An approximate analytical model for unconventional reservoir considering variable matrix blocks and simultaneous matrix depletion

In regard to unconventional oil reservoirs,the transient dual-porosity and triple-porosity models have been adopted to describe the fluid flow in the complex fracture network.It has been proven to cause inaccurate production evaluations because of the absence of matrix-macrofracture communication.In addition,most of the existing models are solved analytically based on Laplace transform and numerical inversion.Hence,an approximate analytical solution is derived directly in real-time space considering variable matrix blocks and simultaneous matrix depletion.To simplify the derivation,the simultaneous matrix depletion is divided into two parts:one part feeding the macrofractures and the other part feeding the microfractures.Then,a series of partial differential equations(PDEs)describing the transient flow and boundary conditions are constructed and solved analytically by integration.Finally,a relationship between oil rate and production time in real-time space is obtained.The new model is verified against classical analytical models.When the microfracture system and matrix-macrofracture communication is neglected,the result of the new model agrees with those obtained with the dual-porosity and triple-porosity model,respectively.Certainly,the new model also has an excellent agreement with the numerical model.The model is then applied to two actual tight oil wells completed in western Canada sedimentary basin.After identifying the flow regime,the solution suitably matches the field production data,and the model parameters are determined.Through these output parameters,we can accurately forecast the production and even estimate the petrophysical properties.

Hydrocarbon gas huff-n-puff optimization of multiple horizontal wells with complex fracture networks in the M unconventional reservoir

The oil production of the multi-fractured horizontal wells(MFHWs) declines quickly in unconventional oil reservoirs due to the fast depletion of natural energy. Gas injection has been acknowledged as an effective method to improve oil recovery factor from unconventional oil reservoirs. Hydrocarbon gas huff-n-puff becomes preferable when the CO_(2) source is limited. However, the impact of complex fracture networks and well interference on the EOR performance of multiple MFHWs is still unclear. The optimal gas huff-n-puff parameters are significant for enhancing oil recovery. This work aims to optimize the hydrocarbon gas injection and production parameters for multiple MFHWs with complex fracture networks in unconventional oil reservoirs. Firstly, the numerical model based on unstructured grids is developed to characterize the complex fracture networks and capture the dynamic fracture features.Secondly, the PVT phase behavior simulation was carried out to provide the fluid model for numerical simulation. Thirdly, the optimal parameters for hydrocarbon gas huff-n-puff were obtained. Finally, the dominant factors of hydrocarbon gas huff-n-puff under complex fracture networks are obtained by fuzzy mathematical method. Results reveal that the current pressure of hydrocarbon gas injection can achieve miscible displacement. The optimal injection and production parameters are obtained by single-factor analysis to analyze the effect of individual parameter. Gas injection time is the dominant factor of hydrocarbon gas huff-n-puff in unconventional oil reservoirs with complex fracture networks. This work can offer engineers guidance for hydrocarbon gas huff-n-puff of multiple MFHWs considering the complex fracture networks.

Velocity Modeling and Inversion Techniques for Locating Microseismic Events in Unconventional Reservoirs

A velocity model is an important factor influencing microseismic event locations. We re- view the velocity modeling and inversion techniques for locating microseismic events in exploration for unconventional oil and gas reservoirs. We first describe the geological and geophysical characteristics of reservoir formations related to hydraulic fracturing in heterogeneity, anisotropy, and variability, then discuss the influences of velocity estimation, anisotropy model, and their time-lapse changes on the accuracy in determining microseismic event locations, and then survey some typical methods for building velocity models in locating event locations. We conclude that the three tangled physical attributes of reservoirs make microseismic monitoring very challenging. The uncertainties in velocity model and ignoring its anisotropies and its variations in hydraulic fracturing can cause systematic mislocations of microseismie events which are unacceptable in microseismic monitoring. So, we propose some potential ways for building accurate velocity models.

