Depositional Environment and Lithofacies Analyses of Eocene Lacustrine Shale in the Bohai Bay Basin:Insights from Mineralogy and Elemental Geochemistry

The effect of various depositional parameters including paleoclimate,paleosalinity and provenance,on the depositional mechanism of lacustrine shale is very important in reconstructing the depositional environment.The classification of shale lithofacies and the interpretation of shale depositional environment are key features used in shale oil and gas exploration and development activity.The lower 3rd member of the Eocene Shahejie Formation(Es_(3)^(x)shale)was selected for this study,as one of the main prospective intervals for shale oil exploration and development in the intracratonic Bohai Bay Basin.Mineralogically,it is composed of quartz(avg.9.6%),calcite(avg.58.5%),dolomite(avg.7%),pyrite(avg.3.3%)and clay minerals(avg.20%).An advanced methodology(thin-section petrography,total organic carbon and total organic sulfur contents analysis,X-ray diffraction(XRD),X-ray fluorescence(XRF),field-emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM))was adopted to establish shale lithofacies and to interpret the depositional environment in the lacustrine basin.Six different types of lithofacies were recognized,based on mineral composition,total organic carbon(TOC)content and sedimentary structures.Various inorganic geochemical proxies(Rb/Sr,Ca/(Ca+Fe),Ti/Al,Al/Ca,Al/Ti,Zr/Rb)have been used to interpret and screen variations in depositional environmental parameters during the deposition of the Es_(3)^(x)shale.The experimental results indicate that the environment during the deposition of the Es_(3)^(x)shale was warm and humid with heightened salinities,moderate to limited detrital input,higher paleohydrodynamic settings and strong oxygen deficient(reducing)conditions.A comprehensive depositional model of the lacustrine shale was developed.The interpretations deduced from this research work are expected to not only expand the knowledge of shale lithofacies classification for lacustrine fine-grained rocks,but can also offer a theoretical foundation for lacustrine shale oil exploration and development.

Reservoir space and enrichment model of shale oil in the first member of Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation in the Changling Sag, southern Songliao Basin, NE China

The lithology, lithofacies, reservoir properties and shale oil enrichment model of the fine-grained sedimentary system in a lake basin with terrigenous clastics of large depression are studied taking the organic-rich shale in the first member of Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation(shortened as Qing 1 Member) in the Changling Sag, southern Songliao Basin as an example. A comprehensive analysis of mineralogy, thin section, test, log and drilling geologic data shows that lamellar shale with high TOC content of semi-deep lake to deep lake facies has higher hydrocarbon generation potential than the massive mudstone facies with medium TOC content, and has bedding-parallel fractures acting as effective reservoir space under over pressure. The sedimentary environments changing periodically and the undercurrent transport deposits in the outer delta front give rise to laminated shale area. The laminated shale with medium TOC content has higher hydrocarbon generation potential than the laminated shale with low TOC content, and the generated oil migrates a short distance to the sandy laminae to retain and accumulate in situ. Ultra-low permeability massive mudstone facies as the top and bottom seals, good preservation conditions, high pressure coefficient, and lamellar shale facies with high TOC are the conditions for "lamellation type" shale oil enrichment in some sequences and zones. The sequence and zone with laminated shale of medium TOC content in oil window and with micro-migration of expelled hydrocarbon are the condition for the enrichment of "lamination type" shale oil. The tight oil and "lamination type" shale oil are in contiguous distribution.

Sweet spot evaluation and exploration practice of lacustrine shale oil of the second member of Kongdian Formation in Cangdong sag, Bohai Bay Basin

Based on core,thin section,X-ray diffraction,rock pyrolysis,CT scanning,nuclear magnetic resonance and oil testing data,the macro and micro components,sedimentary structure characteristics,of Paleogene Kong 2 Member in Cangdong sag of Huanghua depression and evaluation standard and method of shale oil reservoir were studied to sort out the best shale sections for shale oil horizontal wells.According to the dominant rock type,rhythmic structure and logging curve characteristics,four types of shale lithofacies were identified,namely,thin-layered dolomitic shale,lamellar mixed shale,lamellar felsic shale,and bedded dolomitic shale,and the Kong 21 sub-member was divided into four quasi-sequences,PS1 to PS4.The PS1 shale has a porosity higher than 6%,clay content of less than 20%,and S1 of less than 4 mg/g;the PS2 shale has well-developed laminar structure,larger pore and throat size,better connectivity of pores and throats,high contents of TOC and movable hydrocarbon,S1 of over 4 mg/g,clay content of less than 20%,and porosity of more than 4%;PS3 shale has S1 value higher than 6 mg/g and clay content of 20%-30%,and porosity of less than 4%;and PS4 shale has lower TOC content and low oil content.Shale oil reservoir classification criterion based on five parameters,free hydrocarbon content S1,shale rhythmic structure,clay content,TOC and porosity,was established.The evaluation method of shale oil sweet spot by using the weighted five parameters,and the evaluation index EI were proposed.Through comprehensive analysis,it is concluded that PS2 is best in quality and thus the dual geological and engineering sweet spot of shale oil,PS3 and PS1 come next,the former is more geologic sweet spot,the latter more engineering sweet spot,and PS4 is the poorest.Several vertical and horizontal wells drilled in the PS2 and PS3 sweet spots obtained high oil production.Among them,Well 1701 H has produced stably for 623 days,with cumulative production of over 10000 tons,showing bright exploration prospects of Kong 2 Member shale oil.

