Geochemical characteristics and exploration significance of ultra-deep Sinian oil and gas from Well Tashen 5,Tarim Basin,NW China

The Well Tashen 5(TS5),drilled and completed at a vertical depth of 9017 m in the Tabei Uplift of the Tarim Basin,NW China,is the deepest well in Asia.It has been producing both oil and gas from the Sinian at a depth of 8780e8840 m,also the deepest in Asia in terms of oil discovery.In this paper,the geochemical characteristics of Sinian oil and gas from the well were investigated and compared with those of Cambrian oil and gas discovered in the same basin.The oil samples,with Pr/Ph ratio of 0.78 and a whole oil carbon isotopic value of31.6‰,have geochemical characteristics similar to those of Ordovician oils from the No.1 fault in the North Shuntuoguole area(also named Shunbei area)and the Middle Cambrian oil from wells Zhongshen 1(ZS1)and Zhongshen 5(ZS5)of Tazhong Uplift.The maturity of light hydrocarbons,diamondoids and aromatic fractions all suggest an approximate maturity of 1.5%e1.7%Ro for the samples.The(4-+3-)methyldiamantane concentration of the samples is 113.5 mg/g,indicating intense cracking with a cracking degree of about 80%,which is consistent with the high bottom hole temperature(179℃).The Sinian gas samples are dry with a dryness coefficient of 0.97.The gas is a mixture of kerogen-cracking gas and oil-cracking gas and has Ro values ranging between 1.5%and 1.7%,and methane carbon isotopic values of41.6‰.Based on the equivalent vitrinite reflectance(R_(eqv)=1.51%e1.61%)and the thermal evolution of source rocks from the Cambrian Yu'ertusi Formation of the same well,it is proposed that the Sinian oil and gas be mainly sourced from the Cambrian Yu'ertusi Formation during the Himalayan period but probably also be joined by hydrocarbon of higher maturity that migrated from other source rocks in deeper formations.The discovery of Sinian oil and gas from Well TS5 suggests that the ancient ultra-deep strata in the northern Tarim Basin have the potential for finding volatile oil or condensate reservoirs.

Geologic characteristics,exploration and production progress of shale oil and gas in the United States:An overview

We present a systematic summary of the geological characteristics,exploration and development history and current state of shale oil and gas in the United States.The hydrocarbon-rich shales in the major shale basins of the United States are mainly developed in six geological periods:Middle Ordovician,Middle-Late Devonian,Early Carboniferous(Middle-Late Mississippi),Early Permian,Late Jurassic,and Late Cretaceous(Cenomanian-Turonian).Depositional environments for these shales include intra-cratonic basins,foreland basins,and passive continental margins.Paleozoic hydrocarbon-rich shales are mainly developed in six basins,including the Appalachian Basin(Utica and Marcellus shales),Anadarko Basin(Woodford Shale),Williston Basin(Bakken Shale),Arkoma Basin(Fayetteville Shale),Fort Worth Basin(Barnett Shale),and the Wolfcamp and Leonardian Spraberry/Bone Springs shale plays of the Permian Basin.The Mesozoic hydrocarbon-rich shales are mainly developed on the margins of the Gulf of Mexico Basin(Haynesville and Eagle Ford)or in various Rocky Mountain basins(Niobrara Formation,mainly in the Denver and Powder River basins).The detailed analysis of shale plays reveals that the shales are different in facies and mineral components,and"shale reservoirs"are often not shale at all.The United States is abundant in shale oil and gas,with the in-place resources exceeding 0.246×10^(12)t and 290×10^(12)m^(3),respectively.Before the emergence of horizontal well hydraulic fracturing technology to kick off the"shale revolution",the United States had experienced two decades of exploration and production practices,as well as theory and technology development.In 2007-2023,shale oil and gas production in the United States increased from approximately 11.2×10^(4)tons of oil equivalent per day(toe/d)to over 300.0×10^(4)toe/d.In 2017,the shale oil and gas production exceeded the conventional oil and gas production in the country.In 2023,the contribution from shale plays to the total U.S.oil and gas production remained above 60%.The development of shale oil and gas has largely been driven by improvements in drilling and completion technologies,with much of the recent effort focused on“cube development”or“co-development”.Other efforts to improve productivity and efficiency include refracturing,enhanced oil recovery,and drilling of“U-shaped”wells.Given the significant resources base and continued technological improvements,shale oil and gas production will continue to contribute significant volumes to total U.S.hydrocarbon production.

