Efficiently identifying coalbed methane enrichment areas by detecting and locating low-frequency signals in the coal mine

Low-frequency signals have been widely found in the conventional oil/gas field and volcanic region as well as during hydraulic fracturing of unconventional oil/gas reservoirs.Their generation mechanism has been ascribed to the flow of gas/fluid in the fractures,which can induce the Krauklis wave around fractures and can further excite low-frequency seismic body wave signals at diffraction points.Thus,it is theoretically feasible to determine the gas/fluid enrichment areas and migration pathways by locating the low-frequency signals.Here we have utilized a surface dense seismic array deployed above the Sijiazhuang coal mine in Shanxi province to detect and locate such low-frequency signals that are dominant in the frequency range of 1.5–4.0 Hz.Waveform migrationbased location method is employed to locate these signals that have low signal to noise ratios.We further compare the distribution of low-frequency signals and coalbed methane concentrations that are estimated based on ambient noise tomography result with the same seismic array.The spatial consistency between low-frequency signals and coalbed methane enrichment areas suggests that detecting and locating low-frequency signals with a surface seismic array is an efficient way to identify gas enrichment areas and potential gas migration pathways.

Experimental Simulation Study of the Dominant Enrichment Area of Terrestrial Organic Matter in the Shallow-Delta Sedimentary System of the Yacheng Formation in the Qiongdongnan Basin

Shallow-delta sedimentary systems receive both terrestrial and marine organic matter. As oil and gas exploration activities determine that the source rocks of the deep-water area of the Qiongdongnan Basin, northern South China Sea, are generally rich in and even dominated by terrestrial organic matter, this has led many researchers to examine the rules governing terrestrial organic matter enrichment in shallow-delta sea sedimentary systems. However, the deep burial of source rocks in deep-water areas and the relatively small amount of drilling undertaken have greatly restricted the study of these rules. In this study, the ‘forward modeling' research method was used to observe and analyze the deposition and preservation of terrestrial organic matter through flume experiments, where the depositional results were carefully depicted and sampled. The total organic carbon content of selected samples was measured and when combined with qualitative observations and quantitative comparison results, the dominant enrichment areas of terrestrial organic matter were identified. The experimental results show that the overbank parts of the delta front, the dune countercurrent surface, the low-lying parts, the delta front slope area and the shallow-prodelta sea area are where terrestrial organic matter is predominantly enriched. This provides an important basis and guidance for the prediction of the development areas of marine source rocks with terrestrial input in the deep-water areas of the Qiongdongnan Basin.

Key issues in development of offshore natural gas hydrate

As a new clean energy resource in the 21st century,natural gas hydrate is considered as one of the most promising strategic resources in the future.This paper,based on the research progress in exploitation of natural gas hydrate(NGH)in China and the world,systematically reviewed and discussed the key issues in development of natural gas hydrate.From an exploitation point of view,it is recommended that the concepts of diagenetic hydrate and non-diagenetic hydrate be introduced.The main factors to be considered are whether diagenesis,stability of rock skeleton structure,particle size and cementation mode,thus NGHs are divided into 6 levels and used unused exploitation methods according to different types.The study of the description and quantitative characterization of abundance in hydrate enrichment zone,and looking for gas hydrate dessert areas with commercial exploitation value should be enhanced.The concept of dynamic permeability and characterization of the permeability of NGH by time-varying equations should be established.The‘Three-gas co-production’(natural gas hydrate,shallow gas,and conventional gas)may be an effective way to achieve early commercial exploitation.Although great progress has been made in the exploitation of natural gas hydrate,there still exist enormous challenges in basic theory research,production methods,and equipment and operation modes.Only through hard and persistent exploration and innovation can natural gas hydrate be truly commercially developed on a large scale and contribute to sustainable energy supply.