Development of Diapirs and Accumulation of Natural Gases in Yinggehai Basin

Overpressure developed throughout most of the Yinggehai basin. The burial depth to top overpressure varied from about 1 600 m to 4 500 m, with the shallowest top overpressure occurring in the depocenter. The main cause of the overpressure was disequilibrium compaction resulting from rapid sedimentation of fine grained sediments. The overpressure was strengthened by the retention of fluids including gases due to lack of faults before diapir development. The diapirism in the Yinggehai basin was a combined result of the strong overpressure and the tensile stress field caused by the right lateral slip of the boundary fault. The diapirism, a product of the movement of overpressured fluids and plastic shales, shaped the vertical conduits from source to traps that would be absent without overpressured fluid release. Natural gas accumulation in traps in the diapir structure zones was also intermittent, which can be inferred from the inter reservoir compositional heterogeneity, transient thermal effect of fluid flow and migration fractionation.

Accumulation conditions and exploration directions of Ordovician lower assemblage natural gas, Ordos Basin, NW China

Based on drilling cores, well logging and seismic data, source rocks and reservoirs are evaluated;and the natural gas genesis is identified through the analysis of natural gas isotopes, components and fluid inclusions, to study the gas accumulation conditions of the gypsum salt rock related strata of the Ordovician lower assemblage in Ordos Basin.(1) The natural gas from Ordovician lower assemblage is high thermal evolution dry gas from marine source rock, characterized by relatively light δ^(13)C value of methane and heavy δ^(13)C value of ethane. The natural gas is identified as gas cracking from crude oil according to component analysis. Thermochemical sulfate reduction(TSR) reaction has happened between the hydrocarbon fluid and sulfate as sulfur crystals are found in the cores, hydrogen sulfide is found in the natural gas, and hydrocarbon and hydrogen sulfide fluid inclusions are widespread in secondary minerals.(2) Around the gypsum-salt lows, argillaceous rocks are extensive in the Ordovician lower assemblage, reaching a cumulative thickness of 20–80 m. The effective source rocks include argillaceous rock rich in organic laminae, algal clump and algal dolomite. Analysis shows that the source rocks have a dominant TOC of 0.1%–0.5%, 0.31% on average and 3.24% at maximum. The source rocks have an average TOC of 0.58% after recovered through organic acid salt method, indicating the source rocks have high hydrocarbon supply potential.(3) In the sedimentary period, the palaeo-uplift controlled the distribution of reservoirs. The inherited secondary palaeo-uplift in Wushenqi–Jingbian east of the central palaeo-uplift and the low uplift formed by thick salt rocks near Shenmu–Zizhou area controlled the distribution of penecontemporaneous grain shoal dolomite reservoirs. The salinization sedimentary environment of gypsum salt rock can promote the development of reservoir. There are three types of dolomite reservoirs, the one with intercrystalline pore, with dissolution pore, and with fracture;intercrystalline and dissolution pores are main reservoir spaces.(4) There are two types of cap rocks, namely tight carbonate rock and gypsum-salt rock, constituting two types of source-reservoir-cap assemblages respectively. The general accumulation model is characterized by marine source rock supplying hydrocarbon, beach facies limy dolomite reservoir, small fractures acting as migration pathways, and structural-lithologic traps as accumulation zones.(5) The third and fourth members of Majiagou Formation are major target layers in the lower assemblage. The Wushengqi–Jingbian secondary paleo-uplift area and Shenmu–Zizhou low uplift are dolomite and limestone transition zone, there develops tight limestone to the east of the uplift zone, which is conducive to the formation of gas reservoir sealed by lithology in the updip. Two risk exploration wells drilled recently have encouraging results, indicating that the two uplift zones are important prospects.

Different Hydrocarbon Accumulation Histories in the Kelasu-Yiqikelike Structural Belt of the Kuqa Foreland Basin

The Kuqa foreland basin is an important petroliferous basin where gas predominates. The Kela-2 large natural gas reservoir and the Yinan-2, Dabei-1, Tuzi and Dina-11 gas reservoirs have been discovered in the basin up to the present. Natural gases in the Kelasu district and the Yinan district are generated from different source rocks indicated by methane and ethane carbon isotopes. The former is derived from both Jurassic and Triassic source rocks, while the latter is mainly from the Jurassic. Based on its multistage evolution and superposition and the intense tectonic transformation in the basin, the hydrocarbon charging history can be divided into the early and middle Himalayan hydrocarbon accumulation and the late Himalayan redistribution and re-enrichment. The heavier carbon isotope composition and the high natural gas ratio of C1/C1-4 indicate that the accumulated natural gas in the early Himalayan stage is destroyed and the present trapped natural gas was charged mainly in the middle and late Himalayan stages. Comparison and contrast of the oils produced in the Kelasu and Yinan regions indicate the hydrocarbon charging histories in the above two regions are complex and should be characterized by multistage hydrocarbon migration and accumulation.