A review on hydraulic fracturing of unconventional reservoir

Hydraulic fracturing is widely accepted and applied to improve the gas recovery in unconventional reservoirs.Unconventional reservoirs to be addressed here are with very low permeability,complicated geological settings and in-situ stress field etc.All of these make the hydraulic fracturing process a challenging task.In order to effectively and economically recover gas from such reservoirs,the initiation and propagation of hydraulic fracturing in the heterogeneous fractured/porous media under such complicated conditions should be mastered.In this paper,some issues related to hydraulic fracturing have been reviewed,including the experimental study,field study and numerical simulation.Finally the existing problems that need to be solved on the subject of hydraulic fracturing have been proposed.

Natural fractures within unconventional reservoirs of Linxing Block,eastern Ordos Basin,central China

Unconventional reservoirs are generally characterized by low matrix porosity and permeability,in which natural fractures are important factors for gas production.In this study,we analyzed characteristics of natural fractures,and their influencing factors based on observations from outcrops,cores and image logs.The orientations of natural fractures were mainly in the∼N-S,WNW-ESE and NE-SW directions with relatively high fracture dip angles.Fracture densities were calculated based on fracture measurements within cores,indicating that natural fractures were not well-developed in the Benxi-Upper Shihezi Formations of Linxing Block.The majority of natural fractures were open fractures and unfilled.According to the characteristics of fracture sets and tectonic evolution of the study area,natural fractures in the Linxing Block were mainly formed in the Yanshanian and Himalayan periods.The lithology and layer thickness influenced the development of natural fractures,and more natural fractures were generated in carbonate rocks and thin layers in the study area.In addition,in the Linxing Block,natural fractures with∼N-S-trending strikes contributed little to the overall subsurface fluid flow under the present-day stress state.These study results provide a geological basis for gas exploration and development in the Linxing unconventional reservoirs of Ordos Basin.

Optimal field development and production design for unconventional reservoirs:A case study from Central Sub-Basin,Permian Basin,New Mexico

The planning and developmental decisions succeeding the discovery of an unconventional oil and gas field is of utmost importance in attaining successful exploitation and production from these tight reservoirs.The development and production of hydrocarbon from these unconventional reservoirs require requires adequate planning and execution which could be challenging,due to the sequence of heterogeneous lithologies of these formations.In this study,we designed and presented a comprehensive field development and production program that is representative of the unconventional oil and gas development in the Central sub-basin of the Permian Basin.To design and achieve optimal field development and production for unconventional reservoirs in the Central sub-basin of the Permian Basin,New Mexico,we utilized field data from an oil and gas well that was drilled to a TVD/MD of 2290 m with a PBTD of 2270 m.Subsequently,we conducted the petrophysical evaluation of the logs and utilized a decline curve analysis for reservoir evaluation of all the members of the formation.We also designed and developed comprehensive drilling,completions,and facilities programs.Lastly,we incorporated an economic analysis of our optimized field development and production design.Our results provide a valuable plan and critical decision-making insight for optimizing field development and production of unconventional reservoirs in the Permian Basin and across the world.

A Mathematical Modeling of 3D Cubical Geometry Hypothetical Reservoir under the Effect of Nanoparticles Flow Rate,Porosity,and Relative Permeability

This study aims to formulate a steady-state mathematical model for a three-dimensional permeable enclosure(cavity)to determine the oil extraction rate using three distinct nanoparticles,SiO_(2),Al_(2)O_(3),and Fe_(2)O_(3),in unconventional oil reservoirs.The simulation is conducted for different parameters of volume fractions,porosities,and mass flow rates to determine the optimal oil recovery.The impact of nanoparticles on relative permeability(kr)and water is also investigated.The simulation process utilizes the finite volume ANSYS Fluent.The study results showed that when the mass flow rate at the inlet is low,oil recovery goes up.In addition,they indicated that silicon nanoparticles are better at getting oil out of the ground(i.e.,oil reservoir)than Al_(2)O_(3)and Fe_(2)O_(3).Most oil can be extracted from SiO_(2),Al_(2)O_(3),and Fe_(2)O_(3)at a rate of 97.8%,96.5%,and 88%,respectively.

