Formation mechanism of tight sandstone gas in areas of low hydrocarbon generation intensity: A case study of the Upper Paleozoic in north Tianhuan depression in Ordos Basin, NW China

The Upper Paleozoic in the north part of Tianhuan depression in the Ordos Basin,NW China has lower hydrocarbon generation intensity and complex gas-water relationship,the main factors controlling the formation of tight sandstone gas and the distribution of tight sandstone gas in the low hydrocarbon generation intensity area are studied.Through two-dimensional physical simulation experiment of hydrocarbon accumulation,analysis of reservoir micro-pore-throat hydrocarbon system and dissection of typical gas reservoirs,the evaluation models of gas injection pressure,reservoir physical property,and gas generation threshold were established to determine the features of tight gas reservoirs in low hydrocarbon intensity area:(1)at the burial depth of less than 3 000 m,the hydrocarbon generation intensity ofis high enough to maintain effective charging;(2)tight sandstone in large scale occurrence is conducive to accumulation of tight gas;(3)differences in reservoir physical property control the distribution of gas pool,for the channel sandstone reservoirs,ones with better physical properties generally concentrate in the middle of sandstone zone and local structural highs;ones with poor physical properties have low gas content generally.Based on the dissection of the gas reservoir in the north Tianhuan depression,the formation of tight gas reservoirs in low hydrocarbon generating intensity area are characterized by"long term continuous charging under hydrocarbon generation pressure,gas accumulation in large scale tight sandstone,pool control by difference in reservoir physical property,and local sweet spot",and the tight gas pools are distributed in discontinuous"sheets"on the plane.This understanding has been proved by expanding exploration of tight sandstone gas in the north Tianhuan depression.

The accumulation characteristics and exploration potential of oil and gas in the back-arc basin of Japan under the background of high heat flow

The Sea of Japan is located in the southeast margin of Eurasia, in the triangle area of the western Pacific Ocean. Due to the interaction of the Pacific plate, Eurasian plate and Philippine plate, its tectonic environment is complex, forming a typical trench-arc-basin system. At present, 148 oil and gas fields have been discovered in Japan, with an oil and gas resource of 255.78×10^(6) t, showing a good prospect for oil and gas exploration. Based on the previous research and the recently collected geological and geophysical data, the characteristics of tectonic-sedimentary evolution and geothermal field in the basins around the Sea of Japan are analyzed. The results show that the tectonic evolution of the basin is mainly controlled by plate subduction and back-arc oceanic crust expansion, and it mainly undergone four tectonic-sedimentary evolution stages: Subduction period, basin development period, subsidence period and compression deformation period. The overall heat flow value of Japan Sea is high, and it is distributed annularly along Yamato Ridge. The geothermal heat flow value is about 50–130 MW/m^(2), and the average heat flow is75.9±19.8 MW/m^(2), which has a typical “hot basin ”. The high heat flow background provides unique thermal evolution conditions for hydrocarbon generation, which leads to the high temperature and rapid evolution. The authors summarized as “early hydrocarbon generation, rapid maturity and shallow and narrow hydrocarbon generation window”. The type of oil and gas is mainly natural gas, and it mainly distributed in Neogene oil and gas reservoirs. The trap types are mainly structural traps, lithologic traps and composite traps. In addition, the pre-Neogene bedrock oil and gas reservoirs also show a good exploration prospect. The resource prospecting indicates that Niigata Basin, Ulleung Basin and kitakami Basin are the main target areas for future exploration and development.

Immature Oils in China and Their Genetic Mechanisms

Immature crude oils are a kind of unconventional petroleum resources. They are generated through early low-temperature biochemical/chemical reactions of some specific organic matter. Their geological reserves explored are as high as several hundred million tons in China. Based on a detailed organic geochemical study, five genetic mechanisms of immature oils have been proposed in this paper for early hydrocarbon generation from suberinite, resinite, bacteria-reworked terrestrial organic matter, biolipids and sulphur-rich macromolecules respectively.

