“Component flow”conditions and its effects on enhancing production of continental medium-to-high maturity shale oil

Based on the production curves,changes in hydrocarbon composition and quantities over time,and production systems from key trial production wells in lacustrine shale oil areas in China,fine fraction cutting experiments and molecular dynamics numerical simulations were conducted to investigate the effects of changes in shale oil composition on macroscopic fluidity.The concept of“component flow”for shale oil was proposed,and the formation mechanism and conditions of component flow were discussed.The research reveals findings in four aspects.First,a miscible state of light,medium and heavy hydrocarbons form within micropores/nanopores of underground shale according to similarity and intermiscibility principles,which make components with poor fluidity suspended as molecular aggregates in light and medium hydrocarbon solvents,such as heavy hydrocarbons,thereby decreasing shale oil viscosity and enhancing fluidity and outflows.Second,small-molecule aromatic hydrocarbons act as carriers for component flow,and the higher the content of gaseous and light hydrocarbons,the more conducive it is to inhibit the formation of larger aggregates of heavy components such as resin and asphalt,thus increasing their plastic deformation ability and bringing about better component flow efficiency.Third,higher formation temperatures reduce the viscosity of heavy hydrocarbon components,such as wax,thereby improving their fluidity.Fourth,preservation conditions,formation energy,and production system play important roles in controlling the content of light hydrocarbon components,outflow rate,and forming stable“component flow”,which are crucial factors for the optimal compatibility and maximum flow rate of multi-component hydrocarbons in shale oil.The component flow of underground shale oil is significant for improving single-well production and the cumulative ultimate recovery of shale oil.

Enrichment conditions and distribution characteristics of lacustrine medium-to-high maturity shale oil in China

Successful breakthroughs have been made in shale oil exploration in several lacustrine basins in China,indicating a promising future for shale oil exploration and production.Current exploration results have revealed the following major conditions of lacustrine shale oil accumulation:(1)stable and widely distributed shale with a high organic abundance and appropriate thermal maturity acts as a fundamental basis for shale oil retention.This shale exhibits several critical parameters,such as total organic carbon content greater than 2%,with optimal values ranging from 3% to 4%,kerogen Ⅰ and Ⅱ_(1) as the dominant organic matter types,and vitrinite reflectance(R_(o))values greater than 0.9%(0.8% for brackish water environments).(2)Various types of reservoirs exhibiting brittleness and a certain volume of micro-nanoscale pores are critical conditions for shale oil accumulation,and these reservoirs have porosities greater than 3% to 6%.Moreover,when diagenesis is incipient,pure shales are not favorable for medium-to-high maturity shale oil enrichment,whereas tight sandstone and hybrid rocks with clay content less than 20% are favorable;however,for medium-to-late-stage diagenesis,pure shales with a clay content of 40% are favorable.(3)The retention of a large amount of high-quality hydrocarbons is the factor that best guarantees shale oil accumulation with good mobility.Free hydrocarbon content exceeding a threshold value of 2 mg/g is generally required,and the optimum value is 4 mg/g to 6 mg/g.Moreover,a gas-oil ratio exceeding a threshold value of 80 m^(3)/m^(3) is required,with the optimal value ranging from 150 m^(3)/m^(3) to 300 m^(3)/m^(3).(4)High-quality roof and floor sealing conditions are essential for the shale oil enrichment interval to maintain the overpressure and retain a sufficient amount of hydrocarbons with good quality.Lacustrine shale oil distributions exhibit the following characteristics:(1)major enrichment areas of shale oil are located in semi-deep to deep lacustrine depositional areas with external materials,such as volcanic ash fallout,hydrothermal solutions,and radioactive substances with catalytic action,as inputs;(2)intervals with“four high values and one preservation condition”govern the distribution of shale oil enrichment intervals;and(3)favorable assemblages of lithofacies/lithologies determine the distribution of enrichment area.According to preliminary estimates,China has 131×10^(8) to 163×10^(8) t of total shale oil resources with medium-to-high thermal maturity,among which 67×10^(8) to 84×10^(8) t is commercial.These resources are primarily located in the Chang 7^(1+2) interval in the Ordos Basin,Qing 1+2 members in Gulong sag in the Songliao Basin,Kongdian and Shahejie formations of Cangdong sag,Qikou sag and the Jiyang depression in the Bohai Bay Basin,and Lucaogou Formation in the Junggar Basin.

