A Quantitative Evaluation of Shale Gas Content in Different Occurrence States of the Longmaxi Formation: A New Insight from Well JY-A in the Fuling Shale Gas Field,Sichuan Basin

Comprehensive quantitative evaluation of shale gas content and the controlling factors in different occurrence states is of great significance for accurately assessing gas-bearing capacity and providing effective well-production strategies. A total of 122 core samples from well JY-A in the Fuling shale gas field were studied to reveal the characteristics of S_1 l shale,15 of which were selected to further predict the shale gas content in different occurrence states, which are dependent on geological factors in the thermal evolution process. Geological parameters were researched by a number of laboratory programs, and the factors influential in controlling shale gas content were extracted by both PCA and GRA methods and prediction models were confirmed by the BE method using SPSS software. Results reveal that the adsorbed gas content is mainly controlled by TOC, Ro, SSA, PD and pyrite content, and the free gas content is mainly controlled by S_2, quartz content, gas saturation and formation pressure for S_1 l in well JY-A. Three methods, including the on-site gas desorption method, the empirical formula method, and the multiple regression analysis method were used in combination to evaluate the shale gas capacity of well JY-A, all of which show that the overall shale gas content of well JY-A is in the range of 2.0–5.0 m^3/t and that the free gas ratio is about 50%, lower than that of well JY-1. Cause analysis further confirms the tectonics and preservation conditions of S_1 l in the geological processes, especially the influence of eastern boundary faults on well JY-A, as the fundamental reasons for the differences in shale gas enrichment in the Jiaoshiba area.

Investigation of gas content of organic-rich shale:A case study from Lower Permian shale in southern North China Basin,central China

Measuring gas content is an essential step in estimating the commerciality of gas reserves. In this study,eight shale core samples from the Mouye-1 well were measured using a homemade patented gas desorption apparatus to determine their gas contents. Due to the air contamination that is introduced into the desorption canister, a mathematical method was devised to correct the gas quantity and quality.Compared to the chemical compositions of desorbed gas, the chemical compositions of residual gas are somewhat different. In residual gas, carbon dioxide and nitrogen record a slight increase, and propane is first observed. This phenomenon may be related to the exposure time during the transportation of shale samples from the drilling site to the laboratory, as well as the differences in the mass, size and adsorptivity of different gas molecules. In addition to a series of conventional methods, including the USBM direct method and the Amoco Curve Fit(ACF) method, which were used here for lost gas content estimation, a Modified Curve Fit(MCF) method, based on the 'bidisperse' diffusion model, was established to estimate lost gas content. By fitting the ACF and MCF models to gas desorption data, we determined that the MCF method could reasonably describe the gas desorption data over the entire time period, whereas the ACF method failed. The failure of the ACF method to describe the gas desorption process may be related to its restrictive assumption of a single pore size within shale samples. In comparison to the indirect method, this study demonstrates that none of the three methods studied in this investigation(USBM, ACF and MCF) could individually estimate the lost gas contents of all shale samples and that the proportion of free gas relative to total gas has a significant effect on the estimation accuracy of the selected method. When the ratio of free gas to total gas is lower than 45%, the USBM method is the best for estimating the lost gas content, whereas when the ratio ranges from 45% to 75% or is more than 75%, the ACF and MCF methods, are the best options respectively.

Geochemical characteristics and genetic mechanism of the high-N2 shale gas reservoir in the Longmaxi Formation, Dianqianbei Area, China

