Geological characteristics and high production control factors of shale gas reservoirs in Silurian Longmaxi Formation, southern Sichuan Basin, SW China

Marine shale gas resources have great potential in the south of the Sichuan Basin in China.At present,the high-quality shale gas resources at depth of 2000–3500 m are under effective development,and strategic breakthroughs have been made in deeper shale gas resources at depth of 3500–4500 m.To promote the effective production of shale gas in this area,this study examines key factors controlling high shale gas production and presents the next exploration direction in the southern Sichuan Basin based on summarizing the geological understandings from the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation shale gas exploration combined with the latest results of geological evaluation.The results show that:(1)The relative sea depth in marine shelf sedimentary environment controls the development and distribution of reservoirs.In the relatively deep water area in deep-water shelf,grade-I reservoirs with a larger continuous thickness develop.The relative depth of sea in marine shelf sedimentary environment can be determined by redox conditions.The research shows that the uranium to thorium mass ratio greater than 1.25 indicates relatively deep water in anoxic reduction environment,and the uranium to thorium mass ratio of 0.75–1.25 indicates semi-deep water in weak reduction and weak oxidation environment,and the uranium to thorium mass ratio less than 0.75 indicates relatively shallow water in strong oxidation environment.(2)The propped fractures in shale reservoirs subject to fracturing treatment are generally 10–12 m high,if grade-I reservoirs are more than 10 m in continuous thickness,then all the propped section would be high-quality reserves;in this case,the longer the continuous thickness of penetrated grade-I reservoirs,the higher the production will be.(3)The shale gas reservoirs at 3500–4500 m depth in southern Sichuan are characterized by high formation pressure,high pressure coefficient,well preserved pores,good pore structure and high proportion of free gas,making them the most favorable new field for shale gas exploration;and the pressure coefficient greater than 1.2 is a necessary condition for shale gas wells to obtain high production.(4)High production wells in the deep shale gas reservoirs are those in areas where Long11-Long13 sub-beds are more than 10 m thick,with 1500 m long horizontal section,grade-I reservoirs penetration rate of over 90%,and fractured by dense cutting+high intensity sand injection+large displacement+large liquid volume.(5)The relatively deep-water area in the deep-water shelf and the area at depth of 3500–4500 m well overlap in the southern Sichuan,and the overlapping area is the most favorable shale gas exploration and development zones in the southern Sichuan in the future.With advancement in theory and technology,annual shale gas production in the southern Sichuan is expected to reach 450×108 m3.

Experimental Study on the Influence of Fracturing Fluid Retention on Shale Gas Diffusion Law

Shale gas reservoirs have poor physical properties and a large number of micro-nano pores have been developed.Shale gas wells have no natural productivity and need fracturing reconstruction measures to put into production.However,the fracturing fluid will enter the reservoir space of shale matrix after fracturing and affect the production of shale gas.At present,there is no consensus on the influence of fracturing fluid retention on gas well production.Based on this,the paper adopts gas molecular transport analyzer to carry out experimental research on the influence of fracturing fluid on shale gas diffusion law after entering matrix pores.The results show that:(1)Compared with the diffusion capacity of single-phase shale gas,the diffusion capacity of shale gas decreases significantly when fracturing fluid is present in the reservoir;(2)In the process of fracturing fluid flowback,when the water saturation in the reservoir decreases from 50%to 0,the gas well productivity increases by about 60%.(3)When fracturing fluid exists in the reservoir,the pore diameter has an exponential relationship with the shale gas diffusion coefficient,and the diffusion coefficient increases exponentially with the increase of pore diameter.The research of this paper provides theoretical basis for guiding the efficient development of shale gas wells.

Toxicity evaluation of produced formation waters after filtration treatment

During the last years many authors have char-acterized the produced formation waters (PFWs) with respect to chemical compounds and toxic-ity. Most of data are related to PFWs collected on offshore platform after treatment process. The available results showed that the particulate phase had an influence on PFW toxicity. As-suming the toxicity of PFWs treated on platform, the aim of this paper is to study the toxicity of these PFWs after a further filtration treatment carried out in laboratory. For this purpose PFWs were sampled from three natural gas platforms located in the Adriatic Sea (Italy) below treat-ment system. The eco-toxicological bioassays have been conducted on test-organisms be-longing to different trophic levels such as bac-teria, algae, crustaceans and fishes. The PFWs resulted toxic according to an overall assess-ment obtained through the bioassays. Further-more, it has been possible to identify the spe-cies that were more sensitive to the tested PFWs, namely Tigriopus fulvus, Dicentrarchus labrax and Vibrio fischeri. Besides, a chemical char-acterization was reported related to the con-taminants present in the PFWs to go with eco-toxicological assessment. Barium, zinc and manganese showed the most concentrations among the metals and the lower molecular weight components were common among the organic compounds. Some differences among PFWs were observed both for toxicity and chemical composition. The highest toxicity was recorded in PFWs (PFW1 and PFW2) containing the highest concentrations of some metals (Ba, Mn and Zn) and/or BTEX.

