ages,ranging from 132 ± 7 Ma （from a Triassic sample） to 25 ± 2 Ma （from a Carboniferous sample）,are clearly younger than their depositional ages and demonstrate a total resetting of the AFT thermometer after deposition.The AFT ages vary among different tectonic belts and decrease from the No.Ten Faulted Zone （133-105 Ma） in the northwest,the Central Horst Zone in the middle （108-37 Ma）,to the East Buried Hill Zone in the south （51 25 Ma）.Given the low magnitude of post-Triassic burial heating evidenced by low vitrinite reflectance values （Ro ＜ 0.7％）,the total resetting of the AFT system is speculated to result from the hot fluid flow along the faults.Thermal effects along the faults are well documented by younger AFT ages and unimodal single grain age distributions in the vicinity of the faults.Permian-early Triassic basaltic volcanism may be responsible for the early Triassic total annealing of those samples lacking connectivity with the fault.The above arguments are supported by thermal modeling results.

A novel method for quantitatively identifying driving forces and evaluating their contributions to oil and gas accumulation

Different driving forces govern the formation of distinct types of oil and gas accumulation and yield diverse oil and gas distributions.Complex oil and gas reservoirs in basins are commonly formed by the combination of multiple forces.It is very difficult but essential to identify driving forces and evaluate their contributions in predicting the type and distribution of oil and gas reservoirs.In this study,a novel method is proposed to identify driving forces and evaluate their contribution based on the critical conditions of porosity and permeability corresponding to buoyancy-driven hydrocarbon accumulation depth(BHAD).The application of this method to the Nanpu Sag of the Bohai Bay Basin shows that all oil and gas accumulations in the reservoirs are jointly formed by four driving forces:buoyance(Ⅰ),non-buoyance(Ⅱ),tectonic stress(Ⅲ1)and geofluid activity(Ⅲ2).Their contributions to all proven reserves are approxi-mately 63.8%,16.2%,2.9%,and 17.0%,respectively.The contribution of the driving forces is related to the depth,distance to faults and unconformity surfaces.Buoyancy dominates the formation of conven-tional reservoirs above BHAD,non-buoyant dominate the formation of unconventional reservoirs below BHAD,tectonic stress dominates the formation of fractured reservoirs within 300 m of a fault,and geoflu-ids activity dominates the formation of vuggy reservoirs within 100 m of an unconformity surface.

Meso–Cenozoic Tectono-Thermal Evolution History in Bohai Bay Basin, North China

The thermal history of sedimentary basins is a key factor for hydrocarbon accumulation and resource assessment, and is critical in the exploration of lithospheric tectono-thermal evolution. In this paper, the Cenozoic thermal histories of nearly 200 wells and the Mesozoic thermal histories of 15 wells are modeled based on the vitrinite reflectance and apatite fission track data in Bohai Bay Basin, North China. The results show that the basin experienced Early Cretaceous and Paleogene heat flow peaks, which reveals two strong rift tectonic movements that occurred in the Cretaceous and the Paleogene in the basin, respectively. The thermal evolution history in Bohai Bay Basin can be divided into five stages including（1） the low and stable heat flow stage from the Triassic to the Jurassic, with the heat flow of 53 to 58 m W/m2;（2） the first heat flow peak from the Early Cretaceous to the middle of the Late Cretaceous, with a maximum heat flow of 81 to 87 m W/m2;（3） the first post-rift thermal subsidence stage from the middle of the Late Cretaceous to the Paleocene, with the heat flow of 65 to 74 m W/m2 at the end of the Cretaceous;（4） the second heat flow peak from the Eocene to the Oligocene, with a maximum heat flow of 81 to 88 m W/m2; and（5） the second thermal subsidence stage from the Neogene to present, with an average heat flow of 64 m W/m2.

Insights into the Origin of Natural Gas Reservoirs in the Devonian System of the Marsel Block, Kazakhstan

The genetic type and accumulation model of the Devonian reservoirs in the Marsel Block remain unclear, despite decades of exploration history. According to the well testing, logging interpretations and sample testing results, the Devonian natural gas reservoir in the Marsel Block has five typical characteristics:(1) It is obvious that the traps contain continuous gas accumulations. Not only the apexes of the structures are enriched in natural gas, but also the slopes and depressions contain gas accumulations.(2) The gas reservoirs are classified as tight reservoirs, but there are also reservoirs with high porosity and permeability in some areas.(3) The general negative or low-pressure in the gas reservoir is obvious, although the pressure in the target layers of some wells is close to normal.(4) The yields of single wells in the Devonian reservoir are quite different: some wells have low yields or are dry, whereas the gas production from high-yield wells has reached 700 000 m3/day.(5) The gas-water relationship is complicated: there is no obvious gas-water interface, but the water-producing layer is generally located at the apexes of structures. Research and analysis have shown that using the model of the conventional gas reservoirs genetic type can only explain the characteristics of parts of the gas reservoir, while the model of accumulation in a deep-basin gas reservoir cannot fully explain the distribution characteristics of the Devonian reservoir. However, the model of accumulation in a stacked complex continuous oil and gas reservoir can reasonably explain the geological and distribution characteristics of the Devonian reservoir. Moreover, the predicted gas distribution along a cross-section of the reservoir is also in agreement with the geological background and tectonic environment of the Marsel Block, therefore, the genetic type of the Devonian natural gas reservoir in the Marsel Block is a stacked complex continuous tight-gas reservoir. Finally, by comprehensively analyzing the source rock, reservoir and cap rocks, as well as the structural characteristics, it is verified that Devonian in the Marsel Block has favorable geological conditions for formation of a superimposed continuous tight gas reservoir.