Reservoir Characteristics and Preservation Conditions of Longmaxi Shale in the Upper Yangtze Block, South China

The Upper Ordovician-Lower Silurian Longmaxi Shale in the Upper Yangtze block represents one of the most important shale gas plays in China. The shale composition, porosity, organic thermal maturity, and methane sorption were investigated at the Qilongcun section in the Dingshan area, southeastern Sichuan Basin. The results show that the Upper Ordovician-Lower Silurian Longmaxi Shale contains： （1） sapropelic I organic matter; （2） a 40-m thick bedded sequence where total organic carbon （TOC） content is 〉 2%; （3） a 30-m thick layer at the base of the Longmaxi Shale with a brittle mineral content higher than 50%; and （4） a mean methane adsorption capacity of 1.80 cm3/g （7 MPa pressure）. A positive correlation between TOC and sorbed gas indicates that organic matter content exerts an important control on methane storage capacity. Based on the analysis of the shale reservoir characteristics, the lower member of the Longmaxi Shale can thus be considered a favorable stratum for shale gas exploration and exploitation. It has similar reservoir characteristics with the Longmaxi Shale in the Jiaoshiba area tested with a high-yield industrial gas flow. However, based on tectonic analysis, differences in the level of industrial gas flow between the low-yield study area and the high-yield Jiaoshiba area may result from different tectonic preservation conditions. Evidence from these studies indicates the shale gas potential of the Longmaxi Shale is constrained by the reservoir and preservation conditions.

Research on paleo-fluid sources and hydrocarbon preservation conditions in marine carbonates inthe central Yangtze,China

^87Sr/^86Sr, δ^18O and δ^13C ratios of calcite, dolomite, gypsum filling vugs and fissures in marine carbonates and their host rocks from the Sinian to the middle Triassic, are employed to trace the possible source and migration path of key fluids related to development of hydrocarbon, hydrocarbon preservation condition are then discussed further. Comprehensive research, based on the paleo-fluid, the property of formation water and the deformation intensity etc., indicates that the preservation conditions in the Shizhu synclinorium zone and Fangdoushan anticlinorium zone are the most predominant in the central Yangtze. Three sets of fluid systems in the Shizhu synclinorium zone are identified. Little fluid exchange occurs between the upper-middle fluid system and the lower fluid system, so two independent preservation units have developed. Both the Permian and the Triassic in the upper preservation units and the Dengying Formation of the Sinian and the lower Cambrian in the lower preservation units have good preservation conditions. The preservation condition in the lower association （Z-S） located in the Huaguoping synclinorium zone in the western Hubei and Hunan is better than that in other tectonic units, where the fluids in the lower association migrated vertically across strata when the fluid isolating intervals were destroyed, the regional seals are absent and the conditions for the preservation of hydrocarbon accumulations are totally destroyed. The preservation condition is increasingly more favorable from the western Jiangxi and Hunan to the western Hubei ＆ eastern Chongqing on the whole.

Carbon isotope evidence for shale gas preservation conditions and large methane release over million years:A case study of shale gas reservoirs of Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations in the Sichuan Basin

Although carbon isotope reversal and its reasons in shale gas reservoirs have been widely recognized,the application of the reversal is yet to be investigated.A study on high-maturity shale from Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations in the Sichuan Basin not only reveals the relationship between the degree of isotopes inversion and the production capacity(e.g.,estimated ultimate recovery(EUR))of the gas well but also indicates the preservation conditions of shale gas reservoirs.(1)Although there are differences in gas isotopes in different shale gas reservoirs,the isotope fractionation of shale gas is small during the production stage of gas wells,even when the wellbore pressure drops to zero.The main cause of the difference in carbon isotopes and their inversion degree can be the uplift time during the Yanshan period and the formation pressure relief degree of shale gas reservoirs in distinct structural positions.Thus,carbon isotope inversion is a good indicator of shale gas preservation condition and EUR of shale gas wells.(2)The degree of carbon isotope inversion correlates strongly with shale gas content and EUR.The calculation formula of shale-gas recoverable reserves was established using△δ^(13)C(δC_(1)-δC_(2))and EUR.(3)The gas loss rate and total loss amount can be estimated using the dynamic reserves and isotopic difference values of gas wells in various shale gas fields,which also reflects the current methane loss,thereby demonstrating great potential for evaluating global methane loss in shales.

