Research on Pore Structure and Fractal Characteristics of Tight Sandstone Reservoir Based on High-Pressure Mercury Injection Method

Pore structure is the key element of tight sandstone reservoir, which restricts the accumulation and flow of oil and gas in the reservoir. At present, reservoir pore structure is the focus and difficulty of unconventional oil and gas exploration and development research. The tight sandstone reservoir in the Chang 4 + 5 member of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation is the main reservoir for oil and gas exploration in G area. At present, there is little research on its pore structure and fractal characteristics, which to some extent affects the progress of exploration and development. This paper selects the tight core samples of the Chang 4 + 5 member in the southern edge of the Ordos Basin, and based on the high-pressure mercury intrusion experiment, uses fractal theory to study the pore structure and fractal characteristics of the reservoir in the study area, thus providing theoretical basis for the evaluation and exploration and development of the Chang 4 + 5 tight reservoir in the G area. The research results show that the lithology of the Chang 4 + 5 tight sandstone reservoir in the southern edge of the Ordos Basin is mainly feldspathic sandstone, with the highest feldspar content, followed by quartz, and the clay mineral is mainly chlorite. The reservoir has poor physical properties and strong heterogeneity. There are three main fractal characteristics in Chang 4 + 5 reservoir in G area: the fractal curve of Type I reservoir sample is in two segments, the relatively large pore has certain fractal characteristics, the pore structure is relatively regular, and the heterogeneity is weak;Relatively small pores have no fractal characteristics and pore structure is irregular. The fractal curve of Type II reservoir samples shows a three-segment pattern, and each pore size range has certain fractal characteristics, and it gradually gets better with the increase of pore size. The fractal curve of Type III reservoir samples presents a similar one-segment pattern, and the fractal dimension exceeds the upper limit of 3. It is considered that the full pore size of this type of reservoir does not have fractal characteristics, the pore throat is completely irregular or the surface is rough, and the heterogeneity is very strong.

A novel model for assessing the pore structure of tight sands and its application

Pore-structure poses great influence on the permeability and electrical property of tight sand reservoirs and is critical to the petrophysical research of such reservoirs.The uncertainty of permeability for tight sands is very common and the relationship between pore- structure and electrical property is often unclear.We propose a new parameterδ,integrating porosity,maximum radius of connected pore-throats,and sorting degree,for investigating the permeability and electrical properties of tight sands.Core data and wireline log analyses show that this newδcan be used to accurately predict the tight sands permeability and has a close relation with electrical parameters,allowing the estimation of formation factor F and cementation exponent m.The normalization of the resistivity difference caused by the pore- structure is used to highlight the influence of fluid type on Rt,enhancing the coincidence rate in the Pickett crossplot significantly.

Anisotropy interpretation and the coherence research between resistivity and acoustic anisotropy in tight sands

Aiming at the problem of anisotropy inversion of tight sands, a new method for extracting resistivity anisotropy from array laterolog and micro-resistivity scanning imaging logging is proposed, and also the consistency of electric and acoustic anisotropy is discussed. Array laterolog includes resistivity anisotropy information, but numerical simulation shows that drilling fluid invasion has the greatest influence on the response, followed by the relative dip angle θ and electrical anisotropy coefficient λ. A new inversion method to determine ri, Rxo, Rt and λ is developed with the given θ and initial values of invasion radius ri, flushed zone resistivity Rxo, in-situ formation resistivity Rt. Micro-resistivity image can also be used for describing the resistivity distribution information in different directions, and the electrical characteristics from micro-resistivity log in different azimuths, lateral and vertical, can be compared to extract electric anisotropy information. Directional arrangement of mineral particles in tight sands and fracture development are the intrinsic causes of anisotropy, which in turn brings about anisotropy in resistivity and acoustic velocity, so the resistivity anisotropy and acoustic velocity anisotropy are consistent in trends. Analysis of log data of several wells show that the electrical anisotropy and acoustic anisotropy extracted from array laterolog, micro-resistivity imaging and cross-dipole acoustic logs respectively are consistent in trend and magnitude, proving the inversion method is accurate and the anisotropies of different formation physical parameters caused by the intrinsic structure of tight sand reservoir are consistent. This research provides a new idea for evaluating anisotropy of tight sands.