Regression analysis and its application to oil and gas exploration:A case study of hydrocarbon loss recovery and porosity prediction,China

In oil and gas exploration,elucidating the complex interdependencies among geological variables is paramount.Our study introduces the application of sophisticated regression analysis method at the forefront,aiming not just at predicting geophysical logging curve values but also innovatively mitigate hydrocarbon depletion observed in geochemical logging.Through a rigorous assessment,we explore the efficacy of eight regression models,bifurcated into linear and nonlinear groups,to accommodate the multifaceted nature of geological datasets.Our linear model suite encompasses the Standard Equation,Ridge Regression,Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator,and Elastic Net,each presenting distinct advantages.The Standard Equation serves as a foundational benchmark,whereas Ridge Regression implements penalty terms to counteract overfitting,thus bolstering model robustness in the presence of multicollinearity.The Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator for variable selection functions to streamline models,enhancing their interpretability,while Elastic Net amalgamates the merits of Ridge Regression and Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator,offering a harmonized solution to model complexity and comprehensibility.On the nonlinear front,Gradient Descent,Kernel Ridge Regression,Support Vector Regression,and Piecewise Function-Fitting methods introduce innovative approaches.Gradient Descent assures computational efficiency in optimizing solutions,Kernel Ridge Regression leverages the kernel trick to navigate nonlinear patterns,and Support Vector Regression is proficient in forecasting extremities,pivotal for exploration risk assessment.The Piecewise Function-Fitting approach,tailored for geological data,facilitates adaptable modeling of variable interrelations,accommodating abrupt data trend shifts.Our analysis identifies Ridge Regression,particularly when augmented by Piecewise Function-Fitting,as superior in recouping hydrocarbon losses,and underscoring its utility in resource quantification refinement.Meanwhile,Kernel Ridge Regression emerges as a noteworthy strategy in ameliorating porosity-logging curve prediction for well A,evidencing its aptness for intricate geological structures.This research attests to the scientific ascendancy and broad-spectrum relevance of these regression techniques over conventional methods while heralding new horizons for their deployment in the oil and gas sector.The insights garnered from these advanced modeling strategies are set to transform geological and engineering practices in hydrocarbon prediction,evaluation,and recovery.

Geological characteristics and exploration breakthroughs of coal rock gas in Carboniferous Benxi Formation,Ordos Basin,NW China

To explore the geological characteristics and exploration potential of the Carboniferous Benxi Formation coal rock gas in the Ordos Basin,this paper presents a systematic research on the coal rock distribution,coal rock reservoirs,coal rock quality,and coal rock gas features,resources and enrichment.Coal rock gas is a high-quality resource distinct from coalbed methane,and it has unique features in terms of burial depth,gas source,reservoir,gas content,and carbon isotopic composition.The Benxi Formation coal rocks cover an area of 16×104km^(2),with thicknesses ranging from 2 m to 25 m,primarily consisting of bright and semi-bright coals with primitive structures and low volatile and ash contents,indicating a good coal quality.The medium-to-high rank coal rocks have the total organic carbon(TOC)content ranging from 33.49%to 86.11%,averaging75.16%.They have a high degree of thermal evolution(Roof 1.2%-2.8%),and a high gas-generating capacity.They also have high stable carbon isotopic values(δ13C1of-37.6‰to-16‰;δ13C2of-21.7‰to-14.3‰).Deep coal rocks develop matrix pores such as gas bubble pores,organic pores,and inorganic mineral pores,which,together with cleats and fractures,form good reservoir spaces.The coal rock reservoirs exhibit the porosity of 0.54%-10.67%(averaging 5.42%)and the permeability of(0.001-14.600)×10^(-3)μm^(2)(averaging 2.32×10^(-3)μm^(2)).Vertically,there are five types of coal rock gas accumulation and dissipation combinations,among which the coal rock-mudstone gas accumulation combination and the coal rock-limestone gas accumulation combination are the most important,with good sealing conditions and high peak values of total hydrocarbon in gas logging.A model of coal rock gas accumulation has been constructed,which includes widespread distribution of medium-to-high rank coal rocks continually generating gas,matrix pores and cleats/fractures in coal rocks acting as large-scale reservoir spaces,tight cap rocks providing sealing,source-reservoir integration,and five types of efficient enrichment patterns(lateral pinchout complex,lenses,low-amplitude structures,nose-like structures,and lithologically self-sealing).According to the geological characteristics of coal rock gas,the Benxi Formation is divided into 8 plays,and the estimated coal rock gas resources with a buried depth of more than 2000 m are more than 12.33×10^(12)m^(3).The above understandings guide the deployment of risk exploration.Two wells drilled accordingly obtained an industrial gas flow,driving the further deployment of exploratory and appraisal wells.Substantial breakthroughs have been achieved,with the possible reserves over a trillion cubic meters and the proved reserves over a hundred billion cubic meters,which is of great significance for the reserves increase and efficient development of natural gas in China.