Fluid Geochemical Features and Preservation Conditions of Marine Stratum in Typical Structure of Jianghan Plain Area

Many scholars carried out large quantity of researches on oil and gas preservative condi-tions of marine carbonate rocks from the aspects of cap rocks,faults,formation water,hydrodynamic,and tectonism.This article gives dynamic evaluation on oil and gas preservative conditions of marine stratum in Jianghan（江汉） plain of multiphase tectonic disturbance from the view of paleofluid geo-chemistry.The conclusion shows that there mainly existed fluid filling of two periods in the reservoir of Lower-Middle Triassic to Permian.The fluid filled in the earlier period came from Lower Palaeozoic.The interchange of fluid in Lower-Middle Triassic to Permian suggested the oil and gas in Lower Pa-laeozoic had been broken up.The fluid filled in the later period（Lower-Middle Triassic to Permian） came from the same or adjacent strata and lacked anatectic fluidogenous features coming from Palaeozoic.With good preservative conditions of bulk fluid at the time,the fluid of Lower-Middle Triassic to Permian and that of Lower Palaeozoic did not connect with each other.However,the hydrocarbon generation peak of marine source rocks had passed or the paleo-oil and gas reser-voirs had been destroyed at that time and the marine stratum of Palaeozoic to Triassic in the research area did not put out commercial oil and gas flow.

Tectonic evolution of the Huangling dome and its control effect on shale gas preservation in the north margin of the Yangtze Block, South China

Significant breakthroughs of shale gas exploration have been made in Lower Cambrian and Sinian shale in the north margin of the Yangtze Block,South China.The drill wells with industrial gas flow located in the southern margin of the Huangling dome.Base on the geological survey,2D seismic,geochronological and drill wells data,the tectonic evolution history of Huangling dome was studied,and its control effect on the preservation condition of shale gas was discussed.The result shows that the Huangling dome might undergo four tectonic stages:(1)About 800 Ma,granite intrusion in the Huangling dome basement,primarily of granites replaced metamorphism rocks;(2)800-200 Ma,no significant tectonic movement with slowly buried history;(3)From 200 Ma,multi-phase uplift and the sedimentary rocks was eroded in the core of the Huangling dome.Shale gas in the Cambrian and Sinian strata was well preserved in the margin of the Huangling dome as the following reasons:(1)The Sinian shale was buried about 7.8 km indepth during Middle Jurassic,source rocks have a suitable thermal maturity for shale gas;(2)The rigid basement of the Huangling dome was mainly composed by homogeneity granite,without intensive deformation.As the main challenges of the widely distributed Lower Cambrian and Sinian shale are highmaturity and intensive deformation,a geological unit with a dome probably is a favorable zone for the old age shale gas.Therefore,it indicates that the adjacent zone of the Xuefengshan,Shennongjia and Hannan are the geological units with a dome and probably have potentials for the exploration of shale in the Lower Cambrian and Sinian.

Study of the relationship between fractures and highly productive shale gas zones, Longmaxi Formation, Jiaoshiba area in eastern Sichuan

Shale fractures are an important factor controlling shale gas enrichment and high-productivity zones in the Longmaxi Formation, Jiaoshiba area in eastern Sichuan. Drilling results have, however, shown that the shale fracture density does not have a straightforward correlation with shale gas productivity. Based on logging data, drilling and seismic data, the relationship between shale fracture and shale gas accumulation is investigated by integrating the results of experiments and geophysical methods. The following conclusions have been drawn：（1） Tracer diffusion tests indicate that zones of fracture act as favorable channels for shale gas migration and high-angle fractures promote gas accumulation.（2） Based on the result of azimuthal anisotropy prediction, a fracture system with anisotropy strength values between 1 and 1.15 represents a moderate development of high-angle fractures, which is considered to be favorable for shale gas accumulation and high productivity, while fracture systems with anisotropy strength values larger than 1.15 indicate over-development of shale fracture, which may result in the destruction of the shale reservoir preservation conditions.