Selective extraction of lithium from shale gas produced water using an aluminum-based adsorbent

Two-dimensional layered aluminum-based adsorbents have been developed and successfully applied to enrich low-concentration lithium from shale gas produced water.The adsorbent,synthesized with a lithium-to-aluminum molar ratio of 0.6 in the salt solution,demonstrated exceptional performance characteristics.Its structure,featuring nano-encapsulated layers,facilitated lithium insertion,enhanced the surface area,and optimized pore size distribution for efficient adsorption.The adsorption equilibrium was reached within 60 min,closely aligning with the pseudo-second-order model.The isotherm analysis,based on the Sips model,suggested a nonhomogeneous multilayer adsorption process.Additionally,the adsorbent showed exceptional selectivity for Li^(+)over Na^(+),Ca^(2+),and Mg^(2+),ensuring effective lithium enrichment.Further desorption studies indicated that optimal conditions involved using deionized water at 333 K with a liquid-to-solid ratio of 80 mL/g.The adsorbent maintained robust performance and structural integrity through five adsorption-desorption cycles,highlighting its potential for recyclability and practical application in lithium recovery.These developments represent significant progress in harnessing lithium resources from shale gas produced water,thereby supporting advancements in clean energy technologies.

Geochemical characteristics of produced fluids from CBM wells and their indicative significance for gas accumulation in Daning-Jixian block,Ordos Basin

The Daning-Jixian block,the eastern edge of the Ordos Basin,is one of the most potential areas for CO_(2)geological storage,enhanced coalbed methane recovery(ECBM)exploration and production in China in recent decades.The ionic composition and total dissolved solids(TDS)of the produced water,coal organic matter maturity,molecular composition and carbon isotope characteristics of the produced gas were utilized to analyze the hydrogeological condition,CBM generation and migration characteristics in this area.The CBM enrichment patterns and the geological impacts on gas well production characteristics were revealed.The optimal area for CBM development and CO_(2)geological storage in the study area were also proposed.Dominated by the Xueguan reverse fault zone,the hydraulic unit in this area can be divided into two parts(i.e.,the recharge-runoff zone in the east and the weak runoff-stagnation zone in the west).The thermogenic gas is dominating CBM genesis in this area.Secondary biogenic gas replenishment is only distributed in the eastern margin area,where theδ13C1 value is less than the thermal simulation results as an influence of hydrodynamic fractionation.Finally,two models of CBM formation and accumulation were proposed,1)thermogenic CBM migrated by hydrodynamic and resorbed for preservation at impermeable fault boundaries;2)thermogenic CBM trapped by fault and accumulated by hydrodynamic in slope zone.The gas production performance,generally increased from east to west,is mainly dominated by hydrogeological conditions.Generally,the west side of the fault zone is the enrichment and high-yield area for ECBM development and CO_(2)geological storage in the study area.

页岩气增产采出水处理方法研究

针对页岩气增产采出水易起泡,难以平稳蒸发脱盐的问题,利用"预处理+多效蒸发"处理方法,对井站两种不同性质的采出水进行中试,连续监测各工艺单元处理后水质及蒸发出水水质。结果表明:通过破乳混凝、催化氧化、电荷中和及除硬等步骤,能够完全消除泡排水起泡性;中试稳定运行7d,两种泡排水蒸发出水水质稳定,COD浓度<55mg/L,NH4^+-N浓度<18mg/L,满足GB 8978-1996《污水综合排放标准》一级标准;Cl^-浓度<21mg/L,满足DB 51/190-1993《四川省水污染物排放标准》要求。

页岩气采出水处理及回用现状分析

介绍了页岩气采出水的产排特征,国内页岩气采出水的处理及回用现状,并总结出3项采出水处理技术,即:回注、简单处理后回用及处理至SY/T 6596—2004《气田水回注方法》达标,进行回注,以采出水复配压裂液为主要污水。这3种处理方式可以处理页岩气采出水,为污水达到GB 8978—1996《污水综合排放标准》做技术储备,并降低采出水对土壤、地表水等可能造成的环境污染风险。