Large-scale gas accumulation mechanisms and reservoir-forming geological effects in sandstones of Central and Western China

Large-scale gas accumulation areas in large oil-gas basins in central and Western China have multiple special accumulation mechanisms and different accumulation effects.Based on the geological theory and method of natural gas reservoir formation,this study examined the regional geological and structural background,formation burial evolution,basic characteristics of gas reservoirs,and fluid geology and geochemistry of typical petroliferous basins.The results show that the geological processes such as structural pumping,mudstone water absorption,water-soluble gas degasification and fluid sequestration caused by uplift and denudation since Himalayan stage all can form large-scale gas accumulation and different geological effects of gas accumulation.For example,the large-scale structural pumping effect and fluid sequestration effect are conducive to the occurrence of regional ultra-high pressure fluid and the formation of large-scale ultra-high pressure gas field;mudstone water absorption effect in the formation with low thickness ratio of sandstone to formation is conducive to the development of regional low-pressure and water free gas reservoir;the water-soluble gas degasification effect in large-scale thick sandstone can not only form large-scale natural gas accumulation;moreover,the degasification of water-soluble gas produced by the lateral migration of formation water will produce regional and regular isotopic fractionation effect of natural gas,that is,the farther the migration distance of water-soluble gas is,the heavier the carbon isotopic composition of methane formed by the accumulation.

Accumulation mechanism of mantle-derived helium resources in petroliferous basins, eastern China

A series of marginal-sea basins and fault-depression basins were formed in eastern China under the background of subduction of the West Pacific plate.Different types of helium-rich natural gas reservoirs(He>1000 ppm,1 ppm=1μmol mol^(-1))have been found in these basins:helium-rich CO_(2)gas reservoirs,helium-rich N_(2)gas reservoirs,and helium-rich hydrocarbon gas reservoirs.Based on the analysis of gas geochemical data,the source and accumulation mechanism of helium in these heliumrich natural gas reservoirs were discussed.Helium-rich natural gas has relatively high 3He/4He ratios(0.88-4.91 Ra,average 2.82 Ra).The ^(3)He/^(4)He ratio characteristics of mantle xenoliths and mantle-derived CO_(2)gas reservoirs indicate that the helium in these helium-rich natural gas reservoirs is mainly mantle-derived(>70%).The original mantle volatile is mainly CO_(2)with a low helium concentration(He<200 ppm),and the enrichment of mantle-derived helium in the gas reservoir is mainly related to the dissolution and mineralization of CO_(2).During this process,the CO_(2)/3He ratio decreases from 2×10^(9)to approximately 2×10^(6).As CO_(2)dissolves and mineralizes,the concentration of conservative gases(He and N_(2))increases in the remaining CO_(2)gas proportionally to the loss of CO_(2).Large amounts of carbonate minerals,such as dawsonite,which are relatively enriched in 13C,are found in CO_(2)reservoirs in eastern China.The relative enrichment of^(12)C in residual CO_(2)gas is important evidence of the dissolution and mineralization of CO_(2).The relative abundance of mantle-derived helium and N_(2)gas increases thousands of times during the dissolution and mineralization of CO_(2),which is the main accumulation mechanism of mantle-derived helium-rich CO_(2)gas reservoirs and helium-rich N_(2)gas reservoirs.Helium-rich gas from the mantle is mixed with alkane gas generated by organic matter in the sedimentary basin to form helium-rich hydrocarbon gas reservoirs.

An isotope study of the accumulation mechanisms of high-sulfur gas from the Sichuan Basin, southwestern China

The mechanism of hydrogen sulfide(H_2S) generation plays a key role in the exploration and development of marine high-sulfur natural gas, of which the major targets are the composition and isotope characteristics of sulfur-containing compounds.Hydrocarbon source rocks, reservoir rocks, natural gases and water-soluble gases from Sichuan Basin have been analyzed with an online method for the content of H_2S and isotopic composition of different sulfur-containing compounds. The results of comparative analysis show that the sulfur-containing compounds in the source rocks are mainly formed by bacterial sulfate reduction(BSR), and the sulfur compounds in natural gas, water and reservoir are mainly formed by thermal sulfate reduction(TSR). Moreover, it has been shown that the isotopically reversion for methane and ethane in high sulfur content gas is caused by TSR. The sulfur isotopic composition of H_2S in natural gas is inherited from the gypsum or brine of the same or adjacent layer,indicating that the generation and accumulation of H_2S have the characteristics of either a self-generated source or a near-source.