Theoretical Progress and Key Technologies of Onshore Ultra-Deep Oil/Gas Exploration

Oil/gas exploration around the world has extended into deep and ultra-deep strata because it is increasingly difficult to find new large-scale oil/gas reservoirs in shallow–middle buried strata. In recent years, China has made remarkable achievements in oil/gas exploration in ultra-deep areas including carbonate and clastic reservoirs. Some (ultra) large-scale oil and gas fields have been discovered. The oil/gas accumulation mechanisms and key technologies of oil/gas reservoir exploration and development are summarized in this study in order to share China’s experiences. Ultra-deep oil/gas originates from numerous sources of hydrocarbons and multiphase charging. Liquid hydrocarbons can form in ultradeep layers due to low geothermal gradients or overpressures, and the natural gas composition in ultra-deep areas is complicated by the reactions between deep hydrocarbons, water, and rock or by the addition of mantle- or crust-sourced gases. These oils/gases are mainly stored in the original highenergy reef/shoal complexes or in sand body sediments. They usually have high original porosity. Secondary pores are often developed by dissolution, dolomitization, and fracturing in the late stage. The early pores have been preserved by retentive diageneses such as the early charging of hydrocarbons. Oil/gas accumulation in ultra-deep areas generally has the characteristics of near-source accumulation and sustained preservation. The effective exploration and development of ultra-deep oil/gas reservoirs depend on the support of key technologies. Use of the latest technologies such as seismic signal acquisition and processing, low porosity and permeability zone prediction, and gas–water identification has enabled the discovery of ultra-deep oil/gas resources. In addition, advanced technologies for drilling, completion, and oil/gas testing have ensured the effective development of these fields.

Progress in China's Unconventional Oil & Gas Exploration and Development and Theoretical Technologies

The new century has witnessed a strategic breakthrough in unconventional oil ＆ gas.Hydrocarbon accumulated in micro-/nano-scale pore throat shale systems has become an important domain that could replace current oil ＆ gas resources.Unconventional oil ＆ gas plays an increasingly important role in our energy demand.Tight gas,CBM,heavy oil and asphaltic sand have served as a key domain of exploration ＆ development,with tight oil becoming a ＇bright spot＇ domain and shale gas becoming a ＇hotspot＇ domain.China has made great breakthroughs in unconventional oil ＆ gas resources,such as tight gas,shale gas,tight oil and CBM,and great progress in oil shale,gas hydrate,heavy oil and oil sand.China has an estimated（223-263）×10~8t of unconventional oil resources and（890-1260）×l0^（12）m^3 of gas resources.China has made a breakthrough for progress in unconventional oil ＆ gas study.New progress achieved in fine-grained sedimentary studies related to continental open lacustrine basin large-scale shallow-water delta sand bodies,lacustrine basin central sandy clastic flow sediments and marine-continental fine-grained sediments provide a theoretical basis for the formation and distribution of basin central reservoir bodies.Great breakthroughs have been made in unconventional reservoir geology in respect of research methodology ＆ technology,multi-scale data merging and physical simulation of formation conditions.Overall characterization of unconventional reservoirs via multi-method and multi-scale becomes increasingly popular and facilitates the rapid development of unconventional oil ＆ gas geological theory,method and technology.The formation of innovative,continuous hydrocarbon accumulation theory,the establishment of the framework of the unconventional oil ＆ gas geological theory system,and the determination of the implications,geological feature,formation mechanism,distribution rule and core technology of unconventional oil＆ gas geological study lays a theoretical foundation for extensive unconventional oil ＆ gas exploration and development.Theories and technologies of unconventional oil ＆ gas exploration and development developed rapidly,including some key evaluation techniques such as ＇sweet spot zone＇ integrated evaluation and a six-property evaluation technique that uses hydrocarbon source,lithology,physical property,brittleness,hydrocarbon potential and stress anisotropy,and some key development ＆engineering technologies including micro-seismic monitoring,horizontal drilling ＆ completion and ＂factory-like＂ operation pattern, ＂man-made reservoir＂ development,which have facilitated the innovative development of unconventional oil ＆ gas.These breakthroughs define a new understanding in four aspects：①theoretical innovation;② key technologies;③ complete market mechanism and national policy support;and ④ well-developed ground infrastructure,which are significant for prolonging the life cycle of petroleum industry,accelerating the upgrade and development of theories and technologies and altering the global traditional energy structure.

