Research on thermal insulation materials properties under HTHP conditions for deep oil and gas reservoir rock ITP-Coring

Deep oil and gas reservoirs are under high-temperature conditions,but traditional coring methods do not consider temperature-preserved measures and ignore the influence of temperature on rock porosity and permeability,resulting in distorted resource assessments.The development of in situ temperaturepreserved coring(ITP-Coring)technology for deep reservoir rock is urgent,and thermal insulation materials are key.Therefore,hollow glass microsphere/epoxy resin thermal insulation materials(HGM/EP materials)were proposed as thermal insulation materials.The materials properties under coupled hightemperature and high-pressure(HTHP)conditions were tested.The results indicated that high pressures led to HGM destruction and that the materials water absorption significantly increased;additionally,increasing temperature accelerated the process.High temperatures directly caused the thermal conductivity of the materials to increase;additionally,the thermal conduction and convection of water caused by high pressures led to an exponential increase in the thermal conductivity.High temperatures weakened the matrix,and high pressures destroyed the HGM,which resulted in a decrease in the tensile mechanical properties of the materials.The materials entered the high elastic state at 150℃,and the mechanical properties were weakened more obviously,while the pressure led to a significant effect when the water absorption was above 10%.Meanwhile,the tensile strength/strain were 13.62 MPa/1.3%and 6.09 MPa/0.86%at 100℃ and 100 MPa,respectively,which meet the application requirements of the self-designed coring device.Finally,K46-f40 and K46-f50 HGM/EP materials were proven to be suitable for ITP-Coring under coupled conditions below 100℃ and 100 MPa.To further improve the materials properties,the interface layer and EP matrix should be optimized.The results can provide references for the optimization and engineering application of materials and thus technical support for deep oil and gas resource development.

Fluid property identification of the Lower Cretaceous reservoirs with complex oil-water contacts in Deseo Basin,Chad

Recently,exploration breakthroughs have been made in the Lower Cretaceous sandstone reservoirs in the Doseo Basin,but the identification of reservoir fluid property is difficult due to variable reservoir lithology,complex oil-water contact within and faint responses of the oil zone,which causes the lower accuracy of reservoir fluid property identification with conventional mudlogging and wirelogging techniques.Applying the geochemical logging,fluorescent logging,mud logging and cutting logging technology,in combination with formation test data,this paper distinguishes the crude oil types,analyzes the logging response characteristics of oil zone after water washing,and establishes the interpretation charts and parameter standards for reservoir fluid properties.The crude oil can be divided into two types,namely viscous-heavy and thin-light,based on total hydrocarbon content and component concentration tested by mud logging,features of pyrolysis gas chromatogram and fluorescence spectroscopy.The general characteristics of oil layers experienced water washing include the decrease of total hydrocarbon content and component concentration from mud logging,the decrease of S1 and PS values from geochemical logging,the decrease of hydrocarbon abundance and absence of some light components in pyrolysis gas chromatogram,and the decrease of fluorescence area and intensity from fluorescence logging.According to crude oil types,the cross plots of S1 versus peak-baseline ratio,and the cross plots of rock wettability versus fluorescence area ratio are drawn and used to interpret reservoir fluid property.Meanwhile,the standards of reservoir fluid parameter are established combining with the parameters of PS and the parameters in above charts,and comprehensive multiparameter correlation in both vertical and horizontal ways is also performed to interpret reservoir fluid property.The application in the Doseo Basin achieved great success,improving interpretation ability of fluid property in the reservoir with complex oil-water contact,and also provided technical reference for the efficient exploration and development of similar reservoirs.