Integrated application of 3D seismic and microseismic data in the development of tight gas reservoirs

The development of unconventional resources, such as shale gas and tight sane gas, requires the integration of multi-disciplinary knowledge to resolve many engineering problems in order to achieve economic production levels. The reservoir heterogeneit3 revealed by different data sets, such as 3D seismic and microseismic data, can more full3 reflect the reservoir properties and is helpful to optimize the drilling and completioT programs. First, we predict the local stress direction and open or close status of the natura fractures in tight sand reservoirs based on seismic curvature, an attribute that reveals reservoi heterogeneity and geomechanical properties. Meanwhile, the reservoir fracture network is predicted using an ant-tracking cube and the potential fracture barriers which can affec hydraulic fracture propagation are predicted by integrating the seismic curvature attribute anc ant-tracking cube. Second, we use this information, derived from 3D seismic data, to assis in designing the fracture program and adjusting stimulation parameters. Finally, we interpre the reason why sand plugs will occur during the stimulation process by the integration of 3E seismic interpretation and microseismic imaging results, which further explain the hydraulic fracure propagation controlling factors and open or closed state of natural fractures in tigh sand reservoirs.

Characteristics and Origin of Tight Oil Accumulations in the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation of the Ordos Basin,North-Central China

The Upper Triassic oil accumulations in the Ordos Basin is the most successful tight oil play in China,with average porosity values of less than 10% and permeability values below 1.0 mD.This study investigated the geological characteristics and origin of the tight oil accumulations in the Chang 6 member of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Shanbei area based on over 50,000 petrological,source-rock analysis,well logging and production data.The tight oil accumulation of the Chang 6 member is distributed continuously in the basin slope and the centre of the basin.The oilwater relationships are complex.Laumontite dissolution pores are the most important storage spaces,constituting 30%-60% of total porosity and showing a strong positive relationship with oil production.The pore-throat diameter is less than 1 μm,and the calculated critical height of the oil column is much larger than the tight sand thickness,suggesting that the buoyancy was probably of limited importance for oil migration.The pressure difference between the source rocks and sandstone reservoirs is inferred to have provided driving force for hydrocarbon migration.Two factors of source-reservoir configuration and laumontite dissolution contributed to the formation of the Chang 6 tight oil accumulations.Intense hydrocarbon generation and continuous sand bodies close to the hydrocarbon kitchen are the foundation for the large-scale oil distribution.Dissolution of feldspar-laumontite during the process of organic matter evolution generated abundant secondary pores and improved the reservoir quality.

Contribution of moderate overall coal-bearing basin uplift to tight sand gas accumulation:case study of the Xujiahe Formation in the Sichuan Basin and the Upper Paleozoic in the Ordos Basin,China

Tight sand gas is an important unconventional gas resource occurring widely in different petroleum basins. In coal-bearing formations of the Upper Triassic in the Sichuan Basin and the Carboniferous and Permian in the Ordos Basin, coal measure strata and tight sandstone constitute widely distributed source-reservoir assemblages and form the basic conditions for the formation of large tight sand gas fields. Similar to most tight gas basins in North America, the Sichuan, and Ordos Basins, all experienced overall moderate uplift and denudation in Meso- Cenozoic after earlier deep burial. Coal seam adsorption principles and actual coal sample simulation experiment results show that in the course of strata uplift, pressure drops and desorption occurs in coal measure strata, resulting in the discharge of substantial free gas. This ac- counts for 28 %-42 % of total gas expulsion from source rocks. At the same time, the free gases formerly stored in the pores of coal measure source rocks were also dis- charged at a large scale due to volumetric expansion re- sulting from strata uplift and pressure drop. Based on experimental data, the gas totally discharged in the uplift period of Upper Paleozoic in the Ordos Basin, and Upper Triassic Xujiahe Formation in the Sichuan Basin is calcu- lated as （3-6） × 10^5 m^3/km^2. Geological evidence for gasaccumulation in the uplift period is found in the gas reservoir analysis of the above two basins. Firstly, natural gas discharged in the uplift period has a lighter carbon isotope ratio and lower maturity than that formed in the burial period, belonging to that generated at the early stage of source rock maturity, and is absorbed and stored in coal measure strata. Secondly, physical simulation experiment results at high-temperature and high-salinity inclusions, and almost actual geologic conditions confirm that sub- stantial gas charging and accumulation occurred in the uplift period of the coal measure strata of the two basins. Diffusive flow is the main mode for gas accumulation in the uplift period, which probably reached 56 × 10^12 m^3 in the uplift period of the Xujiahe Formation of the Sichuan Basin, compensating for the diffusive loss of gas in the gas reservoirs, and has an important contribution to the formation of large gas fields. The above insight has promoted the gas resource extent and potential of the coal measure tight sand uplift area; therefore, we need to reassess the areas formerly believed unfavorable where the uplift scale is large, so as to get better resource potential and exploration prospects.