The role of natural fracture activation in hydraulic fracturing for deep unconventional geo-energy reservoir stimulation

The presence of sealed or semi-sealed,multiscale natural fracture systems appears to be crucial for the successful stimulation of deep reservoirs.To explore the reaction of such systems to reservoir stimulation,a new numerical simulation approach for hydraulic stimulation has been developed,trying to establish a realistic model of the physics involved.Our new model successfully reproduces dynamic fracture activation,network generation,and overall reservoir permeability enhancement.Its outputs indicate that natural fractures facilitate stimulation far beyond the near-wellbore area,and can significantly improve the hydraulic conductivity of unconventional geo-energy reservoirs.According to our model,the fracture activation patterns are jointly determined by the occurrence of natural fractures and the in situ stress.High-density natural fractures,high-fluid pressure,and low effective stress environments promote the formation of complex fracture networks during stimulation.Multistage or multicluster fracturing treatments with an appropriate spacing also increase the stimulated reservoir area(SRA).The simulation scheme demonstrated in this work offers the possibility to elucidate the complex multiphysical couplings seen in the field through detailed site-specific modeling.

Proppant transport in rough fractures of unconventional oil and gas reservoirs

A method to generate fractures with rough surfaces was proposed according to the fractal interpolation theory.Considering the particle-particle,particle-wall and particle-fluid interactions,a proppant-fracturing fluid two-phase flow model based on computational fluid dynamics(CFD)-discrete element method(DEM)coupling was established.The simulation results were verified with relevant experimental data.It was proved that the model can match transport and accumulation of proppants in rough fractures well.Several cases of numerical simulations were carried out.Compared with proppant transport in smooth flat fractures,bulge on the rough fracture wall affects transport and settlement of proppants significantly in proppant transportation in rough fractures.The higher the roughness of fracture,the faster the settlement of proppant particles near the fracture inlet,the shorter the horizontal transport distance,and the more likely to accumulate near the fracture inlet to form a sand plugging in a short time.Fracture wall roughness could control the migration path of fracturing fluid to a certain degree and change the path of proppant filling in the fracture.On the one hand,the rough wall bulge raises the proppant transport path and the proppants flow out of the fracture,reducing the proppant sweep area.On the other hand,the sand-carrying fluid is prone to change flow direction near the contact point of bulge,thus expanding the proppant sweep area.

Progress in China's Unconventional Oil & Gas Exploration and Development and Theoretical Technologies