Lithofacies and pore features of marine-continental transitional shale and gas enrichment conditions of favorable lithofacies:A case study of Permian Longtan Formation in the Lintanchang area,southeast of Sichuan Basin,SW China

In this work,the Permian Longtan marine-continental transitional shale in the southeast of Sichuan Basin was taken as study object.Through petrology and geochemical analysis,lithofacies types of the marine-continental transitional shale were classified,key controlling factors of physical properties and gas content of the different shale lithofacies were analyzed.The research results show that the Longtan Formation marine-continental transitional shale in the study area has four types of lithofacies,namely,organic-lean calcareous shale,organic-lean mixed shale,organic-lean argillaceous shale,and organic-rich argillaceous shale,among which the organic-rich argillaceous shale is the most favorable lithofacies of the study area.The pore types of different lithofacies vary significantly and the clay mineral-related pore is the dominant type of the pore system in the study area.The main controlling factor of the physical properties is clay mineral content,and the most important factor affecting gas content is TOC content.Compared with marine shale,the marine-continental transitional shale has low average values,wide distribution range,and strong heterogeneity in TOC content,porosity,and pore structure parameters,but still contains some favorable layers with high physical properties and gas contents.The organic-rich clay shale deposited in tidal flat-lagoon system is most likely to form shale gas sweet spots,so it should be paid more attention in shale gas exploration.

Nanoscale mechanical property variations concerning mineral composition and contact of marine shale

Mechanical properties of shales are key parameters influencing hydrocarbon production – impacting borehole stability, hydraulic fracture extension and microscale variations in in situ stress. We use Ordovician shale(Sichuan Basin, China) as a type-example to characterize variations in mineral particle properties at microscale including particle morphology, form of contact and spatial distribution via mineral liberation analysis(MLA) and scanning electron microscopy(SEM). Deformation-based constitutive models are then built using finite element methods to define the impact of various architectures of fracture and mineral distributions at nanometer scale on the deformation characteristics at macroscale.Relative compositions of siliceous, calcareous and clay mineral particles are shown to be the key factors influencing brittleness. Shales with similar mineral composition show a spectrum of equivalent medium mechanical properties due to differing particle morphology and mineral heterogeneity. The predominance of small particles and/or point-point contacts are conducive to brittle failure, in general, and especially so when quartz-rich. Fracture morphology, length and extent of filling all influence shale deformability. High aspect-ratio fractures concentrate stress at fracture tips and are conducive to extension, as when part-filled by carbonate minerals. As fracture spacing increases, stress transfer between adjacent fractures weakens, stress concentrations are amplified and fracture extension is favored. The higher the fractal dimension of the fracture and heterogeneity of the host the more pervasive the fractures. Moreover, when fractures extend, their potential for intersection and interconnection contributes to a reduction in strength and the promotion of brittle failure. Thus, these results provide important theoretical insights into the role of heterogeneity on the deformability and strength of shale reservoirs with practical implications for their stimulation and in the recovery of hydrocarbons from them.

Lithofacies distribution characteristics and its controlling factors of shale in Wufeng Formation-Member 1 of Longmaxi Formation in the Jiaoshiba area

It is essential to investigate shale lithofacies distribution and controlling factor of the shale for geological evaluation of shale gas exploration and development.Through comprehensive analysis of cores,thin sections,cathode luminescence,whole-rock X-ray diffraction,element capture spectroscopy,major/trace element and other data,three major types and eight sub-type shale lithofacies in the shale of Wufeng Formation-Member 1 of Longmaxi Formation in Jiaoshiba area are identified by the three-end-member method and shale lithological classification nomenclature,and the spatiotemporal distribution law and main development controlling factors of shale lithofacies are well studied.In the Jiaoshiba area,vertically,the marine shale develops siliceous shale,mixed shale and argillaceous shale from bottom to top.Besides,lateral distribution of the shale is different from north to south;the shale lithofacies in the north area changes rapidly,the mixed shale in the north area is much thicker than that in the south area,while the siliceous shale in the south area is relatively thicker.Difference in the shale lithofacies is controlled by special sedimentary geologic events;development of the siliceous shale is controlled by the Ordovician-Silurian global volcanic event to some extent,while the mixed shale is significantly influenced by effect of bottom current,and the argillaceous shale is mainly affected by supply of terrestrial clastic material.