Tight gas production model considering TPG as a function of pore pressure,permeability and water saturation

Threshold pressure gradient has great importance in efficient tight gas field development as well as for research and laboratory experiments.This experimental study is carried out to investigate the threshold pressure gradient in detail.Experiments are carried out with and without back pressure so that the effect of pore pressure on threshold pressure gradient may be observed.The trend of increasing or decreasing the threshold pressure gradient is totally opposite in the cases of considering and not considering the pore pressure.The results demonstrate that the pore pressure of tight gas reservoirs has great influence on threshold pressure gradient.The effects of other parameters like permeability and water saturation,in the presence of pore pressure,on threshold pressure gradient are also examined which show that the threshold pressure gradient increases with either a decrease in permeability or an increase in water saturation.Two new correlations of threshold pressure gradient on the basis of pore pressure and permeability,and pore pressure and water saturation,are also introduced.Based on these equations,new models for tight gas production are proposed.The gas slip correction factor is also considered during derivation of this proposed tight gas production models.Inflow performance relationship curves based on these proposed models show that production rates and absolute open flow potential are always be overestimated while ignoring the threshold pressure gradients.

Selection of candidate wells for re-fracturing in tight gas sand reservoirs using fuzzy inference

An artificial-intelligence based decision-making protocol is developed for tight gas sands to identify re-fracturing wells and used in case studies. The methodology is based on fuzzy logic to deal with imprecision and subjectivity through mathematical representations of linguistic vagueness, and is a computing system based on the concepts of fuzzy set theory, fuzzy if-then rules, and fuzzy reasoning. Five indexes are used to characterize hydraulic fracture quality, reservoir characteristics, operational parameters, initial conditions, and production related to the selection of re-fracturing well, and each index includes 3 related parameters. The value of each index/parameter is grouped into three categories that are low, medium, and high. For each category, a trapezoidal membership function all related rules are defined. The related parameters of an index are input into the rule-based fuzzy-inference system to output value of the index. Another fuzzy-inference system is built with the reservoir index, operational index, initial condition index and production index as input parameters and re-fracturing potential index as output parameter to screen out re-fracturing wells. This approach was successfully validated using published data.

Exploring the potential of oil and gas resources in Sichuan Basin with Super Basin Thinking

Based on the contemporary strategy of Petro China and the“Super Basin Thinking”initiative,we analyze the petroleum system,the remaining oil and gas resource distribution,and the Super Basin development scheme in the Sichuan Basin with the aim of unlocking its full resource potential.We conclude that,(1)The three-stage evolution of the Sichuan Basin has resulted in the stereoscopic distribution of hydrocarbon systems dominated by natural gas.The prospecting Nanhua-rift stage gas system is potentially to be found in the ultra-deep part of the basin.The marine-cratonic stage gas system is distributed in the Sinian to Mid-Triassic formations,mainly conventional gas and shale gas resources.The foreland-basin stage tight sand gas and shale oil resources are found in the Upper Triassic-Jurassic formations.Such resource base provides the foundation for the implementation of Super Basin paradigm in the Sichuan Basin.(2)To ensure larger scale hydrocarbon exploration and production,technologies regarding deep to ultra-deep carbonate reservoirs,tight-sand gas,and shale oil are necessarily to be advanced.(3)In order to achieve the full hydrocarbon potential of the Sichuan Basin,pertinent exploration strategies are expected to be proposed with regard to each hydrocarbon system respectively,government and policy supports ought to be strengthened,and new cooperative pattern should be established.Introducing the“Super Basin Thinking”provides references and guidelines for further deployment of hydrocarbon exploration and production in the Sichuan Basin and other developed basins.