The new century has witnessed a strategic breakthrough in unconventional oil ＆ gas.Hydrocarbon accumulated in micro-/nano-scale pore throat shale systems has become an important domain that could replace current oil ＆ gas resources.Unconventional oil ＆ gas plays an increasingly important role in our energy demand.Tight gas,CBM,heavy oil and asphaltic sand have served as a key domain of exploration ＆ development,with tight oil becoming a ＇bright spot＇ domain and shale gas becoming a ＇hotspot＇ domain.China has made great breakthroughs in unconventional oil ＆ gas resources,such as tight gas,shale gas,tight oil and CBM,and great progress in oil shale,gas hydrate,heavy oil and oil sand.China has an estimated（223-263）×10~8t of unconventional oil resources and（890-1260）×l0^（12）m^3 of gas resources.China has made a breakthrough for progress in unconventional oil ＆ gas study.New progress achieved in fine-grained sedimentary studies related to continental open lacustrine basin large-scale shallow-water delta sand bodies,lacustrine basin central sandy clastic flow sediments and marine-continental fine-grained sediments provide a theoretical basis for the formation and distribution of basin central reservoir bodies.Great breakthroughs have been made in unconventional reservoir geology in respect of research methodology ＆ technology,multi-scale data merging and physical simulation of formation conditions.Overall characterization of unconventional reservoirs via multi-method and multi-scale becomes increasingly popular and facilitates the rapid development of unconventional oil ＆ gas geological theory,method and technology.The formation of innovative,continuous hydrocarbon accumulation theory,the establishment of the framework of the unconventional oil ＆ gas geological theory system,and the determination of the implications,geological feature,formation mechanism,distribution rule and core technology of unconventional oil＆ gas geological study lays a theoretical foundation for extensive unconventional oil ＆ gas exploration and development.Theories and technologies of unconventional oil ＆ gas exploration and development developed rapidly,including some key evaluation techniques such as ＇sweet spot zone＇ integrated evaluation and a six-property evaluation technique that uses hydrocarbon source,lithology,physical property,brittleness,hydrocarbon potential and stress anisotropy,and some key development ＆engineering technologies including micro-seismic monitoring,horizontal drilling ＆ completion and ＂factory-like＂ operation pattern, ＂man-made reservoir＂ development,which have facilitated the innovative development of unconventional oil ＆ gas.These breakthroughs define a new understanding in four aspects：①theoretical innovation;② key technologies;③ complete market mechanism and national policy support;and ④ well-developed ground infrastructure,which are significant for prolonging the life cycle of petroleum industry,accelerating the upgrade and development of theories and technologies and altering the global traditional energy structure.

A semi-analytical rate-transient analysis model for light oil reservoirs exhibiting reservoir heterogeneity and multiphase flow

Rate-transient analysis(RTA)has been widely applied to extract estimates of reservoir/hydraulic fracture properties.However,the majority of RTA techniques can lead to misdiagnosis of reservoir/fracture information when the reservoir exhibits reservoir heterogeneity and multiphase flow simultaneously.This work proposes a practical-yet-rigorous method to decouple the effects of reservoir heterogeneity and multiphase flow during TLF,and improve the evaluation of reservoir/fracture properties.A new,general,semi-analytical model is proposed that explicitly accounts for multiphase flow,fractalbased reservoir heterogeneity,anomalous diffusion,and pressure-dependent fluid properties.This is achieved by introducing a new Boltzmann-type transformation,the exponent of which includes reservoir heterogeneity and anomalous diffusion.In order to decouple the effects of reservoir heterogeneity and multiphase flow during TLF,the modified Boltzmann variable allows the conversion of three partial differential equations(PDE's)(i.e.,oil,gas and water diffusion equations)into ordinary differential equations(ODE's)that are easily solved using the Runge-Kutta(RK)method.A modified time-power-law plot is also proposed to estimate the reservoir and fracture properties,recognizing that the classical square-root-of-time-plot is no longer valid when various reservoir complexities are exhibited simultaneously.Using the slope of the straight line on the modified time-power-law plot,the linear flow parameter can be estimated with more confidence.Moreover,because of the new Boltzmann-type transformation,reservoir and fracture properties can be derived more efficiently without the need for defining complex pseudo-variable transformations.Using the new semi-analytical model,the effects of multiphase flow,reservoir heterogeneity and anomalous diffusion on rate-decline behavior are evaluated.For the case of approximately constant flowing pressure,multiphase flow impacts initial oil rate,which is a function of oil relative permeability and well flowing pressure.However,multiphase flow has a minor effect on the oil production decline exponent.Reservoir heterogeneity/anomalous diffusion affect both the initial oil production rate and production decline exponent.The production decline exponent constant is a function of reservoir heterogeneity/anomalous diffusion only.The practical significance of this work is the advancement of RTA techniques to allow for more complex reservoir scenarios,leading to more accurate production forecasting and better-informed capital planning.