Mechanisms of abnormal overpressure generation in Kuqa foreland thrust belt and their impacts on oil and gas reservoir formation

Based on overview for mechanism of abnormaloverpressure generation in sedimentary basins, an insightdiscussion is made by the authors for the distribution, fea-tures and generation mechanisms of abnormal overpressurein the Kuqa foreland thrust belt. The abnormal overpressurein the Kelasu structure zone west to the Kuqa forelandthrust belt was primarily distributed in Eogene to lowerCretaceous formations; structural compression and struc-tural emplacement as well as the containment of Eogenegyps-salt formation constituted the main mechanisms for thegeneration of abnormal overpressure. The abnormal over-pressure zone in the eastern Yiqikelike structure zone wasdistributed primarily in lower Jurassic Ahe Group, resultingfrom hydrocarbon generation as well as structural stressother than from under-compaction. Various distributionsand generating mechanisms have different impacts upon theformation of oil and gas reservoirs. K-E reservoir in the Ke-lasu zone is an allochthonous abnormal overpressure system.One of the conditions for reservoir accumulation is the mi-gration of hydrocarbon (T-J hydrocarbon source rock) alongthe fault up to K-E reservoir and accumulated into reservoir.And this migration process was controlled by the abnormaloverpressure system in K-E reservoir. The confined abnor-mal overpressure system in the Yiqikelike structure zoneconstituted the main cause for the poor developing of dis-solved porosity in T-J reservoir, resulting in poor physicalproperty of reservoir. The poor physical property of T-J res-ervoir of Yinan 2 structure was the main cause for the ab-sence of oil accumulation, but the presence of natural gasreservoir in the structure.

Assessment of recoverable oil and gas resources by in-situ conversion of shale——Case study of extracting the Chang 7_(3) shale in the Ordos Basin

The purpose of this study is to investigate the entire evolution process of shales with various total organic contents(TOC)in order to build models for quantitative evaluation of oil and gas yields and establish methods for assessing recoverable oil and gas resources from in-situ conversion of organic matters in shale.Thermal simulation experiments under in-situ conversion conditions were conducted on Chang 7_(3) shales from the Ordos Basin in a semi-open system with large capacity.The results showed that TOC and R_(o) were the key factors affecting the in-situ transformation potential of shale.The remaining oil and gas yields increased linearly with TOC but inconsistently with R_(o).R_(o) ranged 0.75%—1.25%and 1.05%—2.3%,respectively,corresponding to the main oil generation stage and gas generation stage of shale in-situ transformation.Thus a model to evaluate the remaining oil/gas yield with TOC and R_(o) was obtained.The TOC of shale suitable for in-situ conversion should be greater than 6%,whereas its R_(o) should be less than 1.0%.Shales with 0.75%(R_(o))could obtain the best economic benefit.The results provided a theoretical basis and evaluation methodology for predicting the hydrocarbon resources from in-situ conversion of shale and for the identification of the optimum“sweet spots”.The assessment of the Chang 7_(3) shale in the Ordos Basin indicated that the recoverable oil and gas resources from in-situ conversion of organic matters in shale are substantial,with oil and gas resources reaching approximately 450×10^(8) t and 30×10^(12)m^(3),respectively,from an area of 4.27×10^(4) km^(2).

Shale oil enrichment evaluation and production law in Gulong Sag,Songliao Basin,NE China

