Simulation of the Accumulation Process of Biogenic Gas Hydrates in the Shenhu Area of Northern South China Sea

Previous work has largely discussed the relations between sediment structures and accumulation of gas hydrates in the Shenhu area of South China Sea, but has not documented why the gas hydrates occurred at the seafloor topographic highs. Many gas hydrate exploration examples abroad also indicate that the saturation of gas hydrates was higher at seafloor topographic highs. This work aims to understand why gas hydrates accumulated at topographic highs and why their saturation is higher.

Study on fault-controlled hydrocarbon migration and accumulation process and models in Zhu I Depression

Through the analysis of the faults and their internal structure in Zhu I Depression,it is found that the internal structure of the late fault is obviously segmented vertically.It develops unitary structure(simple fault plane)in shallow layers,binary structure(induced fracture zone in hanging wall and sliding fracture zone in footwall)in middle,layers and ternary structure(induced fracture zone in hanging wall and sliding fracture zone in middle,and induced fracture zone in footwall)in deep layers.Because the induced fracture zone is a high porosity and permeability zone,and the sliding fracture zone is a low porosity and ultra-low permeability zone,the late fault in middle layers has the character of"transporting while sealing".The late fault can transport hydrocarbon by its induced fracture zone in the side of the hanging wall and seal hydrocarbon by its sliding fracture zone in the side of the footwall.In deep layers,the late fault has the character of"dual-transportation",induced fracture zones in both sides of hanging wall and footwall can transport hydrocarbon.The early fault that only developed in the deep layers is presumed to be unitary structure,which plays a completely sealing role in the process of hydrocarbon migration and accumulation due to inactivity during the hydrocarbon filling period.Controlled by hydrocarbon source,early/late faults,sand bodies and traps,two reservoir-forming models of"inverted L"and"stereo-spiral"can be proposed in middle layers,while two reservoir-forming models of"cross fault"and"lateral fault sealing"are developed in the deep layers of Zhu I Depression.

Source and accumulation process of Jurassic biodegraded oil in the Eastern Junggar Basin,NW China

Biodegradation usually obscures or even radically alters the original characteristics of oil biomarkers.The mixing of oil from multiple sources makes each source difficult to trace.Identifying the source of biodegraded oil from multiple sources has always been a hard nut to crack.Rising to this challenge,in this study-we carried out a comprehensive investigation of biodegradation impacts,oil-source correlation,and oil charging history to trace the source and reveal the mixing process of biodegraded oil in the Toutunhe Formation(J_(2)t)in the eastern Junggar Basin,NW China.The oil of this area was biodegraded to different extent,consequently,many commonly used biomarker parameters(e.g.Pr/Ph,Pr/n C_(17))became less powerful for oil-source correlation.To address this problem,the resistance of many biomarkers to biodegradation was analyzed,and those of high bio resistance were selected to generate a more reliable oil-source correlation.The results revealed that biodegraded oil was a mixture of oil sourced from Lucaogou Formation(P_(2)l)and Xiaoquangou Formation(T_(2-3)xq).Core sample observation,microscopic fluorescent analysis and fluid inclusion analysis were combined to analyze comprehensively oil charging history.The analysis of accumulation process exhibited that the existing oil in J_(2)t was a mixture originated from the P_(2)l and T_(2-3)xq source rocks in two separate charging stages when it underwent a complicated process of charging,biodegradation,recharging and mixing.

Hydrocarbon Accumulation Process in the Marine Strata in Jianghan Plain Area, Middle China

Marine strata in the Jianghan Plain area are widely distributed with a total depth of more than 8,000 m from the Upper Sinian to the Middle Triassic. Six reservoir caprock units, named Z-C2, C2-O, S, D--C, P and T1, can be identified with each epoch. The geology, stratigraphy, drilling, oil testing and other basic data as well as the measured inclusion and strontium isotope data in the study area are used in the analysis of the formation and evolution process of marine petroliferous reservoirs in the Jianghan Plain area. This study aims to provide a scientific basis for the further exploration of hydrocarbons in the Jianghan Plain and reduce the risks by analyzing the key factors for hydrocarbon accumulation in the marine strata. Our findings show that in the Lower Palaeozoic hydrocarbon reservoir, oil/gas migration and accumulation chiefly occurred in the early period of the Early Yanshanian, and the hydrocarbon reservoir was destroyed in the middle-late period of the Early Yanshanian. In the Lower Triassic-Carboniferous hydrocarbon reservoir, oil/gas migration and accumulation chiefly occurred in the Early Yanshanian, and the hydrocarbon reservoir suffered destruction from the Late Yanshanian to the Early Himalayanian. The preservation conditions of the marine strata in the Jianghan Plain area have been improved since the Late Himalayanian. However, because all source beds have missed the oil/gas generation fastigium and lost the capacity to generate secondary hydrocarbon, no reaccumulation of hydrocarbons can be detected in the study area＇s marine strata. No industrially exploitable oil/gas reservoir has been discovered in the marine strata of Jianghan Plain area since exploration began in 1958. This study confirms that petroliferous reservoirs in the marine strata have been completely destroyed, and that poor preservation conditions are the primary factor leading to unsuccessful hydrocarbon exploration. It is safely concluded that hydrocarbon exploration in the marine strata of the study area is quite risky.