Controlling effects of the Ordovician carbonate pore structure on hydrocarbon reservoirs in the Tarim Basin, China

The Ordovician carbonate reservoirs in the Tarim Basin with secondary dissolution pores and vugs have complicated pore structures. The weathering crust reservoirs mainly consist of large cavities or vugs connected by fractures, but most of the reef-shoal reservoirs have complex and small throats among matrix pores. The pore structure can be divided into four types： big pore and big throat, big pore but small throat, small pore and small throat, and fracture type. Most of the average throat radius falls between 0.03 and 0.07μm, close to that of unconventional reservoirs except in local areas with developed fractures. Fluid driving force analysis shows that the differentiation of fluid is mainly controlled by the throat radius in two kinds of mechanism separated by the critical throat radius about 0.1 μm. There is obvious fluid differentiation and oil/gas/water contact in fracture-cavity reservoirs with big throats. However, most of reservoirs under the critical throat radius have high capillary pressure, which resulted in incomplete differentiation of gas/oil/water, and complicated fluid distribution and fluid properties in the unconventional reservoirs.

Reservoir Characteristics of Fine-grained Sedimentary Rocks in Saline Lakes in the Cenozoic Upper Ganchaigou Formation,Southwestern Qaidam Basin,NW China

Cenozoic fine-grained sedimentary rocks in the southwestern Qaidam Basin,as typical salinized lacustrine sediments,are significantly different from those in other freshwater lakes under the impact of the high salinity in the lake.Many fine-grained sedimentary rock samples were selected from the lower member of Neogene(N_(1))in the Gaskule Oilfield,Qaidam Basin,northwest China,with the aim to analyze and test their petrology,pore structure,and organic geochemical characteristics and determine its genesis and geological significance.Based on previous results,a new genesis of mixed sedimentary rocks is proposed.The Cenozoic lacustrine fine-grained sedimentary rocks in SW Qaidam Basin belong to mixed sedimentary rocks,which can be divided into three types,including carbonate and terrigenous clastic-bearing mudstone,carbonate-bearing to terrigenous clastic mixed sedimentary rocks,and carbonate-terrigenous clastic mixed sedimentary rocks.The geneses of mixing are quite different from that of mixed marine rocks.According to the sedimentary characteristics of the salinized lakes,three new geneses of mixed deposits are proposed:syn-sedimentary mixing,varve interbedded mixing,and biogenic mixing.The reservoir spaces of the Cenozoic lacustrine fine-grained sedimentary rocks in SW Qaidam Basin include residual intergranular pores,intercrystalline pores,microfractures,and minor dissolved pores.The reservoirs have super-low porosity and ultra-low permeability,with a porosity of 1.82%-21.04%,averaging 7.71%,and permeability of(0.0028-254.86)×10^(−3)μm^(2),averaging 2.82×10^(−3)μm^(2).The test results of total organic carbon(TOC)content show that the highest content of organic carbon reached 1.41%,and those of vitrinite reflectance show that Ro ranges from 0.525%-0.824%,with an average of 0.806%.The organic geochemical characteristics show that the fine-grained mixed sedimentary rocks of SW Qaidam Basin have the potential for self-generation and self-storage.As an unconventional reservoir,it has potential industrial value.This is the first study of fine-grained sedimentary rocks in the Qaidam Basin,which offers certain theoretical and practical values.

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.

Geologic characteristics,exploration and production progress of shale oil and gas in the United States:An overview