Prospective prediction and exploration situation of marine Mesozoic-Paleozoic oil and gas in the South Yellow Sea

The South Yellow Sea Basin is a large sedimentary basin superimposed by the Mesozoic-Paleozoic marine sedimentary basin and the Mesozoic-Cenozoic terrestrial sedimentary basin, where no oil and gas fields have been discovered after exploration for 58 years. After the failure of oil and gas exploration in terrestrial basins, the exploration target of the South Yellow Sea Basin turned to the marine Mesozoic- Paleozoic strata. After more than ten years' investigation and research, a lot of achievements have been obtained. The latest exploration obtained effective seismic reflection data of deep marine facies by the application of seismic exploration technology characterized by high coverage, abundant low-frequency components and strong energy source for the deep South Yellow Sea Basin. In addition, some wells drilled the Middle-Upper Paleozoic strata, with obvious oil and gas shows discovered in some horizons. The recent petroleum geological research on the South Yellow Sea Basin shows that the structure zoning of the marine residual basin has been redetermined, the basin structure has been defined, and 3 seismic reflection marker layers are traceable and correlatable in the residual thick Middle-Paleozoic strata below the continental Meso-Cenozoic strata in the South Yellow Sea Basin. Based on these, the seismic sequence of the marine sedimentary strata was established. According to the avaliable oil and gas exploration and research, the marine Mesozoic-Paleozoic oil and gas prospects of the South Yellow Sea were predicted as follows.(1) The South Yellow Sea Basin has the same sedimentary formation and evolution history during the sedimentary period of the Middle-Paleozoic marine basin with the Sichuan Basin.(2) There are 3 regional high-quality source rocks.(3) The carbonate and clastic reservoirs are developed in the Mesozoic- Paleozoic strata.(4) The three source-reservoir-cap assemblages are relatively intact.(5) The Laoshan Uplift is a prospect area for the Lower Paleozoic oil and gas, and the Wunansha Uplift is one for the marine Upper Paleozoic oil and gas.(6) The Gaoshi stable zone in the Laoshan Uplift is a favorable zone.(7) The marine Mesozoic-Paleozoic strata in the South Yellow Sea Basin has the geological conditions required to form large oil and gas fields, with remarkable oil and gas resources prospect. An urgent problem to be addressed now within the South Yellow Sea Basin is to drill parametric wells for the Lower Paleozoic strata as the target, to establish the complete stratigraphic sequence since the Paleozoic period, to obtain resource evaluation parameters, and to realize the strategic discovery and achieve breakthrough in oil and gas exploration understanding.

Features of Sandy Debris Flows of the Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin and Its Oil and Gas Exploration Significance

Sandy debris flow is a new genetic type of sand bodies,which has gained much attention in recent years and its corresponding theory is proved to be a significant improvement and even partial denial to the 'Bouma Sequence' and 'turbidite fan' deep-water sedimentary theories to some point. Oil exploration researchers are highly concerned with sandy debris flows for its key role in controlling oil and gas accumulation processes.In this article,by applying sandy debris flows theory and combining a lot work of core,outcrop observation and analysis plus seismic profile interpretation,we recognized three types of sedimentary gravity flows that are sandy debris flows,classic turbidites and slumping rocks in chang-6 member of Yanchang Formation in the deep-water area of central Ordos Basin.Among the three types,the sandy debris flows are the most prominent and possesses the best oil bearing conditions.On the contrary,the classic turbidites formed by turbidity currents are limited in distribution;therefore,previous Yanchang Formation deep-water sedimentary studies have exaggerated the importance of turbidite currents deposition.Further study showed that the area distribution of deep water gravity flow sand bodies in Yanchang Formation were controlled by the slope of the deep-water deposits and the flows had vast distribution,huge depth and prevalent advantages for oil forming,which make it one of the most favorable new areas for Ordos Basin prospecting.

