Low organic matter abundance and highly efficient hydrocarbon generation of saline source rock in the Qaidam Basin,NW China

The geochemical analysis and experimental simulation are comprehensively used to systematically study the hydrocarbon generation material,organic matter enrichment and hydrocarbon generation model of Paleogene source rock in the Western Qaidam Depression,Qaidam Basin,NW China.Three main factors result in low TOC values of saline lacustrine source rock of the Qaidam Basin:relatively poor nutrient supply inhibits the algal bloom,too fast deposition rate causes the dilution of organic matter,and high organic matter conversion efficiency causes the low residual organic carbon.For this type of hydrogen-rich organic matter,due to the reduction of organic carbon during hydrocarbon generation,TOC needs to be restored based on maturity before evaluating organic matter abundance.The hydrocarbon generation of saline lacustrine source rocks of the Qaidam Basin is from two parts:soluble organic matter and insoluble organic matter.The soluble organic matter is inherited from organisms and preserved in saline lacustrine basins.It generates hydrocarbons during low-maturity stage,and the formed hydrocarbons are rich in complex compounds such as NOS,and undergo secondary cracking to form light components in the later stage;the hydrocarbon generation model of insoluble organic matter conforms to the traditional“Tissot”model,with an oil generation peak corresponding to Ro of 1.0%.

Hydrocarbon Generation Characteristics of Source Rocks from Different Saline Environments in the Dongpu Depression,Bohai Bay Basin,China

The Dongpu Depression is a secondary salt-bearing tectonic unit in the Bohai Bay Basin,eastern China.The depositional environment of this depression regarding its Paleogene strata is clearly different in plane,including the saltwater environment(SE)in the north,the freshwater environment(FE)in the south and the brackish water environment(BE)in the middle.The result of oil and gas exploration in the Dongpu Depression shows that more than 90%of the proven oil reserves are distributed in the northern saltwater environment.Previous studies indicate that the organic geochemistry characteristics and the hydrocarbon generation capacity of the source rocks are very clearly diverse under different environments,which results in the significant differences in the proved reserves between the north and the south.In order to further explore the differences in the hydrocarbon generation capacity of the source rocks under distinct depositional environments and the mechanism of their occurrence,three samples from different depositional environments(W18-5 for SE,H7-18 for BE,CH9 for FE)were used for confined gold tube pyrolysis experiments.The results show that the CH4 yields of W18-5,H7-18 and CH9 increase with increasing temperature,the maximum yields being 405.62 mg/g TOC,388.56 mg/g TOC and 367.89 mg/g TOC,respectively.The liquid hydrocarbon yields of W18-5,H7-18 and CH9 firstly increase with increasing temperature and then decrease after the critical temperatures.The maximum yields of C6-14 are 149.54 mg/g TOC,140.18 mg/g TOC and 116.94 mg/g TOC,the maximum yields of C14+being 852.4 mg/g TOC,652.6 mg/g TOC and 596.41 mg/g TOC,respectively for W18-5,H7-18 and CH9.To summarize,the order of hydrocarbon potential from high to low is W18-5,H7-18 and CH9.On this basis,through analyzing the influencing factors of hydrocarbon differences,this paper reveals that the saltwater environment is characterized by 4 factors:higher salinity,halophilic algae,high paleo-productivity and a strongly reducing environment,which are beneficial to the enrichment of organic matter and lead to the formation of high levels of sapropelite and exinite.According to the variation of oil and gas components in the pyrolysis experiments,the hydrocarbon generation process is divided into three stages:kerogen cracking,oil cracking and C2-5 cracking.Combined with hydrocarbon generation characteristics and stages,the evolutionary model of hydrocarbon generation for source rocks under different environments is established.

Exploration progress of the Paleogene in Jiyang Depression,Bohai Bay Basin

With increased exploration in the faulted basins of eastern China,petroleum exploration in this region has been challenged by unclear remaining petroleum resources distribution,complex reservoir and hydrocarbon enrichment patterns,and lacking of suitable exploration techniques.Aiming at resolving these problems,studies on source rocks,reservoirs,hydrocarbon accumulation and geophysical prospection were carried out by laboratory analysis,reservoir anatomy,and seismic analysis.A highlyefficient hydrocarbon generation/expulsion model of source rocks in saline environment was established,which aided in the discovery of a new set of source rocks in the Jiyang Depression.This study also reveals the formation process of high-quality reservoir by alternating acid and alkaline fluids during deposition and diagenesis,and pattern of secondary pores development in deep clastic rocks.Through the fine anatomy of the oil reservoirs,an orderly distribution pattern of the oil reservoirs is established,and the potential exploration targets in the undrilled area are identified.In addition,single-point highdensity seismic acquisition and high-resolution imaging technologies are developed,enabling fine and efficient exploration in areas with high exploration maturity.The research result plays a leading and demonstrative role in the fine and efficient exploration of faulted basins in eastern China.

Immature Oils in China and Their Genetic Mechanisms

Immature crude oils are a kind of unconventional petroleum resources. They are generated through early low-temperature biochemical/chemical reactions of some specific organic matter. Their geological reserves explored are as high as several hundred million tons in China. Based on a detailed organic geochemical study, five genetic mechanisms of immature oils have been proposed in this paper for early hydrocarbon generation from suberinite, resinite, bacteria-reworked terrestrial organic matter, biolipids and sulphur-rich macromolecules respectively.