As an important pilot target for shale gas exploration and development in China,the Longmaxi Formation shale in the Dianqianbei Area is characterized by high content of nitrogen,which severely increases exploration risk.Accordingly,this study explores the genesis of shale gas reservoir and the mechanism of nitrogen enrichment through investigating shale gas compositions,isotope features,and geochemical characteristics of associated gases.The high-nitrogen shale gas reservoir in the Longmaxi Formation is demonstrated to be a typical dry gas reservoir.Specifically,the alkane carbon isotope reversal is ascribed to the secondary cracking of crude oil and the Rayleigh fractionation induced by the basalt mantle plume.Such a thermogenic oil-type gas reservoir is composed of both oil-cracking gas and kerogen-cracking gas.The normally high nitrogen content(18.05%-40.92%) is attributed to organic matter cracking and thermal ammoniation in the high-maturity stage.Specifically,the high heat flow effect of the Emeishan mantle plume exacerbates the thermal cracking of organic matter in the Longmaxi Formation shale,accompanied by nitrogen generation.In comparison,the abnormally high nitrogen content(86.79%-98.54%) is ascribed to the communication between the atmosphere and deep underground fluids by deep faults,which results in hydrocarbon loss and nitrogen intrusion,acting as the key factor for deconstruction of the primary shale gas reservoir.Results of this study not only enrich research on genetic mechanism of high-maturity N_@ shale gas reservoirs,but also provide theoretical guidance for subsequent gas reservoir resource evaluation and well-drilling deployment in this area.

Key geological factors controlling the estimated ultimate recovery of shale oil and gas: A case study of the Eagle Ford shale, Gulf Coast Basin, USA

Based on 991 groups of analysis data of shale samples from the Lower Member of the Cretaceous Eagle Ford Formation of 1317 production wells and 72 systematic coring wells in the U.S. Gulf Basin, the estimated ultimate recovery(EUR) of shale oil and gas of the wells are predicted by using two classical EUR estimation models, and the average values predicted excluding the effect of engineering factors are taken as the final EUR. Key geological factors controlling EUR of shale oil and gas are fully investigated. The reservoir capacity, resources, flow capacity and fracability are the four key geological parameters controlling EUR. The storage capacity of shale oil and gas is directly controlled by total porosity and hydrocarbon-bearing porosity, and indirectly controlled by total organic carbon(TOC) and vitrinite reflectance(Ro). The resources of shale oil and gas are controlled by hydrocarbon-bearing porosity and effective shale thickness etc. The flow capacity of shale oil and gas is controlled by effective permeability, crude oil density, gas-oil ratio, condensate oil-gas ratio, formation pressure gradient, and Ro. The fracability of shale is directly controlled by brittleness index, and indirectly controlled by clay content in volume. EUR of shale oil and gas is controlled by six geological parameters: it is positively correlated with effective shale thickness, TOC and fracture porosity, negatively correlated with clay content in volume, and increases firstly and then decreases with the rise of Ro and formation pressure gradient. Under the present upper limit of horizontal well fracturing effective thickness of 65 m and the lower limit of EUR of 3×10^(4) m^(3), when TOC<2.3%, or Ro<0.85%, or clay content in volume larger than 25%, and fractures and micro-fractures aren’t developed, favorable areas of shale oil and gas hardly occur.

Evaluation of gas content in organic-rich shale:A review of the history,current status,and future directions

Shale gas is being hailed as the green energy of the future due to high heating value,low carbon emissions,and large reserves.Gas content of shale is a key parameter for evaluating the shale gas potential and screening for the shale gas sweet spots.Although the concept of gas content has been well defined,obtaining a reliable gas content data still remains a challenge.A significant barrier is the method for evaluating the gas content.In this paper,we provide a review of the long-established and recently developed gas content evaluation methods.In the first part of this review article,the history of gas content evaluation methods is summarized since 1910s,relied on published and unpublished literatures as well as our own experiences.Then,the fundamental contents and concepts involved in gas content evaluation are introduced to provide a clear theoretical foundation for the methods.In the third part,eleven evaluation methods,including four direct methods and seven indirect methods,are systematically reviewed.In each method,its application to evaluating the gas content is presented,the key advances are highlighted,and the advantages and limitations are discussed.Finally,future directions are discussed to promote creative thinking across disciplines to develop new methods or improve current methods for evaluating the gas content more accurately and efficiently.