Analysis of the world oil and gas exploration situation in 2021

The global exploration investment, new oil and gas discoveries, exploration business adjustment strategies of oil companies in 2021, and future favorable exploration domains are systematically analyzed using commercial databases such as IHS and public information of oil companies. It has been found that the world oil and gas exploration situation in 2021 has continued the downturn since the outbreak of COVID-19. The investment and drilling workload decreased slightly, but the success rate of exploration wells, especially deepwater exploration wells, increased significantly, and the newly discovered reserves increased slightly compared with last year. Deep waters of the passive continental margin basins are still the leading sites for discovering conventional large and medium-sized oil and gas fields. The conventional oil and gas exploration in deep formations of onshore petroliferous basins has been keeping a good state, with tight/shale oil and gas discoveries made in Saudi Arabia, Russia, and other countries. While strengthening the exploration and development of local resources, national, international, and independent oil companies have been focusing on major overseas frontiers using their advantages, including risk exploration in deep waters and natural gas. Future favorable exploration directions in the three major frontiers, the global deep waters, deep onshore formations, and unconventional resources, have been clarified. Four suggestions are put forward for the global exploration business of Chinese oil companies: first, a farm in global deepwater frontier basins in advance through bidding at a low cost and adopt the “dual exploration model” after making large-scale discoveries;second, enter new blocks of emerging hot basins in the world through farm-in and other ways, to find large oil and gas fields quickly;third, cooperate with national oil companies of the resource host countries in the form of joint research and actively participate exploration of deep onshore formations of petroliferous basins;fourth, track tight/shale oil and gas cooperation opportunities in a few countries such as Saudi Arabia and Russia, and take advantage of mature domestic theories and technologies to farm in at an appropriate time.

Practice and theoretical and technical progress in exploration and development of Shunbei ultra-deep carbonate oil and gas field,Tarim Basin,NW China

In this review on the exploration and development process of the Shunbei ultra-deep carbonate oil and gas field in the Tarim Basin, the progress of exploration and development technologies during the National 13th Five-Year Plan of China has been summarized systematically, giving important guidance for the exploration and development of ultra-deep marine carbonate reservoirs in China and abroad. Through analyzing the primary geological factors of “hydrocarbon generation-reservoir formation-hydrocarbon accumulation” of ancient and superposed basin comprehensively and dynamically, we point out that because the Lower Cambrian Yuertusi Formation high-quality source rocks have been located in a low-temperature environment for a long time, they were capable of generating hydrocarbon continuously in late stage, providing ideal geological conditions for massive liquid hydrocarbon accumulation in ultra-deep layers. In addition, strike-slip faults developed in tectonically stable areas have strong control on reservoir formation and hydrocarbon accumulation in this region. With these understandings, the exploration focus shifted from the two paleo-uplifts located in the north and the south to the Shuntuoguole lower uplift located in between and achieved major hydrocarbon discoveries. Through continuing improvement of seismic exploration technologies for ultra-deep carbonates in desert, integrated technologies including seismic acquisition in ultra-deep carbonates,seismic imaging of strike-slip faults and the associated cavity-fracture systems, detailed structural interpretation of strike-slip faults, characterization and quantitative description of fault-controlled cavities and fractures, description of fault-controlled traps and target optimization have been established. Geology-engineering integration including well trajectory optimization,high efficiency drilling, completion and reservoir reformation technologies has provided important support for exploration and development of the Shunbei oil and gas field.

Exploration prospects of oil and gas in the Northwestern part of the Offshore Indus Basin, Pakistan

Oil and gas resources are short in Pakistan and no commercially viable oil and gas sources have been yet discovered in its offshore areas up to now.In this study,the onshore-offshore stratigraphic correlation and seismic data interpretation were conducted to determine the oil and gas resource potential in the Offshore Indus Basin,Pakistan.Based on the comprehensive analysis of the results and previous data,it is considered that the Cretaceous may widely exist and three sets of source rocks may be developed in the Offshore Indus Basin.The presence of Miocene mudstones has been proven by drilling to be high-quality source rocks,while the Cretaceous and Paleocene–Eocene mudstones are potential source rocks.Tectonic-lithologic traps are developed in the northwestern part of the basin affected by the strike-slip faults along Murray Ridge.Furthermore,the Cretaceous and Paleocene–Eocene source rocks are thick and are slightly affected by volcanic activities.Therefore,it can be inferred that the northwestern part of Offshore Indus Basin enjoys good prospects of oil and gas resources.