The main controlling factors and developmental models of Oligocene source rocks in the Qiongdongnan Basin,northern South China Sea

Coals developed in the Oligocene Yacheng and Lingshui formations in the Qiongdongnan Basin have high organic matter abundance, and the dark mudstones in the two formations have reached a good source rock standard but with strong heterogeneity. Through the analysis of trace elements, organic macerals and biomarkers, it is indicated that plankton has made little contribution to Oligocene source rocks compared with the terrestrial higher plants. The organic matter preservation depends on hydrodynamics and the redox environment, and the former is the major factor in the study area. During the sedimentary period of the Yacheng Formation, tidal flats were developed in the central uplift zone, where the hydrodynamic conditions were weak and the input of terrestrial organic matter was abundant. So the Yacheng Salient of the central uplift zone is the most favorable area for the development of source rocks, followed by the central depression zone. During the sedimentary period of the Lingshui Formation, the organic matter input was sufficient in the central depression zone due to multiple sources of sediments. The semi-enclosed environment was favorable for organic matter accumulation, so high quality source rocks could be easily formed in this area, followed by the Yacheng salient of central uplift zone. Source rocks were less developed in the northern depression zone owing to poor preservation conditions,

Distribution characteristics, exploration and development, geological theories research progress and exploration directions of shale gas in China

The shale gas resources in China have great potential and the geological resources of shale gas is over 100×10^(12)m^(3),which includes about 20×10^(12)m^(3) of recoverable resources.Organic-rich shales can be divided into three types according to their sedimentary environments,namely marine,marine-continental transitional,and continental shales,which are distributed in 13 stratigraphic systems from the Mesoproterozoic to the Cenozoic.The Sichuan Basin and its surrounding areas have the highest geological resources of shale gas,and the commercial development of shale gas has been achieved in the Upper Ordovician Wufeng Formation-Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation in these areas,with a shale gas production of up to 20×10^(9)m^(3) in 2020.China has seen rapid shale gas exploration and development over the last five years,successively achieving breakthroughs and important findings in many areas and strata.The details are as follows.(1)Large-scale development of middle-shallow shale gas(burial depth:less than 3500 m)has been realized,with the productivity having rapidly increased;(2)breakthroughs have been constantly made in the development of deep shale gas(burial depth:3500-4500 m),and the ultradeep shale gas(burial depth:greater than 4500 m)is under testing;(3)breakthroughs have been made in the development of normal-pressure shale gas,and the assessment of the shale gas in complex tectonic areas is being accelerated;(4)shale gas has been frequently discovered in new areas and new strata,exhibiting a great prospect.Based on the exploration and development practice,three aspects of consensus have been gradually reached on the research progress in the geological theories of shale gas achieved in China.(1)in terms of deep-water fine-grained sediments,organic-rich shales are the base for the formation of shale gas;(2)in terms of high-quality reservoirs,the development of micro-nano organic matter-hosted pores serves as the core of shale gas accumulation;(3)in terms of preservation conditions,weak structural transformation,a moderate degree of thermal evolution,and a high pressure coefficient are the key to shale gas enrichment.As a type of important low-carbon fossil energy,shale gas will play an increasingly important role in achieving the strategic goals of peak carbon dioxide emissions and carbon neutrality.Based on the in-depth study of shale gas geological conditions and current exploration progress,three important directions for shale gas exploration in China in the next five years are put forward.