Fine quantitative characterization of high-H2S gas reservoirs under the influence of liquid sulfur deposition and adsorption

In order to clarify the influence of liquid sulfur deposition and adsorption to high-H2S gas reservoirs,three types of natural cores with typical carbonate pore structures were selected for high-temperature and high-pressure core displacement experiments.Fine quantitative characterization of the cores in three steady states(original,after sulfur injection,and after gas flooding)was carried out using the nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR)transverse relaxation time spectrum and imaging,X-ray computer tomography(CT)of full-diameter cores,basic physical property testing,and field emission scanning electron microscopy imaging.The loss of pore volume caused by sulfur deposition and adsorption mainly comes from the medium and large pores with sizes bigger than 1000μm.Liquid sulfur has a stronger adsorption and deposition ability in smaller pore spaces,and causes greater damage to reservoirs with poor original pore structures.The pore structure of the three types of carbonate reservoirs shows multiple fractal characteristics.The worse the pore structure,the greater the change of internal pore distribution caused by liquid sulfur deposition and adsorption,and the stronger the heterogeneity.Liquid sulfur deposition and adsorption change the pore size distribution,pore connectivity,and heterogeneity of the rock,which further changes the physical properties of the reservoir.After sulfur injection and gas flooding,the permeability of TypeⅠreservoirs with good physical properties decreased by 16%,and that of TypesⅡandⅢreservoirs with poor physical properties decreased by 90%or more,suggesting an extremely high damage.This indicates that the worse the initial physical properties,the greater the damage of liquid sulfur deposition and adsorption.Liquid sulfur is adsorbed and deposited in different types of pore space in the forms of flocculence,cobweb,or retinitis,causing different changes in the pore structure and physical property of the reservoir.

Time-dependent model for two-phase flow in ultra-high water-cut reservoirs:Time-varying permeability and relative permeability

For the ultra-high water-cut reservoirs,after long-term water injection exploitation,the physical properties of the reservoir change and the heterogeneity of the reservoir becomes increasingly severe,which further aggravates the spatial difference of the flow field.In this study,the displacement experiments were employed to investigate the variations in core permeability,porosity,and relative permeability after a large amount of water injection.A relative permeability endpoint model was proposed by utilizing the alternating conditional expectation(ACE)transformation to describe the variation in relative permeability based on the experimental data.Based on the time dependent models for permeability and relative permeability,the traditional oil-water two-phase model was improved and discretized using the mimetic finite difference method(MFD).The two cases were launched to confirm the validation of the proposed model.The impact of time-varying physical features on reservoir production performance was studied in a real water flooding reservoir.The experimental results indicate that the overall relative permeability curve shifts to the right as water injection increases.This shift corresponds to a transition towards a more hydrophilic wettability and a decrease in residual oil saturation.The endpoint model demonstrates excellent accuracy and can be applied to time-varying simulations of reservoir physics.The impact of variations in permeability and relative permeability on the reservoir production performance yields two distinct outcomes.The time-varying permeability of the reservoir results in intensified water channeling and poor development effects.On the other hand,the time-varying relative permeability enhances the oil phase seepage capacity,facilitating oil displacement.The comprehensive time-varying behavior is the result of the combined influence of these two parameters,which closely resemble the actual conditions observed in oil field exploitation.The time-varying simulation technique of reservoir physical properties proposed in this paper can continuously and stably characterize the dynamic changes of reservoir physical properties during water drive development.This approach ensures the reliability of the simulation results regarding residual oil distribution.

Improved reservoir characterization by means of supervised machine learning and model-based seismic impedance inversion in the Penobscot field,Scotian Basin

The present research work attempted to delineate and characterize the reservoir facies from the Dawson Canyon Formation in the Penobscot field,Scotian Basin.An integrated study of instantaneous frequency,P-impedance,volume of clay and neutron-porosity attributes,and structural framework was done to unravel the Late Cretaceous depositional system and reservoir facies distribution patterns within the study area.Fault strikes were found in the EW and NEE-SWW directions indicating the dominant course of tectonic activities during the Late Cretaceous period in the region.P-impedance was estimated using model-based seismic inversion.Petrophysical properties such as the neutron porosity(NPHI)and volume of clay(VCL)were estimated using the multilayer perceptron neural network with high accuracy.Comparatively,a combination of low instantaneous frequency(15-30 Hz),moderate to high impedance(7000-9500 gm/cc*m/s),low neutron porosity(27%-40%)and low volume of clay(40%-60%),suggests fair-to-good sandstone development in the Dawson Canyon Formation.After calibration with the welllog data,it is found that further lowering in these attribute responses signifies the clean sandstone facies possibly containing hydrocarbons.The present study suggests that the shale lithofacies dominates the Late Cretaceous deposition(Dawson Canyon Formation)in the Penobscot field,Scotian Basin.Major faults and overlying shale facies provide structural and stratigraphic seals and act as a suitable hydrocarbon entrapment mechanism in the Dawson Canyon Formation's reservoirs.The present research advocates the integrated analysis of multi-attributes estimated using different methods to minimize the risk involved in hydrocarbon exploration.