Origin and accumulation of high-maturity oil and gas in deep parts of the Baxian Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, China

Great quantities of light oil and gas are produced from deep buried hill reservoirs at depths of 5,641 m to 6,027 m and 190 ℃ to 201 ℃ in the Niudong-1 Well, representing the deepest and hottest commercial hydrocarbons discovered in the Bohai Bay Basin in eastern China. This discovery suggests favorable exploration prospects for the deep parts of the basin. However, the discovery raises questions regarding the genesis and accumulation of hydrocarbons in deep reservoirs. Based on the geochemical features of the hydrocarbons and characteristics of the source rocks as well as thermal simulation experiments of hydrocarbon generation, we conclude that the oil and gas were generated from the highly mature Sha-4 Member （Es4） source rocks instead of thermal cracking of crude oils in earlier accumulations. The source kitchen with abnormal pressures and karsted carbonate reservoirs control the formation of high-maturity hydrocarbon accumulations in the buried hills （i.e., Niudong-1） in conjunction with several structural-lithologic traps in the ES4 reservoirs since the deposition of the upper Minghuazhen Formation. This means the oil and gas exploration potential in the deep parts of the Baxian Depression is probably high.

Decommissioning of Mature Oil Fields and Artisanal Fisheries： The Case of Todosos Santos Bay, Brazil

Consequences of decommissioning oil fields on artisanal fishing activities are still little known in the literature. This paper is intended to shed some light on a process of dismantling and sinking of oil and gas structures in shallow waters, with severe disturbing impacts on low income artisanal fishing activities. From a socio-economic perspective, the relationship of oil industry with local communities is described, with the main perceived problems pointed out in local fishermen leadership perspective. The notions of ＂damages＂ and ＂mitigation＂ used by the oil industry are discussed in connection to the expansion and dismantling of oil installations during the past 20 yrs. A comparative view of oil fields decommissioning in Europe and Brazil during the late 1990s suggests the need to review transparency and social commitment standards which have been far less prominent in this Brazilian case. The authors believe that the Brazilian oil industry has acquired a social and environmental debt towards the whole society, as far as it has been unable to establish a clear and effective process for decommissioning their oil installations within the artisanal fishing areas of the Todosos Santos Bay. Furthermore, the discussion of fair and specific compensations has been avoided, which otherwise would be instrumental to regain local economic conditions found among fishermen just few decades ago.

Spectral narratives of microstructural restyling and their controls on hydrocarbon generation potential from coal

The low to medium-rank Tertiary coals from Meghalaya,India,are explored for the first time for their comprehensive micro-structural characterization using the FTIR and Raman spectroscopy.Further,results from these coals are compared with the Permian medium and high-rank coals to understand the microstructural restyling during coalification and its controls on hydrocarbon generation.The coal samples are grouped based on the mean random vitrinite reflectance values to record the transformations in spectral attributes with increasing coal rank.The aliphatic carbon and the apparent aromaticity respond sharply to the first coalification jump(R:0.50%)during low to medium-rank transition and anchizonal metamorphism of the high-rank coals.Moreover,the Raman band intensity ratio changes during the first coalification jump but remains invari-able in the medium-rank coals and turns subtle again during the onset of pregraphitization in high-rank coals,revealing a polynomial trend with the coal metamorphism.The Rock-Eval hydrogen index and genetic potential also decline sharply at the first coalification jump.Besides,an attempt to comprehend the coal microstructural controls on the hydrocarbon poten-tial reveals that the Tertiary coals comprise highly reactive aliphatic functionalities in the type I-S kerogen,along with the low paleotemperature(74.59-112.28℃)may signify their potential to generate early-mature hydrocarbons.However,the presence of type II-II admixed kerogen,a lesser abundance of reactive moieties,and overall moderate paleotemperature(91.93-142.52℃)of the Permian medium-rank coals may imply their mixed hydrocarbon potential.Meanwhile,anchizonal metamorphism,polycondensed aromatic microstructure,and high values of paleotemperature(~334.25 to~366.79℃)of the high-rank coals indicate a negligible potential of producing any hydrocarbons.