Influencing factors of gas content evaluation for shale gas:a case study of Lower Paleozoic Wuling fold belt in Upper Yangtze Basin

Factors of shale gas accumulation can be divided into the external and internal factors,according to accumulation mechanism and characteristics of shale gas. The internal factors mainly refer to parameters of organic geochemistry,mineral components and physical parameters. Six factors were presented in this study,i. e.organic matter,maturity,quartz,carbonate,clay mineral and pore. The external factors mainly refer to geologic environment of shale gas reservoir,including four factors: temperature,pressure,depth and thickness.Based on the experiment results of 26 samples of drilling cores from Wuling fold belt in Lower Paleozoic Silurian of the Upper Yangtze Basin,combined with the integrated analysis of geology,logging and test,the correlation of the gas content of shale gas to the above-mentioned ten factors was concluded. Six important evaluation indicators were preliminarily established in the gas-bearing core area of marine shale in the Upper Yangtze Basin.

Discovery and Analysis of Shale Gas in a Carboniferous Reservoir and its Enrichment Characteristics in the Northern Nanpanjiang Depression, Guizhou Province, China

Shale gas resources are considered to be extremely abundant in southern China,which has dedicated considerable attention to shale gas exploration in recent years.Exploration of shale gas has considerably progressed and several breakthroughs have been made in China.However,shale gas explorations are still scarce.Summary and detailed analysis studies on black shale reservoirs are still to be performed for many areas.This lack of information slows the progress of shale gas explorations and results in low quantities of stored black shale.The Carboniferous Dawuba Formation,which is widely distributed and considerably thick,is one of the black shale formations targeted for shale gas exploration in southern China in the recent years.The acquisition and analysis of total organic carbon,vitrinite reflectance,types of organic matter,mineral composition,porosity,and permeability are basic but important processes.In addition,we analyzed the microscopic pores present in the shale.This study also showesd the good gas content of the Dawuba Formation,as well as the geological factors affecting its gas content and other characteristics.To understand the prospect of exploration,we compared this with other shale reservoirs which have been already successfully explored for gas.Our comparison showesd that those shale reservoirs have similar but not identical geological characteristics.

Economic feasibility and efficiency enhancement approaches for in situ upgrading of low-maturity organic-rich shale from an energy consumption ratio perspective

The technical feasibility of in situ upgrading technology to develop the enormous oil and gas resource potential in low-maturity shale is widely acknowledged.However,because of the large quantities of energy required to heat shale,its economic feasibility is still a matter of debate and has yet to be convincingly demonstrated quantitatively.Based on the energy conservation law,the energy acquisition of oil and gas generation and the energy consumption of organic matter cracking,shale heat-absorption,and surrounding rock heat dissipation during in situ heating were evaluated in this study.The energy consumption ratios for different conditions were determined,and the factors that influence them were analyzed.The results show that the energy consumption ratio increases rapidly with increasing total organic carbon(TOC)content.For oil-prone shales,the TOC content corresponding to an energy consumption ratio of 3 is approximately 4.2%.This indicates that shale with a high TOC content can be expected to reduce the project cost through large-scale operation,making the energy consumption ratio after consideration of the project cost greater than 1.In situ heating and upgrading technology can achieve economic benefits.The main methods for improving the economic feasibility by analyzing factors that influence the energy consumption ratio include the following:(1)exploring technologies that efficiently heat shale but reduce the heat dissipation of surrounding rocks,(2)exploring technologies for efficient transformation of organic matter into oil and gas,i.e.,exploring technologies with catalytic effects,or the capability to reduce in situ heating time,and(3)establishing a horizontal well deployment technology that comprehensively considers the energy consumption ratio,time cost,and engineering cost.