Coalbed Methane-bearing Characteristics and Reservoir Physical Properties of Principal Target Areas in North China

The coalbed methane (CBM) resources in North China amounts up to 60% of total resources in China. North China is the most important CBM accumulation area in China. The coal beds of the Upper Paleozoic Taiyuan and Shanxi formations have a stable distribution. The coal reservoir of target areas such as Jincheng, Yanquan-Shouyang, Hancheng, Liulin, etc. have good CBM-bearing characteristics, high permeability and appropriate reservoir pressure, and these areas are the preferred target areas of CBM developing in China. The coal reservoirs of Wupu, Sanjiaobei, Lu'an, Xinmi, Anyang-Hebi, Jiaozuo, Xinggong and Huainan also have as good CBM-bearing characteristics, but the physical properties of coal reservoirs vary observably. So, further work should be taken to search for districts with high pressure, high permeability and good CBM-bearing characteristics. Crustal stresses have severe influence on the permeability of coal reservoirs in North China. From west to east, the crustal stress gradient increases, while the coal reservoirs permeability decreases.

Effect of freeze-thaw cycles on soil engineering properties of reservoir bank slopes at the northern foot of Tianshan Mountain

The instability of soil bank slopes induced by freeze-thaw cycles at the northern foot of Tianshan Mountain is very common.The failure not only caused a large amount of soil erosion,but also led to serious reservoir sedimentation and water quality degradation,which exerted a lot of adverse effects on agricultural production in the local irrigation areas.Based on field investigations on dozens of irrigation reservoirs there,laboratory tests were carried out to quantitatively analyze the freeze-thaw effect on the soil engineering characteristics to reveal the facilitation on the bank slope instability.The results show that the softening characteristics of the stressstrain curves gradually weaken,the effective cohesions decline exponentially,the seepage coefficients enlarge,and the thermal conductivities decrease after 7 freeze-thaw cycles.The freeze-thaw effect on the specimens with low confining pressures,low dry densities and high water contents is more significant.The water migration and the phase transition between water and ice result in the variations of the soil internal microstructures,which is the main factor affecting the soil engineering characteristics.Sufficient water supply and the alternation of positive and negative temperatures at the reservoir bank slopes in cold regions make the water migration and phase transition in the soil very intensely.It is easy to form a large number of pores and micro cracks in the soil freezing and thawing areas.The volume changes of the soil and the water migration are difficult to reach a dynamic balance in the open system.Long-term freeze-thaw cycles will bring out the fragmentation of the soil particles,resulting in that the micro cracks on the soil surfaces are developing continuously.The soil of the bank slopes will fall or collapse when these cracks penetrate,which often happens in winter there.

Experimental investigation of changes in petrophysical properties and structural deformation of carbonate reservoirs

To examine the effect of pressure on pore structure and petrophysical properties of carbonate rock, the porosity, permeability, CT scanning, SEM and elastic wave velocity of two carbonate core plug samples from an oilfield in Southwest Iran were analyzed under cyclic pressure. One of the plugs was calcite and the other was dolomite with anhydrite nodules. The cyclic pressure exerted on the samples increased from 13.79 MPa to 27.58 MPa in six steps, and the variations in petrophysical properties of the two samples at different pressure loading and unloading steps were counted and analyzed. The results show that the calcite sample decreases in porosity and permeability with the increase of pressure, which is consistent with the results from compression and shear wave velocity tests. In the dolomite sample, the decreasing trend was not observed;fluctuations of compressive and shear velocities were observed during the loading stage, which may be due to different geometries of the pores and the porosity variation in the sample. Understanding the variation of carbonate petrophysical properties with pressure is helpful for optimizing reservoir development scheme.