Downhole Microseismic Source Location Based on a Multi-Dimensional DIRECT Algorithm for Unconventional Oil and Gas Reservoir Exploration

Downhole microseismic data has the significant advantages of high signal-to-noise ratio and well-developed P and S waves and the core component of microseismic monitoring is microseismic event location associated with hydraulic fracturing in a relatively high confidence level and accuracy.In this study,we present a multidimensional DIRECT inversion method for microseismic locations and applicability tests over modeling data based on a downhole microseismic monitoring system.Synthetic tests inidcate that the objective function of locations can be defined as a multi-dimensional matrix space by employing the global optimization DIRECT algorithm,because it can be run without the initial value and objective function derivation,and the discretely scattered objective points lead to an expeditious contraction of objective functions in each dimension.This study shows that the DIRECT algorithm can be extensively applied in real downhole microseismic monitoring data from hydraulic fracturing completions.Therefore,the methodology,based on a multidimensional DIRECT algorithm,can provide significant high accuracy and convergent efficiency as well as robust computation for interpretable spatiotemporal microseismic evolution,which is more suitable for real-time processing of a large amount of downhole microseismic monitoring data.

Successful International Symposiumon Oil ＆ Gas Exploration in Lacustrine Basin

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Regional gravity survey and application in oil and gas exploration in China

Ground gravity survey for regional structure unit delineation and oil and gas exploration in China is addressed in this paper with examples. Gravity survey scales, coverage, technical regulations and achievements at the national level are introduced, including data processing and anomaly interpretation techniques. Bouguer anomalies of terrestrial territories of China and classification of anomalous feature zones are also described;they are well correlated with lithotectonical boundaries, fault zones, and unexposed igneous plutons. Recent study results of petroliferous sedimentary basins are presented as well, including concealed boundaries and major structures of large basins. It is concluded that gravity survey is the most effective and economic method in unveiling unexposed and deep-seated structures, targeting and delineating oil and gas-bearing sedimentary basins, and locating main trap structures within prolific basins in early stage of exploration in China. Suggestions for improving exploration of both conventional and unconventional oil and gas reservoirs in China are also given in the paper.

Produced Water from Oil and Gas Exploration—Problems, Solutions and Opportunities

Large volumes of water are generated in gas- and oil-production. This includes the water that is present originally in the reservoirs, but also water that is injected into the wells. While currently much of the produced water is either reinjected or disposed of after treatment, treated produced water is increasingly seen as an interesting resource, especially in water-scarce regions. This review looks at different PW treatment methods available, with an emphasis on the management of PW in oil- and gas production on the Arabian Peninsula.

Measurement and Result of Soil Gas Radon and Soil Gas Mercury in the Exploration of Haihe Hidden Fault

In the exploration of the hidden Haihe fault,radon and mercury in soil gas were measured by using FG-3017 radon detector and XG-4 mercury analyzer.In this paper,based on the measurement results of 12 fault gas profiles,and integrating with the exploration results of artificial seismic prospecting,the relationship between anomalous site of fault gas and fault location is analyzed.Using the relationship between anomalous strength of fault gas and fault activity,the activity of Haihe fault is studied,thus the location and activity segmentation of the Haihe fault in Tianjin region are presented.This study shows that the method of fault gas detection can not only identify the preliminary location of fault,but also make preliminary segmentation of fault activity.The fault detected by the method of fault gas measurement is shown as a band.Through contrasting with exploration results of artificial seismic prospecting and analyzing,we find that the fault is located inside the band.According to the measurements of soil gas radon,the Haihe fault can be divided into east and west segments and the activity of the east segment of Haihe fault is stronger than that of the west segment.This is only a relative result,and it is difficult to judge whether the fault is active or not with this result.

