Re-Examination of the Oil and Gas Origins in the Kekeya Gas Condensate Field,Northwest China——A Case Study of Hydrocarbon-Source Correlation Using Sophisticated Geochemical Methods

This work discussed the origins, alteration and accumulation processes of the oil and gas in the Kekeya gas condensate field based on molecular compositions, stable carbon isotopes, light hydrocarbons, diamondoid hydrocarbons and biomarker fingerprints. A comparison study is also made between the geochemical characteristics of the Kekeya hydrocarbons and typical marine and terrigenous hydrocarbons of the Tarim Basin. Natural gas from the Kekeya gas condensate field is derived from Middle–Lower Jurassic coal measures while the condensates are derived from Carboniferous–Permian marine source rocks with a higher maturity. In the study area, both natural gas and condensates have experienced severe water washing. A large amount of methane was dissolved into the water, resulting in a decrease in the dryness coefficient. Water washing also makes the carbon isotopic compositions of the natural gas more negative and partially reverse. Considering that the gas maturities are higher than once expected, gas generation intensity in the study area should be much stronger and the gas related to the Jurassic coal measures could promise a greater prospecting potential. As a result of evaporative fractionation, the Kekeya condensates are enriched in saturates and lack aromatics. Evaporative fractionation disguises the original terrigenous characteristics of the light hydrocarbons associated with the natural gas, making it appear marinesourced. Thus, alteration processes should be fully taken into consideration when gas–source correlations are carried out based on light hydrocarbons. With the condensates discovered in the study area all being ＂migration phase＂, the pre-salt Cretaceous and Jurassic reservoirs may promise great exploration potential for the ＂residual phase＂ hydrocarbons. This research not only is of significance for oil and gas exploration in the southwest Tarim Basin, but also sheds light on the oil/gas-source correlations in general.

Daily Variation of Natural Emission of Methane to the Atmosphere and Source Identification in the Luntai Fault Region of the Yakela Condensed Oil/Gas Field in the Tarim Basin,Xinjiang,China

The static flux chamber method was applied to study natural emissions of methane to the atmosphere in the Luntai fault region of Yakela Condensed Oil/Gas Field in the Tarim Basin, Xinjiang Municipality, northwestern China. Using an online method, which couples together a gas chromatography/high-temperature conversion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry （GC/C/MS）, 13^C/12^C ratios of methane in flux chambers were measured and showed that methane gases are liable to migrate from deep oil/gas reservoirs to the surface through fault regions and that a part of the migrated methane, which remains unoxidized can be emitted into the atmosphere. Methane emission rates were found to be highest in the mornings, lowest in the afternoons and then increase gradually in the evenings. Methane emission rates varied dramatically in different locations in the fault region. The highest methane emission rate was 10.96 mg/m^2·d, the lowest 4.38 mg/m^2, and the average 7.55 mg/ m^2·d. The 13^C/12^C ratios of the methane in the flux chambers became heavier as the enclosed methane concentrations increased gradually, which reveals that methane released from the fault region might come from thermogenic methane of the deep condensed oil/gas reservoir.

Geological emission of methane from the Yakela condensed oil/gas field in Talimu Basin, Xinjiang, China

A static flux chamber method was applied to study natural emissions of methane into the atmosphere in the Yakela condensed oil/gas field in Talimu Basin, Xinjiang, China. Using an online method, which couples a gas chromatography/high-temperature conversion/isotope ratio mass spectrometry (GC/C/MS) together, the 13C/12C ratios of methane in the flux chambers were measured. The results demonstrated that methane gases were liable to migrate from deep oil/gas reservoir to the surface through microseepage and p...

Survival of charged ρ condensation at high temperature and density

The charged vector ρ mesons in the presence of external magnetic fields at finite temperature T and chemical potential μ have been investigated in the framework of the Nambu-Jona-Lasinio model.We compute the masses of charged ρ mesons numerically as a function of the magnetic field for different values of temperature and chemical potential.The self-energy of the ρ meson contains the quark-loop contribution,i.e.the leading order contribution in 1/NC expansion.The charged ρ meson mass decreases with the magnetic field and drops to zero at a critical magnetic field eBc,which indicates that the charged vector meson condensation,i.e.the electromagnetic superconductor can be induced above the critical magnetic field.Surprisingly,it is found that the charged ρ condensation can even survive at high temperature and density.At zero temperature,the critical magnetic field just increases slightly with the chemical potential,which indicates that charged ρ condensation might occur inside compact stars.At zero density,in the temperature range 0.2 — 0.5 GeV,the critical magnetic field for charged ρ condensation is in the range of 0.2 — 0.6 GeV^2,which indicates that a high temperature electromagnetic superconductor might be created at LHC.