Three-dimensional analysis of a faulted CO2 reservoir using an Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach to rock elastic properties and fault permeability

This work develops a three-dimensional(3D) multiscale model to analyze a complex carbon dioxide(CO_2) faulted reservoir that includes some key geologic features of the San Andreas and nearby faults southwest of the Kimberlina site.The model uses the STOMP-CO2 code for flow modeling that is coupled to the ABAQUS~ finite element package for geomechanical analysis.A 3D ABAQUS~ finite element model is developed that contains a large number of 3D solid elements with two nearly parallel faults whose damage zones and cores are discretized using the same continuum elements.Five zones with different mineral compositions are considered:shale,sandstone,fault damaged sandstone,fault damaged shale,and fault core.Rocks' elastic properties that govern their poroelastic behavior are modeled by an Eshelby-Mori-Tanaka approach(EMTA).which can account for up to 15 mineral phases.The permeability of fault damage zones affected by crack density and orientations is also predicted by an EMTA formulation.A STOMP-CO2 grid that exactly maps the ABAQUS~ finite element model is built for coupled hydromechanical analyses.Simulations of the reservoir assuming three different crack pattern situations(including crack volume fraction and orientation) for the fault damage zones are performed to predict the potential leakage of CO_2 due to cracks that enhance the permeability of the fault damage zones.The results illustrate the important effect of the crack orientation on fault permeability that can lead to substantial leakage along the fault attained by the expansion of the CO_2 plume.Potential hydraulic fracture and tendency for the faults to slip are also examined and discussed in terms of stress distributions and geomechanical properties.

Influence of Bedding and Mineral Composition on Mechanical Properties and Its Implication for Hydraulic Fracturing of Shale Oil Reservoirs

The premise of hydraulic fracturing is to have an accurate and detailed understanding of the rock mechanical properties and fracture propagation law of shale reservoirs. In this paper,a comprehensive evaluation of the mechanical properties of the shale oil reservoir in the south of Songliao Basin is carried out. Based on the experiments and the in-situ stress analysis, the fracture propagation law of three types of shale reservoirs is obtained,and the suggestions for fracturing are put forward. The results have shown that the fracture propagation of pure shale and low mature reservoir is easy to open along the bedding plane under compression loading,which is greatly influenced by the bedding. Sand-bearing shale is slightly better,the fractures of which are not easy to open along the bedding plane. The mechanical experimental results show that all the samples have the characteristics of low compressive strength,low Young’s modulus and strong anisotropy,indicating that the shale oil reservoir is certain plastic,which is related to its high clay mineral content and controlled by the bedding development. Compared with pure shale and low mature shale,the sandbearing shale has less clay content and less developed bedding,which maybe the main reason for its slightly better brittleness. Overall,the expansion of hydraulic fracture is controlled by in-situ stress and bedding. Because of the development of bedding,it is easy to form horizontal fractures. Thus it is not suitable for horizontal well fracturing.Because of the high content of clay minerals,the applicability of conventional slick hydraulic fracturing fluid is poor. It is suggested to use vertical well or directional well to carry out volume fracturing. In this way,the effect of bedding can be effectively used to open and connect the bedding and form a larger fracture network.

Physical property characteristics of Yanchang Formation reservoir in the southwest of Ordos Basin and their controlling fac-tors： taking Chang 3 and Chang 4 ＋ 5 reservoirs in Longdong area as an example

分析鄂尔多斯盆地西南部陇东地区延长组储层物性特征及其控制因素，发现沉积和成岩控制储层物性。沉积微相带不同，储层物性就不同；成岩作用中压实-压溶作用、胶结作用对储层物性具有破坏作用，溶蚀作用是储层物性改善的关键因素。沉积微相带是控制油气藏储层展布的内在因素，成岩作用是储层形成过程中控制物性演化的外部因素。

Diageneses and Their Influences on Reservoir Properties of Chang 2 Oil Member in Renshan Region, Zhidan Oilfield, Ordos Basin