陆相页岩层系岩心含水量现场分析技术及初步应用

陆相页岩层系的流体分析是页岩油选层评价的重要基础。针对陆相页岩层系流体表征技术的现状和钻井现场的需求,基于岩心样品中水分易于散失的特性,探索建立了适用于井场基于微波的岩样含水快速测试方法。岩心出筒擦除表面的钻井液之后,第一时间采集具有代表性的块状岩样加载到破碎主机上破碎处理呈颗粒状,将颗粒状的样品倒入加载到微波含水测定仪的样品杯中,2 s后即可得到岩样水分的质量分数,测试绝对误差平均0.15%。初步应用研究表明:一是岩样水分检测结果可以转换为水分在样品孔隙系统中占据的孔隙空间,结合井场热解等资料快速计算样品的视孔隙度,为井场决策提供数据支撑;二是结合岩样块密度和热解数据等资料,计算岩心样品的视含油饱和度和视含水饱和度,实现井场岩样流体的快速评价。该方法的应用不需要对岩样进行洗油和烘干处理,缩短了分析周期,丰富了适用于井场的岩心孔隙度、流体分析实验技术手段和方法。

页岩气现场含气量测试技术探析

在页岩气勘探、开采及评估研究中,含气量的精确测定为预测富含资源的区域、评估资源量、计算储量、判断开采难度、策划开采方案、执行工程项目以及进行经济分析等重要决策提供了坚实的支撑。主要探究了页岩气现场含气量测试技术,旨在推动我国页岩气的规模化开发。

Carbon isotope fractionation during shale gas transport: Mechanism, characterization and significance

The gas in-place(GIP)content and the ratio of adsorbed/free gas are two key parameters for the assessment of shale gas resources and have thus received extensive attention.A variety of methods have been proposed to solve these issues,however none have gained widespread acceptance.Carbon isotope fractionation during the methane transport process provides abundant information,serving as an effective method for differentiating the gas transport processes of adsorbed gas and free gas and ultimately evaluating the two key parameters.In this study,four stages of methane carbon isotope fractionation were documented during a laboratory experiment that simulated gas transport through shale.The four stages reflect different transport processes:the free gas seepage stage(Ⅰ),transition stage(Ⅱ),adsorbed gas desorption stage(Ⅲ)and concentration diffusion stage(Ⅳ).Combined with the results of decoupling experiments,the isotope fractionation characteristics donated by the single effect(seepage,adsorption-desorption and diffusion)were clearly revealed.We further propose a technique integrating the Amoco curve fit(ACF)method and carbon isotope fractionation(CIF)to determine the dynamic change in adsorbed and free gas ratios during gas production.We find that the gases produced in stage Ⅰ are primarily composed of free gas and that carbon isotope ratios of methane(δ13C1)are stable and equal to the ratios of source gas(13C 10).In stage Ⅱ,the contribution of free gas decreases,while the proportion of adsorbed gas increases,and the δ13C1 gradually becomes lighter.With the depletion of free gas,the adsorbed gas contribution in stage Ⅲ reaches 100%,and the δ13C1 becomes heavier.Finally,in stage Ⅳ,the desorbed gas remaining in the pore spaces diffuses out under the concentration difference,and the δ13C1 becomes lighter again and finally stabilizes.In addition,a kinetic model for the quantitative description of isotope fractionation during desorption and diffusion was established.

Geological controls of shale gas accumulation and enrichment mechanism in Lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation of western Hubei, Middle Yangtze, China

The lower Cambrian Niutitang Formation is of crucial importance for shale gas target reservoirs in western Hubei,China;however,little work has been done in this field,and its shale gas accumulation and enrichment mechanism are still unclear.Based on survey wells,outcrop data,and large numbers of tests,the geological conditions of shale gas accumulation were studied;moreover,the factors that influence the gas content were thoroughly discussed.The results show that the Niutitang Formation(Є1n)can be divided into three sections:the first section(Є_(1)n^(1)),the second section(Є_(1)n^(2)),and the third section(Є1n3).TheЄ_(1)n^(2) is the main shale gas reservoir.The deep shelf facies is the main sedimentary facies and can be divided into three main lithofacies:argillaceous siltstone,carbonaceous shale and carbonaceous siliceous rock.The total organic carbon(TOC)content shows gentle growth trends until bottom of theЄ_(1)n^(2) and then decreases rapidly within theЄ_(1)n^(1),and the TOC content mainly ranges from 2%to 4%horizontally.The calcite and dolomite dissolution pores,clay intergranular pores and organic pores are the main pore types and the micropore types are clearly related to the mineral compositions and the TOC content.Vertically,the gas content is mainly affected by the TOC content.Horizontally,wells with high gas contents are distributed only southeast of the Huangling anticline,and the combination of structural styles,fault and fracture development,and the distribution of the regional unconformity boundary between the upper Sinian Dengying Formation(Z2d)and theЄ_(1)n^(2) are the three most important factors affecting the gas content.The favorable areas must meet the following conditions:a deep shelf environment,the presence of theЄ_(1)n^(1),wide and gentle folds,far from large normal faults that are more than 5 km,moderate thermal evolution,and greater than 500 m burial depth;this includes the block with the YD2–ZD2 wells,and the block with the Y1 and YD4 wells,which are distributed in the southern portion of the Huangling anticline and northern portion of the Xiannvshan fault.