Characterization of Organic-Rich Shales for Petroleum Exploration & Exploitation: A Review-Part 1: Bulk Properties, Multi-Scale Geometry and Gas Adsorption

Shales, the most abundant of sedimentary rocks, are valued as the source-rocks and seals to porous petroleum reservoirs. Over the past-twenty years, organic-rich shales have also emerged as valuable petroleum systems （reservoir, seal, and source rocks contained in the same for- mation）. As such they have become primary targets for petroleum exploration and exploitation. This Part 1 of a three-part review addresses the bulk properties, multi-scale geometry and gas adsorption characteristics of these diverse and complex rocks. Shales display extremely low permeability, and their porosity is also low, but multi-scale. Characterizing the geometry and interconnectivity of the pore-structure frameworks with the natural-fracture networks within shales is essential for establish- ing their petroleum exploitation potential. Organic-rich shales typically contain two distinct types of porosity： matrix porosity and fracture porosity. In addition to inter-granular porosity, the matrix po- rosity includes two types of mineral-hosted porosity： inorganic-mineral-hosted porosity （1P）; and, organic-matter-hosted （within the kerogen） porosity （OP）. Whereas, the fracture porosity and per- meability is crucial for petroleum production from shales, it is within the OP where, typically, much of the in-situ oil and gas resources resides, and from where it needs to be mobilized. OP increases signifi- cantly as shales become more thermally mature （i.e., within the gas generation zones）, and plays a key role in the ultimate recovery from shale-gas systems. Shales＇ methane sorption capacities （MSC） tends to be positively correlated with their total organic carbon content （TOC）, thermal maturation, and mi- cropore volume. Clay minerals also significantly influence key physical properties of shale related to fluid flow （permeability） and response to stress （fracability） that determine their prospectivity for pe- troleum exploitation. Clay minerals can also adsorb gas, some much better than others. The surface area of the pore structure of shales can be positively or negatively correlated with TOC content, de- pending upon mineralogy and thermal maturity, and can influence its gas adsorption capacity. Part 2 of this three-part review considers, in a separate article, the geochemistry and thermal maturity cha- racteristics of shale; whereas Part 3, addresses the geomechanical attributes of shales, including their complex wettability, adsorption, water imbibition and ＂fracability＂ characteristics. The objectives of this Part 1 of the review is to identify important distinguishing characteristics related to the bulk properties of the most-prospective, petroleum-rich shales.

Characterization of Organic-Rich Shales for Petroleum Exploration & Exploitation: A Review-Part 2: Geochemistry, Thermal Maturity, Isotopes and Biomarkers

As shale exploitation is still in its infancy outside North America much research effort is being channelled into various aspects of geochemical characterization of shales to identify the most prospective basins, formations and map their petroleum generation capabilities across local, regional and basin-wide scales. The measurement of total organic carbon, distinguishing and categorizing the kerogen types in terms oil-prone versus gas-prone, and using vitrinite reflectance and Rock-Eval data to estimate thermal maturity are standard practice in the industry and applied to samples from most wellbores drilled. It is the trends of stable isotopes ratios, particularly those of carbon, the wetness ra- tio （C1/~＇（C2＋C3））, and certain chemical biomarkers that have proved to be most informative about the status of shales as a petroleum system. These data make it possible to identify production ＂sweet- spots＂, discriminate oil-, gas-liquid- and gas-prone shales from kerogen compositions and thermal ma- turities. Rollovers and reversals of ethane and propane carbon isotope ratios are particularly indica- tive of high thermal maturity exposure of an organic-rich shale. Comparisons of hopane, strerane and terpane biomarkers with vitrinite reflectance （Ro） measurements of thermal maturity highlight dis- crepancies suggesting that Ro is not always a reliable indicator of thermal maturity. Major and trace element inorganic geochemistry data and ratios provides useful information regarding provenance, paleoenvironments, and stratigraphic-layer discrimination. This review considers the data measure- ment, analysis and interpretation of techniques associated with kerogen typing, thermal maturity, sta- ble and non-stable isotopic ratios for rocks and gases derived from them, production sweet-spot identi- fication, geochemical biomarkers and inorganic chemical indicators. It also highlights uncertainties and discrepancies observed in their practical application, and the numerous outstanding questions as- sociated with them.