1 Introduction Yanchang Formation in Upper Triassic,Ordos basin contains the most abundant hydrocarbon resources in North China(Wang et al.,2014).The sandstones are the most important oil-bearing reservoirs in Yanchang

Laboratory insights into the effects of methane hydrate on the anisotropic joint elastic-electrical properties in fractured sandstones

Fractured hydrate-bearing reservoirs show significantly anisotropic geophysical properties. The joint application of seismic and electromagnetic explorations is expected to accurately assess hydrate resources in the fractured reservoirs. However, the anisotropic joint elastic-electrical properties in such reservoirs that are the key to the successful application of the joint explorations, remain poorly understood. To obtain such knowledge, we designed and implemented dedicated laboratory experiments to study the anisotropic joint elastic-electrical properties in fractured artificial silica sandstones (with fracture density of about 6.2%, porosity of approximately 25.7%, and mean grainsize of 0.089 mm) with evolving methane hydrate. The experimental results showed that the anisotropic compressional wave velocities respectively increased and decreased with the forming and dissociating hydrate, and the variation in the increasing trend and the decreasing extent of the velocity perpendicular to the fractures were more significant than that parallel to the fractures, respectively. The experimental results also showed that the overall decreasing trend of the electrical conductivity parallel to the fractures was steeper than that perpendicular to the fractures during hydrate formation, and the general variations of the two conductivities with complex trend were similar during hydrate dissociation. The variations in the elastic and electrical anisotropic parameters with forming and dissociating hydrate were also found to be distinct. Interpretation of the experimental results suggested that the hydrate binding to the grains evolved to bridge the surfaces of fractures when saturation exceeded 10% during hydrate formation, and the bridging hydrate gradually evolved to floating in fractures during dissociation. The experimental results further showed that the anisotropic velocities and electrical conductivities were correlated with approximately consistent trends of different slopes during hydrate formation, and the joint elastic-electrical anisotropic parameters exhibited a sharp peak at the hydrate saturation of about 10%. The results suggested that the anisotropic joint properties can be employed not only to accurately estimate hydrate saturation but also possibly to identify hydrate distribution in the fractures.

Simultaneous upscaling of two properties of reservoirs in one dimension using adaptive bandwidth in kernel function method

Upscaling of primary geological models with huge cells, especially in porous media, is the first step in fluid flow simulation. Numerical methods are often used to solve the models. The upscaling method must preserve the important properties of the spatial distribution of the reservoir properties. An grid upscaling method based on adaptive bandwidth in kernel function is proposed according to the spatial distribution of property. This type of upscaling reduces the number of cells, while preserves the main heterogeneity features of the original fine model. The key point of the paper is upscaling two reservoir properties simultaneously. For each reservoir feature, the amount of bandwidth or optimal threshold is calculated and the results of the upscaling are obtained. Then two approaches are used to upscaling two properties simultaneously based on maximum bandwidth and minimum bandwidth. In fact, we now have a finalized upscaled model for both reservoir properties for each approach in which not only the number of their cells, but also the locations of the cells are equal. The upscaling error of the minimum bandwidth approach is less than that of the maximum bandwidth approach.

Studies on the Inversion Phenomenon of Physical Properties Observed in the Huagang Formation Reservoir in the Xihu Sag Based on the Water-Rock Reaction Experiments

In the Xihu Sag,the reservoirs of the Paleogene Huagang formation have entered the middle diagenetic stage A and the rock physical properties of the water layer are considerably more suitable for the gas migration and storage than those of the present gas layer,indicating the inversion of the physical properties.In this study,core samples were collected from the corresponding reservoir to conduct water-rock reaction experiments in acidic,alkaline,and neutral systems under the specific temperature and pressure.The reasons for the inversion of physical properties were investigated based on the experiment results in reservoir diagenetic environments.The inversion of physical properties can be attributed to the fact that the diagenetic environment around the gas-water interface controls the water-rock reaction effect.With different types of acidic substances,two different situations corresponding to inverted physical properties were analyzed along with the corresponding mechanisms.When the pore fluid is acidic,the physical properties make the overall water layer a better reservoir space than the gas layer,which can be referred to as the overall inversion of physical properties.When the fluid were generally neutral or weakly alkaline and the gas layer was rich in CO2,only the physical properties of the water layer adjacent to the gas-water interface were more favorable for the gas migration than those of the gas layer.This phenomenon can be referred to as the near-interface inversion of physical properties.