页岩气解吸规律新认识

自主研发的无压阻微压损型全自动含气量测试仪,不仅可以连续测试页岩气解吸气量,还具备检测甲烷质量分数的功能。依托于该仪器,对渝东南地区页岩气井进行现场含气量测试,首次实现对页岩气解吸中气体组分的连续检测,发现页岩气解吸具有独特规律。页岩气解吸遵循"三段式"变化模式,解吸初期(前3 h),甲烷质量分数快速增加,解吸中期(3～10 h)甲烷质量分数基本稳定不变,解吸后期(10 h至解吸终止)甲烷质量分数跳跃式下降至解吸结束。页岩气解吸是从外到内,从裂缝、大孔到微裂缝、微孔,最后到页岩基质块体,层层递进、逐级深入的过程。解吸初期,页岩释放的气体多来自裂缝或连通较好的大孔,游离气占据主要部分;解吸中期,微裂缝或大孔中呈吸附状态的气体及具一定连通性的中孔和部分微孔中气体开始释放,以游离气和吸附气为主;解吸后期,连通性较差及微孔中呈吸附或束缚状态的气体开始释放,吸附气占据主要部分。

页岩含气量现场解吸技术优化的研究

页岩含气量是非常规油气资源潜力评价的重要依据,一般是在钻探施工现场使用含气量现场解吸设备进行测试分析,解吸仪调试状态、现场解吸梯度、解吸罐内水分等因素都会对页岩含气量解吸结果准确度产生影响。针对页岩含气量现场解吸的主要影响因素,采取充分调试解吸仪,设置科学合理的现场解吸温度梯度和时间梯度,减少解吸罐内水分等措施,以达到页岩含气量现场解吸技术优化的目的。研究结果表明,优化后的页岩含气量现场解吸技术实用性强,有助于提高页岩气资源潜力评价的精确度。

Classification of Hydrocarbon-Bearing Fine-Grained Sedimentary Rocks

Fine-grained sedimentary rocks are defined as rocks which mainly compose of fine grains（〈62.5 μm）. The detailed studies on these rocks have revealed the need of a more unified, comprehensive and inclusive classification. The study focuses on fine-grained rocks has turned from the differences of inorganic mineral components to the significance of organic matter and microorganisms. The proposed classification is based on mineral composition, and it is noted that organic matters have been taken as a very important parameter in this classification scheme. Thus, four parameters, the TOC content, silica（quartz plus feldspars）, clay minerals and carbonate minerals, are considered to divide the fine-grained sedimentary rocks into eight categories, and the further classification within every category is refined depending on subordinate mineral composition. The nomenclature consists of a root name preceded by a primary adjective. The root names reflect mineral constituent of the rock, including low organic（TOC〈2%）, middle organic（2%4%） claystone, siliceous mudstone, limestone, and mixed mudstone. Primary adjectives convey structure and organic content information, including massive or limanited. The lithofacies are closely related to the reservoir storage space, porosity, permeability, hydrocarbon potential and shale oil/gas sweet spot, and are the key factor for the shale oil and gas exploration. The classification helps to systematically and practicably describe variability within fine-grained sedimentary rocks, what＇s more, it helps to guide the hydrocarbon exploration.