Based on the results of drilling,tests and simulation experiments,the shales of the Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation in the Gulong Sag of the Songliao Basin are discussed with respect to hydrocarbon generation evolution,shale oil occurrence,and pore/fracture evolution mechanism.In conjunction with a substantial amount of oil testing and production data,the Gulong shale oil enrichment layers are evaluated and the production behaviors and decline law are analyzed.The results are drawn in four aspects.First,the Gulong shales are in the stage of extensive hydrocarbon expulsion when R_(0) is 1.0%-1.2%,with the peak hydrocarbon expulsion efficiency of 49.5%approximately.In the low-medium maturity stage,shale oil migrates from kerogen to rocks and organic pores/fractures.In the medium-high maturity stage,shale oil transforms from adsorbed state to free state.Second,the clay mineral intergranular pores/fractures,dissolution pores,and organic pores make up the majority of the pore structure.During the transformation,clay minerals undergo significant intergranular pore/fracture development between the minerals such as illite and illite/smectite mixed layer.A network of pores/fractures is formed by organic matter cracking.Third,free hydrocarbon content,effective porosity,total porosity,and brittle mineral content are the core indicators for the evaluation of shale oil enrichment layers.Class-I layers are defined as free hydrocarbon content equal or greater than 6.0 mg/g,effective porosity equal or greater than 3.5%,total porosity equal or greater than 8.0%,and brittle mineral content equal or greater than 50%.It is believed that the favourable oil layers are Q2-Q3 and Q8-Q9.Fourth,the horizontal wells in the core area of the light oil zone exhibit a high cumulative production in the first year,and present a hyperbolic production decline pattern,with the decline index of 0.85-0.95,the first-year decline rate of 14.5%-26.5%,and the single-well estimated ultimate recovery(EUR)greater than 2.0×10^(4)t.In practical exploration and production,more efforts will be devoted to the clarification of hydrocarbon generation and expulsion mechanisms,accurate testing of porosity and hydrocarbon content/phase of shale under formation conditions,precise delineation of the boundary of enrichment area,relationship between mechanical properties and stimulated reservoir volume,and enhanced oil recovery,in order to improve the EUR and achieve a large-scale,efficient development of shale oil.

Composition and Origin of Shallow Biogenetic Gases in the Baise Basin, South China

Based on the analytical data of over 30 gas samples, combined with geochemical and geological backgrounds, the composition and distribution characteristics of shallow biogenetic gases in the Baise Basin, a Tertiary residual basin in southern China, were extensively investigated, and the origin and formation mechanism tentatively approached. The shallow gases are primarily composed of gaseous hydrocarbons, generally accounting for over 90%. The abundances of methane and C2＋ homologues show a relatively wide range of variation, mainly 50%-100% and 0%-50%, respectively, depending on the mixing proportions between biogenetic and thermogenic gases. A highly negative carbon isotope is the significant signature for the shallow gases with δ^13C1 values of -55‰ to -75‰. According to molecular and isotopic compositions and light hydrocarbon parameters, the shallow gases in the basin can be classified into three types of origins： biogenetic gas, biogenetic/thermogenic mixed gas, and oii-biodegraded gas. They exhibit regular distribution both spatially and temporally, and are believed to be associated with the maturity of adjoining gas source rocks and biodegraded oil accumulation. The Baigang and Nadu source rocks can be considered to have experienced early and late gas generation during early burial and after basin uplift respectively. A late accumulation mechanism of multiple gas sources is put forward for the formation of the shallow gas reservoirs, which is responsible for the variations in chemical and isotopic composition of the gases in depth profile.

Driving forces and their relative contributions to hydrocarbon expulsion from deep source rocks: A case of the Cambrian source rocks in the Tarim Basin

To thoroughly understand the dynamic mechanism of hydrocarbon expulsion from deep source rocks,in this study,five types of hydrocarbon expulsion dynamics(thermal expansion,hydrocarbon diffusion,compaction,product volume expansion,and capillary pressure difference(CPD))are studied.A model is proposed herein to evaluate the relative contribution of different dynamics for hydrocarbon expulsion using the principle of mass balance,and the model has been applied to the Cambrian source rocks in the Tarim Basin.The evaluation results show that during hydrocarbon expulsion from the source rocks,the relative contribution of CPD is the largest(>50%),followed by compaction(10%-40%),product volume expansion(5%-30%),and thermal expansion(2%-20%).The relative contribution of diffusion to hydrocarbon expulsion is minimal(<10%).These results demonstrate that CPD plays an important role in the hydrocarbon expulsion process of deep source rocks.The hydrocarbon expulsion process of source rocks can be categorized into three stages based on the contribution of different dynamics to the process:the first stage is dominated by compaction and diffusion to expel hydrocarbons,the second stage is dominated by product volume expansion and CPD,and the third stage is dominated by product volume expansion and CPD.This research offers new insights into hydrocarbon exploration in tight oil and gas reservoirs.