Flocculation properties of cohesive fine-grained sediment in the Three Gorges Reservoir under variable turbulent shear

Sediment flocculation is a key process for the deposition of fine-grained sediments in the Three Gorges Reservoir(TGR)of China.Sediment flocculation influences the evolution of the river regime,but also hampers the smooth navigation in the long term.However,the flocculation process and its controlling factors are poorly understood.We experimentally determined the flocculation properties of cohesive sediment of samples from the TGR(predominantly a mixture of clay and silt)over a range of turbulent shear rates and sediment concentrations.The experiments were conducted in an almost isotropic turbulence field,which was simulated by an array of horizontal oscillating grids in a water tank.Sediment flocculation was recorded by a camera and investigated by image analysis.Our new data indicate that flocculation is generally a response in equilibrium median floc size(d_(f,50))to the increase of the shear rate G.The peak value is attained at G=16.5 s^(-1),where d_(f,50) is 81.3μm(for the suspended sediment concentration(ssc)=0.4 g/L)and 107μm(for ssc=0.7 g/L),respectively.At low shear rates(G<16.5 s^(-1)),the equilibrium floc sizes d_(f,50) increase with rising shear rate G and isinversely related to the Kolmogorov micro length scale η.We attribute this variability to an insufficient deposition time of the sediment flocs in the water tank.Settling velocities,calculated from our experimental data of the floc sizes,are almost consistent with in-situ measured settling velocities,and are ten times larger than the terminal settling velocity of primary particles as calculated from Stokes'law.

Evaluation of the Influence of Shale on the Petrophysical Properties of Hydrocarbon-Bearing Reservoir Sand in “CAC” Field in the Niger Delta, Nigeria

This study aims at evaluating the influence of the presence of shale on the quality of reservoir sand in “CAC-Field”, Coastal swamp Niger Delta by integrating suites of well logs and 3D pre-stack seismic data. Shales in the reservoir pose interpretation challenges as they form baffles to fluid flow and reduce effective porosity. The data used included well logs (density, gamma ray, neutron, resistivity) and 3D seismic data. Petrel and Interactive Petrophysics software were adopted for the analyses. The Vclay/effective porosity cross-plots were used to determine the clay distribution patterns hence the influence of shale on the petrophysical properties of the hydrocarbon reservoir. Result of the well correlation yielded 12 reservoirs with 4 (RES 4 - RES 7) being hydrocarbon bearing and laterally continuous across the 4 wells, (CAC-1 - CAC-4) forming the focus of the study. Evidence of an NW-SE trending delta progradation in the CAC field is represented by the increasing sandiness downdip, at both intermediate and the shallow horizons. Thickening of the reservoir in some instances may be structurally controlled due to faulting. The results from the petrophysical evaluation show Vclay ranges of 13% - 21% and good to very good porosity values that vary from 15% - 25%. The permeability range from 240.49 - 2406.49 mD except for the sands in RES 7, CAC-3 well where the permeability was low (91 mD). Additionally, the Vclay/Effective Porosity cross-plots indicate essentially laminated and structural clay types with few dispersed clay in RES 7, CAC-3 well. The existence of these 3 clay types did not significantly influence the quality of the sands containing the hydrocarbon in the area, except in RES 7, CAC-3. The compartmentalizing effect of the laminated clay/shale could only possibly affect the vertical flow due to possible baffles to the vertical flow, but the horizontal flow may not have been impeded significantly. The study of the type and pattern of clay has helped to better evaluate the quality and mobility trend of the hydrocarbon in the CAC field.