Control of neotectonic movement on hydrocarbon accumulation in the Kuqa Foreland Basin,west China

Neotectonic movement refers to the tectonic movement that has happened since the Cenozoic, which is the latest movement. It has the most important influence on the basins in west China, especially on the hydrocarbon accumulation in the western foreland basins. We determined the time of neotectonic movement in the Kuqa Foreland Basin, which began from the Neogene, and analyzed the patterns of movement, which were continuous and fast subsidence in the vertical direction and intense lateral compression. The structure styles are that the faulting is weakened and the folding is strengthened gradually from north to south. We studied the control of neotectonic movement on the hydrocarbon accumulation process and model in the Kuqa Foreland Basin with basin simulation technique. The largest subsidence rate of the Kuqa Foreland Basin reached 1,200 m/Ma during the neotectonic movement, leading to rapid maturing of source rock within 5 Ma and a large quantity of hydrocarbon being generated and expelled. The thick neotectonic strata can form high quality reservoirs with the proved gas and oil reserves accounting for 5% and 27% of the total reserves, respectively. 86% of the structural traps were formed in the neotectonic movement period. The faults formed during the neotectonic movement serve as important migration pathways and they exist in the region where the hydrocarbon reservoirs are distributed. Abnormally high pressure caused by the intense lateral compression, thick neotectonic strata deposition and rapid hydrocarbon generation provide driving force for hydrocarbon migration. The accumulation elements match each other well over a short period, leading to many large gas fields formed later in the Kuqa Foreland Basin.

Hydrocarbon enrichment characteristics and difference analysis in the TZ1-TZ4 well block of the Tarim Basin

The reservoirs in the TZ1-TZ4 well block of the Tarim Basin are complex, and the hydrocarbon enrichment shows differences. The three Carboniferous oil layers are characterized by ＂oil in the upper and lower layers and gas in the middle＂ in profile and ＂oil in the west and gas in the east＂ in plane view. In order to discuss the complex reservoir accumulation mechanisms, based on the petroleum geology and reservoir distribution, we studied the generation history of source rocks, the fault evolution and sealing, the accumulation periods and gas washing, and reconstructed the accumulation process of the TZ1-TZ4 well block. It is concluded that the hydrocarbon enrichment differences of oil layers CIII, CII and CI were caused by multiple sources and multi-period hydrocarbon charging and adjustment. The CII was closely related to CIII, but CI was formed by reservoir adjustment during the Yanshan period and was not affected by gas washing after it was formed. During the Himalayan period, different degrees of gas washing in the east and west led to hydrocarbon enrichment differences on the plane. The Carboniferous accumulation process of two-stage charging and one-stage adjustment is summarized： oil charging during the late Hercynian period is the first accumulation period of CIII and CII; oil reservoirs were adjusted into CI in the Yanshan period; finally gas washing in the Himalayan period is the second accumulation period of CIII and CII, but CI was not affected by gas washing. This complex accumulation process leads to the hydrocarbon enrichment differences in the TZ1-TZ4 well block.

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.

Control Factors and Diversities of Phase State of Oil and Gas Pools in the Kuqa Petroleum System

Based on the analysis of the hydrocarbon geochemical characteristics in the Kuqa petroleum system of the Tarim Basin, this study discusses the causes and controlling factors of the phase diversities and their differences in geochemical features. According to the characteristics and differences in oil and gas phase, the petroleum system can be divided into five categories： oil reservoir, wet gas reservoir, condensate gas-rich reservoir, condensate gas-poor reservoir and dry gas reservoir. The causes for the diversities in oil and gas phases include diversities of the sources of parent material, maturity of natural gas and the process of hydrocarbon accumulation of different hydrocarbon phases. On the whole, the Jurassic and Triassic terrestrial source rocks are the main sources for the hydrocarbon in the Kuqa Depression. The small differences in parent material may cause diversities in oil and gas amount, but the impact is small. The differences in oil and gas phase are mainly affected by maturity and the accumulation process, which closely relates with each other. Oil and gas at different thermal evolution stage can be captured in different accumulation process.

The Flow Processes of Carbon Fixation Value of Typical Ecosystems

Based on data from ChinaFLUX this study analyzed the daily value flow processes of carbon fixation, monthly value distribution, and daily accumulative processes in a year of two kinds of typical forest, two kinds of grasses and a farmland. The results showed that the annual value of carbon fixation of these ecosystems was different, and flow processes and cumulative processes followed different trends over a year. The sequence of the five kinds of ecosystems based on the annual value of carbon fixation from largest to smallest was Yucheng warm temperate agriculture ecosystem （Yucheng）, Qianyanzhou subtropical artificial coniferous forest ecosystem （Qianyanzhou）, Changbai Mountain temperate mixed coniferous broad-leaved forest ecosystem （Changbaishan）, Haibei alpine meadow ecosystem （Haibei）and Dangxiong alpine meadow ecosystem （Dangxiong）. Variability in the daily and monthly carbon fixation at Qianyanzhou was the smallest, followed by Changbaishan, Yucheng, Dangxiong and Haibei. The cumulative processes of daily carbon fixation for the five kinds of ecosystems were well fitted to cubic curves.