Basic principles of the whole petroleum system

This paper expounds the basic principles and structures of the whole petroleum system to reveal the pattern of conventional oil/gas-tight oil/gas-shale oil/gas sequential accumulation and the hydrocarbon accumulation models and mechanisms of the whole petroleum system.It delineates the geological model,flow model,and production mechanism of shale and tight reservoirs,and proposes future research orientations.The main structure of the whole petroleum system includes three fluid dynamic fields,three types of oil and gas reservoirs/resources,and two types of reservoir-forming processes.Conventional oil/gas,tight oil/gas,and shale oil/gas are orderly in generation time and spatial distribution,and sequentially rational in genetic mechanism,showing the pattern of sequential accumulation.The whole petroleum system involves two categories of hydrocarbon accumulation models:hydrocarbon accumulation in the detrital basin and hydrocarbon accumulation in the carbonate basin/formation.The accumulation of unconventional oil/gas is self-containment,which is microscopically driven by the intermolecular force(van der Waals force).The unconventional oil/gas production has proved that the geological model,flow model,and production mechanism of shale and tight reservoirs represent a new and complex field that needs further study.Shale oil/gas must be the most important resource replacement for oil and gas resources of China.Future research efforts include:(1)the characteristics of the whole petroleum system in carbonate basins and the source-reservoir coupling patterns in the evolution of composite basins;(2)flow mechanisms in migration,accumulation,and production of shale oil/gas and tight oil/gas;(3)geological characteristics and enrichment of deep and ultra-deep shale oil/gas,tight oil/gas and coalbed methane;(4)resource evaluation and new generation of basin simulation technology of the whole petroleum system;(5)research on earth system-earth organic rock and fossil fuel system-whole petroleum system.

Main progress and problems in research on Ordovician hydrocarbon accumulation in the Tarim Basin

The Tarim Basin is the largest petroliferous basin in the northwest of China, and is composed of a Paleozoic marine craton basin and a Meso-Cenozoic continental foreland basin. It is of great significance in exploration of Ordovician. In over 50 years of exploration, oil and gas totaling over 1.6 billion tonnes oil-equivalent has been discovered in the Ordovician carbonate formation. The accumulation mechanisms and distribution rules are quite complicated because of the burial depth more than 3,500 m, multi-source, and multi-stage accumulation, adjustment, reconstruction and re-enrichment in Ordovician. In this paper, we summarized four major advances in the hydrocarbon accumulation mechanisms of Ordovician carbonate reservoirs. First, oil came from Cambrian and Ordovician source rocks separately and as a mixture, while natural gas was mainly cracked gas generated from the Cambrian-Lower Ordovician crude oil. Second, most hydrocarbon migrated along unconformities and faults, with different directions in different regions. Third, hydrocarbon migration and accumulation had four periods： Caledonian, early Hercynian, late Hercynian and Himalayan, and the latter two were the most important for oil and gas exploration. Fourth, hydrocarbon accumulation and evolution can be generally divided into four stages： Caledonian （the period of hydrocarbon accumulation）, early Hercynian （the period of destruction）, late Hercynian （the period of hydrocarbon reconstruction and re-accumulation）, and Himalayan （the period of hydrocarbon adjustment and re-accumulation）. Source rocks （S）, combinations of reservoir-seal （C）, paleo-uplifts （M）, structure balance belt （B） matched in the same time （T） control the hydrocarbon accumulation and distribution in the Ordovician formations. Reservoir adjustment and reconstruction can be classified into two modes of physical adjustment and variation of chemical compositions and five mechanisms. These mechanisms are occurrence displacement, biodegradation, multi-source mixing, high-temperature cracking and late gas invasion. Late hydrocarbon accumulation effects controlled the distribution of current hydrocarbon. The T-BCMS model is a basic geological model to help understanding the control of reservoirs. At present, the main problems of hydrocarbon accumulation focus on two aspects, dynamic mechanisms of hydrocarbon accumulation and the quantitative models of oil-bearing in traps, which need further systemic research.