The influence of bioturbation on sandy reservoirs: the delta front sand of the lower Zhujiang Formation, Baiyun Depression, Zhujiang River Mouth Basin

Ichnofossils are well developed in clastic rock reservoirs in marine and transitional facies, which can considerably change the physical properties of the reservoir. However, this influence is not well understood, raising an important problem in the effective development of petroleum reservoirs. This paper analyzes continental shelf margin delta reservoirs through core observation, cast thin section observation and reservoir physical property test. Some important scientific insights are obtained:(1) The presence of Cruziana ichnofacies, including Asterosoma, Ophiomorpha, Planolites, Skolithos, Thalassinoides, and other ichnofossils can be used to identify in subaqueous distributary channels, subaqueous levee, frontal sheet sand, abandoned river channels, crevasse channels, main channels and channel mouth bars. Considerable differences in the types of ichnofossils and the degree of bioturbation can be observed in the different petrofacies.(2) Ichnofossils and bioturbation play a complex role in controlling reservoir properties. The reservoir physical properties have the characteristics of a decrease–increase–decrease curve with increasing bioturbation degree. This complex change is controlled by the sediment mixing and packing of bioturbation and the diagenetic environment controlled by the ichnofossils.(3) Sea-level cycle changes affect the modification of the reservoir through sediment packing. Bioturbation weakens the reservoir's physical property when sea level slowly rises and improves the reservoir's physical property when base level slowly falls.

Degradation of chemical and mechanical properties of cements with different formulations in CO_(2)-containing HTHP downhole environment

The increasing energy demand has pushed oil and gas exploration and development limits to extremely challenging and harsher HTHP (High Temperature and High Pressure) environments. Maintaining wellbore integrity in these environments, particularly in HPHT reservoirs with corrosive gases, presents a significant challenge. Robust risk evaluation and mitigation strategies are required to address these reservoirs' safety, economic, and environmental uncertainties. This study investigates chemo-mechanical properties degradations of class G oil well cement blended with silica fume, liquid silica, and latex when exposed to high temperature (150 °C) and high partial pressure of CO_(2) saturated brine. The result shows that these admixtures surround the cement grains and fill the interstitial spaces between the cement particles to form a dense crystal system of C–S–H. Consequently, the cement's percentage of pore voids, permeability, and the content of alkali compounds reduce, resulting in increased resistance to CO_(2) corrosion. Liquid silica, a specially prepared silica suspension, is a more effective alternative to silica fume in protecting oil well cement against CO_(2) chemical degradation. Micro-indentation analysis shows a significant deterioration in the mechanical properties of the cement, including average elastic modulus and hardness, particularly in the outer zones in direct contact with corrosive fluids. This study highlights the significance of incorporating admixtures to mitigate the effects of CO_(2) corrosion in HPHT environments and provides a valuable technique for quantitatively evaluating the mechanical-chemical degradation of cement sheath.

Physical characteristics of high concentrated gas hydrate reservoir in the Shenhu production test area,South China Sea

High concentrated and heterogeneous distribution of gas hydrates have been identified in the gas hydrate production test region in the Shenhu area,South China Sea.The gas hydrate-bearing sediments with high saturation locate at two ridges of submarine canyon with different thickness and saturations just above the bottom simulating reflection.The crossplots of gamma ray,acoustic impedance(P-impedance)and porosity at four sites show that the sediments can be divided into the upper and lower layers at different depths,indicating different geotechnical reservoir properties.Therefore,the depositional environments and physical properties at two ridges are analyzed and compared to show the different characteristics of hydrate reservoir.High porosity,high P-wave velocity,and coarse grain size indicate better reservoir quality and higher energy depositional environment for gas hydrate at Sites W18 and W19 than those at Sites W11 and W17.Our interpretation is that the base of canyon deposits at Sites W18 and W19 characterized by upward-coarsening units may be turbidity sand layers,thus significantly improving the reservoir quality with increasing gas hydrate saturation.The shelf and slope sliding deposits compose of the fine-grained sediments at Sites W11 and W17.The gas hydrate production test sites were conducted at the ridge of W11 and W17,mainly because of the thicker and larger area of gas hydrate-bearing reservoirs than those at Sites W18 and W19.All the results provide useful insights for assessing reservoir quality in the Shenhu area.