We present a systematic summary of the geological characteristics,exploration and development history and current state of shale oil and gas in the United States.The hydrocarbon-rich shales in the major shale basins of the United States are mainly developed in six geological periods:Middle Ordovician,Middle-Late Devonian,Early Carboniferous(Middle-Late Mississippi),Early Permian,Late Jurassic,and Late Cretaceous(Cenomanian-Turonian).Depositional environments for these shales include intra-cratonic basins,foreland basins,and passive continental margins.Paleozoic hydrocarbon-rich shales are mainly developed in six basins,including the Appalachian Basin(Utica and Marcellus shales),Anadarko Basin(Woodford Shale),Williston Basin(Bakken Shale),Arkoma Basin(Fayetteville Shale),Fort Worth Basin(Barnett Shale),and the Wolfcamp and Leonardian Spraberry/Bone Springs shale plays of the Permian Basin.The Mesozoic hydrocarbon-rich shales are mainly developed on the margins of the Gulf of Mexico Basin(Haynesville and Eagle Ford)or in various Rocky Mountain basins(Niobrara Formation,mainly in the Denver and Powder River basins).The detailed analysis of shale plays reveals that the shales are different in facies and mineral components,and"shale reservoirs"are often not shale at all.The United States is abundant in shale oil and gas,with the in-place resources exceeding 0.246×10^(12)t and 290×10^(12)m^(3),respectively.Before the emergence of horizontal well hydraulic fracturing technology to kick off the"shale revolution",the United States had experienced two decades of exploration and production practices,as well as theory and technology development.In 2007-2023,shale oil and gas production in the United States increased from approximately 11.2×10^(4)tons of oil equivalent per day(toe/d)to over 300.0×10^(4)toe/d.In 2017,the shale oil and gas production exceeded the conventional oil and gas production in the country.In 2023,the contribution from shale plays to the total U.S.oil and gas production remained above 60%.The development of shale oil and gas has largely been driven by improvements in drilling and completion technologies,with much of the recent effort focused on“cube development”or“co-development”.Other efforts to improve productivity and efficiency include refracturing,enhanced oil recovery,and drilling of“U-shaped”wells.Given the significant resources base and continued technological improvements,shale oil and gas production will continue to contribute significant volumes to total U.S.hydrocarbon production.

A novel dandelion-based bionic proppant and its transportation mechanism in different types of fractures

Low-permeability reservoirs are generally characterized by low porosity and low permeability.Obtaining high production using the traditional method is technologically challenging because it yields a low reservoir recovery factor.In recent years,hydraulic fracturing technology is widely applied for efficiently exploiting and developing low-permeability reservoirs using a low-viscosity fluid as a fracturing fluid.However,the transportation of the proppant is inefficient in the low-viscosity fluid,and the proppant has a low piling-up height in fracture channels.These key challenges restrict the fluid(natural gas or oil)flow in fracture channels and their functional flow areas,reducing the profits of hydrocarbon exploitation.This study aimed to explore and develop a novel dandelion-bionic proppant by modifying the surface of the proppant and the fiber.Its structure was similar to that of dandelion seeds,and it had high transport and stacking efficiency in low-viscosity liquids compared with the traditional proppant.Moreover,the transportation efficiency of this newly developed proppant was investigated experimentally using six different types of fracture models(tortuous fracture model,rough fracture model,narrow fracture model,complex fracture model,large-scale single fracture model,and small-scale single fracture model).Experimental results indicated that,compared with the traditional proppant,the transportation efficiency and the packing area of the dandelion-based bionic proppant significantly improved in tap water or low-viscosity fluid.Compared with the traditional proppant,the dandelionbased bionic proppant had 0.1-4 times longer transportation length,0.3-5 times higher piling-up height,and 2-10 times larger placement area.The newly developed proppant also had some other extraordinary features.The tortuosity of the fracture did not influence the transportation of the novel proppant.This proppant could easily enter the branch fracture and narrow fracture with a high packing area in rough surface fractures.Based on the aforementioned characteristics,this novel proppant technique could improve the proppant transportation efficiency in the low-viscosity fracturing fluid and increase the ability of the proppant to enter the secondary fracture.This study might provide a new solution for effectively exploiting low-permeability hydrocarbon reservoirs.