Structural deformation and fluid flow from East Sichuan to the northwestern periphery of the Xuefeng Uplift,China

Hydrocarbon preservation conditions have restricted exploration in the Middle and Upper Yangtze,and structural deformation and fluid activity have played an important role in the origin and preservation of oil and gas.In order to study that how the deformation and fluid activity impact the hydrocarbon preservation,we did some field work and collected some calcite vein samples for analysis of deformation periods using acoustic emission and fluid inclusions.Combined with previous studies,the strata distribution,tectonic deformation and fluid characteristics show that there are three structural belts in the study area：East Sichuan,West Hunan and Hubei and the northwestern periphery of the Xuefeng Uplift,and that their tectonic deformation style,fluid inclusion characteristics and hydrocarbon preservation are different.The breakthrough thrusts were well developed in the anticline core,and a lot of hydrocarbon inclusions were found in calcite veins around the thrusts in East Sichuan.The breakthrough thrusts were only in the syncline core in West Hunan and Hubei,and the brine inclusions did not contain hydrocarbon in calcite veins around the thrusts.Many breakthrough thrusts were found in the northwestern periphery of the Xuefeng Uplift,where there were only rare calcite veins.The deformation and hydrocarbon inclusion indicated that when there was no fault breakthrough in East Sichuan,the Paleozoic covered by the Triassic regional cap was good for hydrocarbon preservation.The strata above the Lower Paleozoic were denuded,and lots of brine inclusions and deep infiltration of surface water were found in the West Hunan and Hubei,so only the part of the syncline area with a well developed Silurian regional cap had good preservation conditions.Intense tectonic movements and denudation were widely developed in the northwestern periphery of the Xuefeng Uplift,where there were only paleo-reservoirs,non-hydrocarbon fluid activity and poor preservation conditions.

Research on in-situ condition preserved coring and testing systems

As shallow resources are increasingly depleted,the mechanics'theory and testing technology of deep insitu rock has become urgent.Traditional coring technologies obtain rock samples without retaining the in-situ environmental conditions,leading to distortion of the measured parameters.Herein,a coring and testing systems retaining in-situ geological conditions is presented:the coring system that obtains in-situ rock samples,and the transfer and testing system that stores and analyzes the rocks under a reconstructed environment.The ICP-Coring system mainly consists of the pressure controller,active insulated core reactor and insulation layer and sealing film.The ultimate bearing strength of 100 MPa for pressurepreservation,temperature control accuracy of 0.97%for temperature-retained are realized.CH_(4)and CO permeability of the optimized sealing film are as low as 3.85 and 0.33 ppm/min.The average tensile elongation of the film is 152.4%and the light transmittance is reduced to 0%.Additionally,the pressure and steady-state temperature accuracy for reconstructing the in-situ environment of transfer and storage system up to 1%and±0.2 is achieved.The error recorded of the noncontact sensor ring made of lowdensity polymer is less than 6%than that of the contact test.The system can provide technical support for the deep in-situ rock mechanics research,improving deep resource acquisition capabilities and further clarifying deep-earth processes.

Formation condition of deep gas reservoirs in tight sandstones in Kuqa Foreland Basin

Due to the high expense of deep oil and gas exploration,prediction of gas-bearing properties before drilling is crucial for deep gas reservoir of tight sandstone.Deep tight sandstone gas fields in Kuqa Foreland Basin are characterized by high abundance,high gas saturation,high pressure,high and stable yield,which belong to high-efficiency tight gas reservoir.Based on theoretical analysis of controlling factors and mechanisms of gas-bearing properties for tight sandstone gas reservoir,and taking tight sandstone gas fields with high effectiveness such as Dibei,Keshen and Dibei gas fields in Kuqa Foreland Basin as examples,formation condition and mechanism of high-efficiency tight sandstone gas reservoir in Kuqa area are studied through a comparative analysis of typical tight sandstone gas reservoir in Sichuan Basin and Ordos Basin.The results show that the formation condition of deep gas reservoir of tight sandstone in Kuqa foreland basin includes four factors:i.e.,overpressure gas charging,fracture development,“early-oil and late-gas”accumulation process and favorable preservation condition.The overpressure gas charging and fracture development are the most important factors for formation of high-efficiency tight gas reservoirs in Kuqa Foreland Basin.High-quality source rocks,high sourcereservoir pressure difference,and overpressure filling induced thereby are preconditions for formation of tight sandstone with high gas saturation.The fracture development controls gas migration,accumulation,and high yield of tight sandstone gas reservoir.The reservoir wettability changed by the early oil charging is beneficial to late natural gas charging,and the preservation condition of high-quality gypsum cap rocks is the key factor for gas reservoirs to maintain overpressure and high gas saturation.Matching of above four favorable factors leads to the tight sandstone gas reservoir with high abundance,high gas saturation and high gas production in Kuqa Foreland Basin,which is very different from other basins.Under the condition of little difference in physical property of tight sandstone reservoir,excessive source-reservoir pressure difference,facture development,preservation condition and current formation overpressure are the most significant factors to be considered in exploration and evaluation of deep tight sandstone gas.