New evidence for the origin of natural gas in Ordos Basin from hydrocarbons of oil water

The chief aim of the present work is to investigate the controversy origin of natural gas in the Ordos Basin by using the hydrocarbons of oil water. New evidence has been found: There is relatively high content of light hydrocarbons and low content of heavy components in the hydrocarbons fraction of oil water in the middle gas field of the Majiagou Formation, Ordovician reservoir. The hydrocarbons of oil water in Well Shan 12 and Well Shan 78 have relatively high abundance of tricyclic terpane. Tricyclic ter-pane/hopane of the two samples are 1.48 and 0.36, respectively. They also show that pregnane and hompregnane are in relatively high abundance with lower hopane/sterane ratio. Pr/Ph is less than 2.0. These characteristics reflected the source input of marine carbonate sedimentary environment. In contrast, the hydrocarbon of Well Shan 81 is lack of tricyclic terpane series and pregnane. It has a high hopane/sterane ratio and Pr/Ph is 3.27. These parameters are typical character of terrestrial organic

An exploration breakthrough in Paleozoic petroleum system of Huanghua Depression in Dagang Oilfield and its significance, North China

In recent years, several wells in the Qibei and Wumaying buried hills of Dagang Oilfield tapped oil in the Carboniferous–Permian and Ordovician strata. This major breakthrough reveals that the deep Paleozoic in the Bohai Bay is a new petroleum system. Through re-evaluating the Paleozoic source rock, reservoir-cap combinations and traps, it is found the oil and gas mainly come from Carboniferous–Permian source rock. The study shows that the Paleozoic strata are well preserved in the central-south Huanghua Depression and developed two kinds of reservoirs, Upper Paleozoic clastic rock and Lower Paleozoic carbonate rock, which form favorable source-reservoir assemblages with Carboniferous–Permian coal measure source rock. The Carboniferous–Permian coal-bearing source rock is rich in organic matters, which are mainly composed of type Ⅱ2 and Ⅲ kerogens, and minor Ⅱ1 kerogen in partial areas. Multi-stage tectonic movements resulted in two stages of hydrocarbon generation of the source rocks. The period from the deposition of Kongdian Formation to now is the second stage of hydrocarbon generation. The matching between large-scale oil and gas charging, favorable reservoir-cap combinations and stable structure determines the enrichment of oil and gas. According to the new comprehensive evaluation of Paleozoic petroleum system, the primary oil and gas resources of the Paleozoic in the Bohai Bay Basin are over 1×1012m3. The exploration breakthrough in Paleozoic petroleum system, especially Carboniferous–Permian petroleum system in Huanghua Depression is inspirational for oil and gas exploration in similar provinces of Bohai Bay Basin.

Petroleum Source-Rock Evaluation and Hydrocarbon Potential in Montney Formation Unconventional Reservoir, Northeastern British Columbia, Canada

Source-rock characteristics of Lower Triassic Montney Formation presented in this study shows the total organic carbon (TOC) richness, thermal maturity, hydrocarbon generation, geographical distribution of TOC and thermal maturity (Tmax) in Fort St. John study area (T86N, R23W and T74N, R13W) and its environs in northeastern British Columbia, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). TOC richness in Montney Formation within the study area is grouped into three categories: low TOC ( 3.5 wt%), and high TOC (>3.5 wt% %). Thermal maturity of the Montney Formation source-rock indicates that >90% of the analyzed samples are thermally mature, and mainly within gas generating window (wet gas, condensate gas, and dry gas), and comprises mixed Type II/III (oil/gas prone kerogen), and Type IV kerogen (gas prone). Analyses of Rock-Eval parameters (TOC, S2, Tmax, HI, OI and PI) obtained from 81 samples in 11 wells that penetrated the Montney Formation in the subsurface of northeastern British Columbia were used to map source rock quality across the study area. Based on total organic carbon (TOC) content mapping, geographical distribution of thermal maturity (Tmax) data mapping, including evaluation and interpretation of Rock-Eval parameters in the study area, the Montney Formation kerogen is indicative of a pervasively matured petroleum system in the study area.

成因机制控制下低对比度油气层研究方法

为精准描述低对比度油气层与其他类型储层之间的数学差异,引入特征选择和分类归纳等数学分析模型。所提方法并不要求储层计算参数与储层实际特征完全吻合,只要能准确刻画不同类型流体之间的数值差异即可。以鄂尔多斯盆地陇东地区超低渗透油层改造后的产能预测为例,阐述整个实施过程。结果表明:利用所建产能模型预测77口新井压裂后的产能,平均绝对误差为0.95 t/d,平均相对误差为9.49%,可以满足实际生产需求;在开展或完善储层表征参数理论模型研究的同时,各种数学分析方法的适用性、逻辑性也应被重视;传统方法和数学模型的有效结合能避免方法的单一化或模式化,有助于解决地层评价领域中的各种疑难问题。