Fine description of unconventional clastic oil reservoirs

The latest researches reveal that studies on unconventional clastic oil reservoirs in China generally lag far behind those in other countries in respect of content and methodology.This study presents the definition and classification of unconventional oil reservoirs and analyzes the problems in the fine description of unconventional oil reservoirs.The key content of the fine description of unconventional oil reservoirs is summarized from four aspects:fine fracture characterization based on fine structure interpretation,reservoir architecture characterization based on sedimentary facies,characteristics of nanoscale microscopic pore structure of reservoir,and evaluation of source rock and“sweet spot zone”.Finally,this study suggests that development of fine description of unconventional clastic oil reservoirs in the future should focus on rock brittleness analysis and fracture modeling,geophysical characterization of unconventional clastic oil reservoirs,fluid description of tight reservoirs,and physical/numerical simulation experiments of unconventional oil reservoirs.

Fault detection based on microseismic events

In unconventional reservoirs, small faults allow the flow ofoil and gas as well as act as obstacles to exploration; for, （1） fracturing facilitates fluid migration, （2） reservoir flooding, and （3） triggering of small earthquakes. These small faults are not generally detected because of the low seismic resolution. However, such small faults are very active and release sufficient energy to initiate a large number of microseismic events （MEs） during hydraulic fracturing. In this study, we identified microfractures （MF） from hydraulic fracturing and natural small faults based on microseismicity characteristics, such as the time-space distribution, source mechanism, magnitude, amplitude, and frequency. First, I identified the mechanism of small faults and MF by reservoir stress analysis and calibrated the ME based on the microseismic magnitude. The dynamic characteristics （frequency and amplitude） of MEs triggered by natural faults and MF were analyzed; moreover, the geometry and activity types of natural fault and MF were grouped according to the source mechanism. Finally, the differences among time-space distribution, magnitude, source mechanism, amplitude, and frequency were used to differentiate natural faults and manmade fractures.

Correction of source-rock permeability measurements owing to slip flow and Knudsen diffusion: a method and its evaluation

Source-rock permeability is a key parameter that controls the gas production rate from unconventional reservoirs. Measured source-rock permeability in the laboratory, however, is not an intrinsic property of a rock sample, but depends on pore pressure and temperature as a result of the relative importance of slip flow and diffusion in gas flow in lowpermeability media. To estimate the intrinsic permeability which is required to determine effective permeability values for the reservoir conditions, this study presents a simple approach to correct the laboratory permeability measurements based on the theory of gas flow in a micro/nano-tube that includes effects of viscous flow, slip flow and Knudsen diffusion under different pore pressure and temperature conditions. The approach has been verified using published shale laboratory data.The ＇＇corrected＇＇（or intrinsic） permeability is considerably smaller than the measured permeability. A larger measured permeability generally corresponds to a smaller relative difference between measured and corrected permeability values. A plot based on our approach is presented to describe the relationships between measured and corrected permeability for typical Gas Research Institute permeability test conditions. The developed approach also allows estimating the effective permeability in reservoir conditions from a laboratory permeability measurement.

Failure Patterns and Mechanisms of Hydraulic Fracture Propagation Behavior in the Presence of Naturally Cemented Fractures

In this study,we use the extended finite element method(XFEM)with a consideration of junction enrichment functions to investigate the mechanics of hydraulic fractures related to naturally cemented fractures.In the proposed numerical model,the lubrication equation is adopted to describe the fluid flow within fractures.The fluid-solid coupling systems of the hydraulic fracturing problem are solved using the Newton-Raphson method.The energy release rate criterion is used to determine the cross/arrest behavior between a hydraulic fracture(HF)and a cemented natural fracture(NF).The failure patterns and mechanisms of crack propagation at the intersection of natural fractures are discussed.Simulation results show that after crossing an NF,the failure mode along the cemented NF path may change from the tensile regime to the shear or mixed-mode regime.When an advancing HF kinks back toward the matrix,the failure mode may gradually switch back to the tensile-dominated regime.Key factors,including the length of the upper/lower portion of the cemented NF,horizontal stress anisotropy,and the intersection angle of the crack propagation are investigated in detail.An uncemented or partially cemented NF will form a more complex fracture network than a cemented NF.This study provides insight into the formation mechanism of fracture networks in formations that contain cemented NF.