Enhancing economic sustainability in mature oil fields:Insights from the clustering approach to select candidate wells for extended shut-in

Fluctuations in oil prices adversely affect decision making situations in which performance forecasting must be combined with realistic price forecasts.In periods of significant price drops,companies may consider extended duration of well shut-ins(i.e.temporarily stopping oil production)for economic reasons.For example,prices during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic forced operators to consider shutting in all or some of their active wells.In the case of partial shut-in,selection of candidate wells may evolve as a challenging decision problem considering the uncertainties involved.In this study,a mature oil field with a long(50+years)production history with 170+wells is considered.Reservoirs with similar conditions face many challenges related to economic sustainability such as frequent maintenance requirements and low production rates.We aimed to solve this decision-making problem through unsupervised machine learning.Average reservoir characteristics at well locations,well production performance statistics and well locations are used as potential features that could characterize similarities and differences among wells.While reservoir characteristics are measured at well locations for the purpose of describing the subsurface reservoir,well performance consists of volumetric rates and pressures,which are frequently measured during oil production.After a multivariate data analysis that explored correlations among parameters,clustering algorithms were used to identify groups of wells that are similar with respect to aforementioned features.Using the field’s reservoir simulation model,scenarios of shutting in different groups of wells were simulated.Forecasted reservoir performance for three years was used for economic evaluation that assumed an oil price drop to$30/bbl for 6,12 or 18 months.Results of economic analysis were analyzed to identify which group(s)of wells should have been shut-in by also considering the sensitivity to different price levels.It was observed that wells can be characterized in the 3-cluster case as low,medium and high performance wells.Analyzing the forecasting scenarios showed that shutting in all or high-and medium-performance wells altogether results in better economic outcomes.The results were most sensitive to the number of active wells and the oil price during the high-price period.This study demonstrated the effectiveness of unsupervised machine learning in well classification for operational decision making purposes.Operating companies may use this approach for improved decision making to select wells for extended shut-in during low oil-price periods.This approach would lead to cost savings especially in mature fields with low-profit margins.

Aromatic Hydrocarbons as Indicators of Origin and Maturation for Light Oils from Panyu Lower Uplift in Pearl River Mouth Basin

Aromatic fractions of six light oils and two source rock samples from Panyu（番禺） lower uplift of Pearl River Mouth basin were analyzed using GC-MS（gas chromatography-mass spectrometric） technique.Thirteen aromatic series of hydrocarbons detected such as biphenyls,naphthalenes,phenanthrenes,dibenzothiophenes（more than two hundred aromatic hydrocarbon compounds） were used to analyze the origin and maturity of the light oils.This study indicates that the distribution of aromatic hydrocarbon compounds in the light oils of wells L1 and P1 differs from those of wells P2,P3 and P4.The light oil samples from wells L1 and P1 contain more dibenzofuran and fluorence hydrocarbons and less naphthalene hydrocarbons.The contents of fluorene,dibenzothiophene and dibenzofuran in the two groups of light oils also show their difference in sedimentary environment.Moreover,the diversity of the relative distributions of biphenyl and naphthalene is apparent between the two groups of light oils.As mentioned above,the origin of the light oils from wells L1 and P1 varies from that of wells P2,P3 and P4.According to the result of oil-source correlation,the light oils from wells P2,P3 and P4 mainly originated from the source rocks in the Enping（恩平） Formation.Accordingly,the light oils from wells L1 and P1 may have been derived from the lacustrine shales in the Wenchang（文昌） Formation or from the mixed source of the Wenchang Formation and the Enping Formation.Applying maturity parameters of methylnaphthalenes,methylphenanthrenes and methyldibenzothiophenes from the aromatic hydrocarbons to the study of the maturity of light oils from Panyu lower uplift indicates that the maturity has reached the high mature stage.