20世纪90年代吐哈盆地石油勘探开发结果与预期目标不一的原因探析

对吐哈盆地在"八五计划"和"九五计划"期间的计划目标与实际石油勘探开发结果差异较大这一现象进行分析。指出,对盆地地质条件认识不足以及相应技术发展的完善程度不够是造成差异的两个主要原因;另外,针对吐哈盆地的具体情况,还应从油气生成原因的角度来思考这一问题。

Petroleum Exploration of Craton Basins in China

Craton basins are a significant petroliferous provenance. Having undergone multiple open- dose tectonic cycles and strong reworking of the late Cenozoic tectonic movement, the craton basins in China are highly broken. This has resulted in multi-source and multiphase hydrocarbon generation and later hydrocarbon accumulation so that a complicated spatial assemblage of primary, paraprimary and secondary oil-gas pools has been formed. The primary factors controlling hydrocarbon accumulation include hydrocarbon-generating depressions, paleouplifts, paleoslopes, unconformity surfaces, paleo-karst, faults and fissure systems as well as the later conservation conditions. In consequence, the strategy of exploration for China＇s craton basins is to identify the effective source rocks, pay attention to the different effects of paleohighs and late reworking, enhance studies of the secondary storage space, attach importance to the exploration of lithologic oil-gas reservoirs and natural gas pools, and approach consciously from the secondary oil pools to the targets near the source rocks. At the same time, a complete system of technologies and techniques must be built up.

油气藏上方不同部位地球化学效应的差异性及其成因讨论

酸解烃C2+/C1是轻烷烃类运移指标,荧光F360nm/F320nm反映芳烃类运移信息。解剖分析某油田C2+/C1、F360nm/F320nm等比值指标和C2+、C1、F360nm等丰度指标,并与同步荧光、甲烷碳同位素、吸附丝检测等指标有机关联,发现在油井、边缘井、干井处,这些指标强度特征不同:垂向上,各类井都显示出正向梯度变化和向上趋轻的结构梯,证实了烃类垂向微运移的客观存在;横向联井剖面的指标浓度(或强度)及变化梯度均显示出边缘井远大于油井、油井大于干井的分布特征,反映了运移效应在油藏外围处微弱而油水边缘处最强。在地球化学效应参数的数据结构方面,油井、边缘井、干井有各自的变量从聚现象和样本集合,而彼此间有显著差异;同时,自深部至浅部,样本都具有各自的相对稳定聚类归属。根据油气藏边缘与其内部数据结构的显著差异,可较好地解释油气藏上方地表普遍发育环状异常的机理,还可划分烃类渗逸背景区和异常渗逸区。图6表2参4(梁大新摘)

A novel method for quantitatively identifying driving forces and evaluating their contributions to oil and gas accumulation

Different driving forces govern the formation of distinct types of oil and gas accumulation and yield diverse oil and gas distributions.Complex oil and gas reservoirs in basins are commonly formed by the combination of multiple forces.It is very difficult but essential to identify driving forces and evaluate their contributions in predicting the type and distribution of oil and gas reservoirs.In this study,a novel method is proposed to identify driving forces and evaluate their contribution based on the critical conditions of porosity and permeability corresponding to buoyancy-driven hydrocarbon accumulation depth(BHAD).The application of this method to the Nanpu Sag of the Bohai Bay Basin shows that all oil and gas accumulations in the reservoirs are jointly formed by four driving forces:buoyance(Ⅰ),non-buoyance(Ⅱ),tectonic stress(Ⅲ1)and geofluid activity(Ⅲ2).Their contributions to all proven reserves are approxi-mately 63.8%,16.2%,2.9%,and 17.0%,respectively.The contribution of the driving forces is related to the depth,distance to faults and unconformity surfaces.Buoyancy dominates the formation of conven-tional reservoirs above BHAD,non-buoyant dominate the formation of unconventional reservoirs below BHAD,tectonic stress dominates the formation of fractured reservoirs within 300 m of a fault,and geoflu-ids activity dominates the formation of vuggy reservoirs within 100 m of an unconformity surface.