Effects of free ammonia on volatile fatty acid accumulation and process performance in the anaerobic digestion of two typical bio-wastes

The effect of free ammonia on volatile fatty acid （VFA） accumulation and process instability was studied using a lab-scale anaerobic digester fed by two typical bio-wastes： fruit and vegetable waste （FVW） and food waste （FW） at 35℃ with an organic loading rate （OLR） of 3.0 kg VS/（m3-day）. The inhibitory effects of free ammonia on methanogenesis were observed due to the low C/N ratio of each substrate （15.6 and 17.2, respectively）. A high concentration of free ammonia inhibited methanogenesis resulting in the accumulation of VFAs and a low methane yield. In the inhibited state, acetate accumulated more quickly than propionate and was the main type of accumulated VFA. The co-accumulation of ammonia and VFAs led to an ＂inhibited steady state＂ and the ammonia was the main inhibitory substance that triggered the process perturbation. By statistical significance test and VFA fluctuation ratio analysis, the free ammonia inhibition threshold was identified as 45 mg/L. Moreover, propionate, iso-butyrate and valerate were determined to be the three most sensitive VFA parameters that were subject to ammonia inhibition.

Geochemical Characteristics and Accumulated Process of Heavy Crude Oil of Chunguang Oilfield in Junggar Basin, China

Chunguang oilfield is a new focus of the exploration in Junnggar Basin with the heavy crude oil distributing in Jurassic, Cretaceous and Tertiary strata. Based on the analysis of the geochemistry and fluid inclusion in the reservoirs, the source, accumulated period and process of the heavy crude oil reservoir has been investigated. The results indicate that the heavy crude oil can be divided into three types based on the degradation and sources. The heavy crude oil was mainly derived from the Permian source rocks, and latterly mixed by the heavy crude oil generated by the Jurassic source rocks. The accumulated period of the heavy crude oil has two stages. One was ranged from Cretaceous to Paleogene and the heavy crude oil was sourced from Permian source rocks of the Shawan depression and latterly mixed by the heavy crude oil generated by the Jurassic source rocks. The second period was from Neogene to present and the heavy crude oil was mainly derived from the Jurassic source rocks. Combined with the geological evolution, the heavy crude oil accumulated process has been recovered.

A GIS-based modeling of snow accumulation and melt processes in the Votkinsk reservoir basin

Coupled hydrological and atmospheric modeling is an efficient method for snowmelt runoff forecast in large basins. We use short-range precipitation forecasts of mesoscale at- mospheric Weather Research and Forecasting （WRF） model combining them with ground-based and satellite observations for modeling snow accumulation and snowmelt processes in the Votkinsk reservoir basin （184,319 km2）. The method is tested during three winter seasons （2012-2015）. The MODIS-based vegetation map and leaf area index data are used to calculate the snowmelt intensity and snow evaporation in the studied basin. The GIS-based snow accumulation and snowmelt modeling provides a reliable and highly detailed spatial distribution for snow water equivalent （SWE） and snow-covered areas （SCA）. The modelling results are validated by comparing actual and estimated SWE and SCA data. The actual SCA results are derived from MODIS satellite data. The algorithm for assessing the SCA by MODIS data （ATBD-MOD 10） has been adapted to a forest zone. In general, the proposed method provides satisfactory results for maximum SWE calculations. The calculation accuracy is slightly degraded during snowmelt periods. The SCA data is simulated with a higher reliability than the SWE data. The differences between the simulated and actual SWE may be explained by the overestimation of the WRF-simulated total precipitation and the unrepresentativeness of the SWE measurements （snow survey）.

Differences in shale gas accumulation process and its significance in exploration of Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation in northeast Yunnan

The study and exploration practice of shale gas accumulation has focused on the static system comparison,key parameters analysis,reservoir characteristics,enrichment mode etc.However,the research on dynamic recovery from the original hydrocarbon generation of shale gas to the present gas reservoir is still lacking.The burial history of shale gas reservoir can reflect the overall dynamic process of early formation and later transformation of shale gas reservoir.It controls the material basis of shale gas,the quality of reservoir physical properties,preservation conditions,gas content and formation energy,which is the core and foundation of shale gas accumulation process research.Herein,based on the five typical wells data in the Northeast Yunnan,including geochronological data,measured Ro values,core description records,well temperature data,paleoenvironment,paleothermal,etc.,the burial history,thermal evolution history and hydrocarbon generation history of the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation were systematically restored via back stripping method and EASY%Ro model.The results show that 1)the differences in the burial history of marine shale in Longmaxi Formation can be divided into syncline type and anticline type.2)The shale gas accumulation process can be divided into four stages,namely the sourcereservoir-cap sedimentation period,initial accumulation period,main accumulation period,and adjustment period.3)Based on the characteristics of burial history and preservation conditions,the areas with wide and gentle anticline,far away from the denudation area,and buried deeply with good fault sealing ability are priority structural locations for the shale gas exploration in northeast Yunnan.