Investment in deepwater oil and gas exploration projects:a multi-factor analysis with a real options model

Deepwater oil and gas projects embody high risks from geology and engineering aspects, which exert substantial influence on project valuation. But the uncer- tainties may be converted to additional value to the projects in the case of flexible management. Given the flexibility of project management, this paper extends the classical real options model to a multi-factor model which contains oil price, geology, and engineering uncertainties. It then gives an application example of the new model to evaluate deepwater oil and gas projects with a numerical analytical method. Compared with other methods and models, this multi-factor real options model contains more project information. It reflects the potential value deriving not only from oil price variation but also from geology and engi- neering uncertainties, which provides more accurate and reliable valuation information for decision makers.

Formation conditions and exploration direction of large natural gas reservoirs in the oil-prone Bohai Bay Basin, East China

The Bohai Bay Basin is a typical oil-prone basin, in which natural gas geological reserves have a small proportion. In this basin, the gas source rock is largely medium-deep lake mudstone with oil-prone type Ⅱ2-Ⅱ1 kerogens, and natural gas preservation conditions are poor due to active late tectonic movements. The formation conditions of large natural gas fields in the Bohai Bay Basin have been elusive. Based on the exploration results of Bohai Bay Basin and comparison with large gas fields in China and abroad, the formation conditions of conventional large-scale natural gas reservoirs in the Bohai Bay Basin were examined from accumulation dynamics, structure and sedimentation. The results show that the formation conditions of conventional large natural gas reservoirs in Bohai Bay Basin mainly include one core element and two key elements. The core factor is the strong sealing of Paleogene "quilt-like" overpressure mudstone. The two key factors include the rapid maturation and high-intensity gas generation of source rock in the late stage and large scale reservoir. On this basis, large-scale nature gas accumulation models in the Bohai Bay Basin have been worked out, including regional overpressure mudstone enriching model, local overpressure mudstone depleting model, sand-rich sedimentary subsag depleting model and late strongly-developed fault depleting model. It is found that Bozhong sag, northern Liaozhong sag and Banqiao sag have favorable conditions for the formation of large-scale natural gas reservoirs, and are worth exploring. The study results have important guidance for exploration of large scale natural gas reservoirs in the Bohai Bay Basin.

Application of deviation rate in oil and gas reservoir exploration

Three dimensional geophysical models were abstracted and established according to characteristics of oil and gas reservoir.Then direct current fields for different models were simulated with finite element software(finite element program generator) by hole-to-surface resistivity method.Numerical solution was compared with analytical one for the homogeneity earth model.And a new parameter of deviation rate was proposed by analyzing different plot curves.The results show that the relative error of solution for homogeneity earth model may attain to 0.043%.And deviation rate decreases from 18% to 1% and its anomaly range becomes wide gradually when the depth of oil and gas reservoir increases from 200 to 1 500 m.If resistivity ratio of oil and gas reservoir to sur-rounding rock decreases from 100 to 10 for the resistive oil and gas reservoir,the amplitude attenuation of deviation rate nearly reaches 8%.When there exists stratum above oil and gas reservoir,and influence of resistive stratum may be eliminated or weakened and anomaly of oil and gas reservoir can be strengthened.

SEDIMENTARY PATTERN OF PROTOTYPE BASIN IN THE DEPOSITION PERIOD OF LAIYANG FORMATION AND THE ADVANTAGEOUS AREAS FOR OIL AND GAS EXPLORATION OF JIAOLAI BASIN

Laiyang formation of Jiaolai Basin is the target stratum for oil and gas exploration. By measuring several field sections, the authors find that Laiyang formation reveals the whole processes from development to death of the lake basin and its sedimentary facies differ in different structural locations. Analyses about sedimentary facies and paleocurrent orientations in association with researches about the positive tectonic units such as Dayetou horseback and Chaigou horst indicate that Laiyang sag is a relatively independent sedimentary unit that shows great water depth typical of deep lake or semideep lake and was controlled by Wulongcun fault during the deposition period of Laiyang formation. Its sediments mainly originated from Jiaobei uplift area and Dayetou horseback. Gaomi-Zhucheng sag was a fast-filled basin controlled by Wurong fault and Yishu fault zone, being high in the northeast and low in the northwest and characterized by the development of pluvial facies and fluvial facies in most areas, and with the development of lake facies being limited to local low-lying regions. Selection of advantageous hydrocarbon reservoir areas for exploration purpose mainly relies on the sedimentation pattern of prototype basin and conservation conditions. The central-west area of Laiyang sag covered by overlying Laiyang formation is the most advantageous exploration area.