Formation characteristics and resource potential of Jurassic tight oil in Sichuan Basin

Through test analysis of large amount of cores,rock fragments and crude oil samples,and in combination with dynamic data of production from 456 oil wells,hydrocarbon generation potentials of four major source rocks and accumulation characteristics of three major pay layers in the Jurassic of Sichun Basin were well investigated.Results indicated that source rocks in the Lianggaoshan Formation,the Da'anzhai Member and the Dongyuemiao Member mainly generated oil,and those in the Zhenzhuchong Member dominantly generated gas;the organic-rich source rocks controlled distribution of sweet spots of tight oil,and most industrial oil wells were located at the area with high-quality source rocks(TOC>1.2%);and micron-sized pore throats were effective storage space,and fractures played a key role in initial high yield.Jurassic tight oil in the Sichuan Basin was characterized by light oil,high gas-oil ratio and abnormal high pressure,which were favorable for tight oil flow and output.Four methods(i.e.,small bin method,resource abundance analogy method,EUR analogy method and total organic carbon method)were used to estimate Jurassic oil in-place in the Sichuan Basin which ranged from 2×10^(9) to 3×10^(9) t.Through analysis of main controlling factors of resource enrichment,the grading criteria were established for the evaluation of oil in-place in the Sichuan Basin.Through the small bin method,the oil in-place of Type I,Type II and Type III was 1.611×10^(9)t,0.477×10^(9)t and 0.289×10^(9)t,respectively.It was predicted that the largest exploration potential of the Da'anzhai Member was in the Nanchong-Suining area and the east of Liangping area,the most favorable exploration area of the Lianggaoshan Formation was in the Guang'anNanchong-Suining-Yilong area,and the good exploration prospect of the Dongyuemiao Member was in the south of the Guang'an-Suining area.

Petrologic and geochemical characteristics of high-quality saline lacustrine source rocks in western Qaidam Basin

The main oil source in western Qaidam Basin is the Paleogene saline lacustrine source rocks.Traditionally,it was considered that these source rocks were characterized by low abundance and poor type of organic matter as well as limited oil generation potential,but this poor source rock condition was very inconsistent with good hydrocarbon exploration results.A previous study has just confirmed that this area develops high-quality source rocks,which is of great significance for recognizing potential of hydrocarbon resource and consolidating confidence to search large and medium-sized oil and gas fields in western Qaidam Basin.Based on fine geochemical analysis of source rocks,petrology,element geochemistry and organic geochemistry are applied to discuss development conditions of high-quality source rocks in this area.The results showed that the saline lacustrine sediments in western Qaidam Basin were deposited in relatively shallow and quiet water with relatively high salinity and low nutrient content;influenced by the drought and cold climate,the terrigenous supply of fresh water was limited,and few aquatic organisms were developed.Good preservation condition is favorable for rapid preservation of oil generating biomass(such as aquatic organisms),to form source rocks rich in hydrogen element with high soluble organic matter content;but relatively lower paleo-productivity makes organic matter abundance lower than that in the eastern saline lacustrine basins.The semi-deep lake,with relatively low salinity and abundant nutrients,is the most favorable are for development of high-quality source rocks;the source rocks have large thickness in the sedimentary depression areas,but due to high water salinity and far away from the provenance area,the water stratification was obvious,so it have moderate to high organic matter abundance.