Impacts of proppant distribution on development of tight oil reservoirs with threshold pressure gradient

Field evidence indicates that proppant distribution and threshold pressure gradient have great impacts on well productivity.Aiming at the development of unconventional oil reservoirs in Triassic Chang-7 Unit,Ordos Basin of China,we presented an integrated workflow to investigate how(1)proppant placement in induced fracture and(2)non-linear flow in reservoir matrix would affect well productivity and fluid flow in the reservoir.Compared with our research before(Yue et al.,2020),here we extended this study into the development of multi-stage fractured horizontal wells(MFHWs)with large-scale complicated fracture geometry.The integrated workflow is based on the finite element method and consists of simulation models for proppant-laden fluid flow,fracture flow,and non-linear seepage flow,respectively.Simulation results indicate that the distribution of proppant inside the induced cracks significantly affects the productivity of the MFHW.When we assign an idealized proppant distribution instead of the real distribution,there will be an overestimation of 44.98%in daily oil rate and 30.63%in cumulative oil production after continuous development of 1000 days.Besides,threshold pressure gradient(TPG)also significantly affects the well performance in tight oil reservoirs.If we simply apply linear Darcy’s law to the reservoir matrix,the overall cumulative oil production can be overrated by 77%after 1000 days of development.In general,this research provides new insights into the development of tight oil reservoirs with TPG and meanwhile reveals the significance of proppant distribution and non-linear fluid flow in the production scenario design.

The effects of various factors on spontaneous imbibition in tight oil reservoirs

Slickwater fracturing fluids have gained widespread application in the development of tight oil reservoirs. After the fracturing process, the active components present in slickwater can directly induce spontaneous imbibition within the reservoir. Several variables influence the eventual recovery rate within this procedure, including slickwater composition, formation temperature, degree of reservoir fracture development, and the reservoir characteristics. Nonetheless, the underlying mechanisms governing these influences remain relatively understudied. In this investigation, using the Chang-7 block of the Changqing Oilfield as the study site, we employ EM-30 slickwater fracturing fluid to explore the effects of the drag-reducing agent concentration, imbibition temperature, core permeability, and core fracture development on spontaneous imbibition. An elevated drag-reducing agent concentration is observed to diminish the degree of medium and small pore utilization. Furthermore, higher temperatures and an augmented permeability enhance the fluid flow properties, thereby contributing to an increased utilization rate across all pore sizes. Reduced fracture development results in a lower fluid utilization across diverse pore types. This study deepens our understanding of the pivotal factors affecting spontaneous imbibition in tight reservoirs following fracturing. The findings act as theoretical, technical, and scientific foundations for optimizing fracturing strategies in tight oil reservoir transformations.

Study on the Impact of Massive Refracturing on the Fracture Network in Tight Oil Reservoir Horizontal Wells

Class III tight oil reservoirs have low porosity and permeability,which are often responsible for low production rates and limited recovery.Extensive repeated fracturing is a well-known technique to fix some of these issues.With such methods,existing fractures are refractured,and/or new fractures are created to facilitate communication with natural fractures.This study explored how different refracturing methods affect horizontal well fracture networks,with a special focus on morphology and related fluid flow changes.In particular,the study relied on the unconventional fracture model(UFM).The evolution of fracture morphology and flow field after the initial fracturing were analyzed accordingly.The simulation results indicated that increased formation energy and reduced reservoir stress differences can promote fracture expansion.It was shown that the length of the fracture network,the width of the fracture network,and the complexity of the fracture can be improved,the oil drainage area can be increased,the distance of oil and gas seepage can be reduced,and the production of a single well can be significantly increased.

Optimization of operational strategies for rich gas enhanced oil recovery based on a pilot test in the Bakken tight oil reservoir

Horizontal well drilling and multistage hydraulic fracturing have been demonstrated as effective approaches for stimulating oil production in the Bakken tight oil reservoir.However,after multiple years of production,primary oil recovery in the Bakken is generally less than 10%of the estimated original oil in place.Gas huff‘n’puff(HnP)has been tested in the Bakken Formation as an enhanced oil recovery(EOR)method;however,most field pilot test results showed no significant incremental oil production.One of the factors affecting HnP EOR performance is premature gas breakthrough,which is one of the most critical issues observed in the field because of the presence of interwell fractures.Consequently,injected gas rapidly reaches adjacent production wells without contacting reservoir rock and increasing oil recovery.Proper conformance control is therefore needed to avoid early gas breakthrough and improve EOR performance.In this study,a rich gas EOR pilot in the Bakken was carefully analyzed to collect the essential reservoir and operational data.A simulation model with 16 wells was then developed to reproduce the production history and predict the EOR performance with and without conformance control.EOR operational strategies,including single-and multiple-well HnP,with different gas injection constraints were investigated.The simulation results of single-well HnP without conformance control showed that a rich gas injection rate of at least 10 MMscfd was needed to yield meaningful incremental oil production.The strategy of conformance control via water injection could significantly improve oil production in the HnP well,but injecting an excessive amount of water also leads to water breakthrough and loss of oil production in the offset wells.By analyzing the production performance of the wells individually,the arrangement of wells was optimized for multiple-well HnP EOR.The multiwell results showed that rich gas EOR could improve oil production up to 7.4%by employing conformance control strategies.Furthermore,replacing rich gas with propane as the injection gas could result in 14%of incremental oil production.

Temporal variations in geochemistry of hydraulic fracturing fluid and flowback water in a tight oil reservoir

Hydraulic fracturing facilitates the development and exploitation of unconventional reservoirs.In this study,the injected hydraulic fracturing fluid(HFF)and flowback and produced water(FPW)in tight oil reservoirs of the Lucaogou Formation in the Junggar Basin are temporally sampled from day 1 to day 64.Freshwater is used for fracturing,and HFF is obtained.The chemical and isotopic parameters(including the water type,total salinity,total dissolved solids(TDS),pH,concentrations of Na^(+),Cl^(-),Ba^(+),K^(+),Fe^(2+)+Fe^(3+),and CO_(3)^(2-),dD,and δ^(18)O)are experimentally obtained,and their variations with time are systematically analyzed based on the flowback water.The results show that the water type,Na/Cl ratio,total salinity,and TDS of the FPW change periodically primarily due to the HFF mixing with formation water,thus causing δD and δ^(18)O to deviate from the meteoric water line of Xinjiang.Because of watererock interaction(WRI),the concentrations of Fe^(2+)+Fe^(3+)and CO_(3)^(2-)of the FPW increase over time,with the solution pH becoming more alkaline.Furthermore,based on the significant changes observed in the geochemistry of the FPW,three separate time intervals of flowback time are identified:Stage Ⅰ(<10 days),where the FPW is dominated by the HFF and the changes in ions and isotopes are mainly caused by the WRI;Stage Ⅱ(10-37 days),where the FPW is dominated by the addition of formation water to the HFF and the WRI is weakened;and finally,Stage Ⅲ(>37 days),where the FPW is dominated by the chemistry of the formation water.The methodology implemented in this study can provide critical support for the source identification of formation water.

Enhancement of the imbibition recovery by surfactants in tight oil reservoirs

Hydraulic fracturing technology can significantly increase oil production from tight oil formations, but performance data show that production declines rapidly. In the long term, it is necessary to increase the development efficiency of block matrix, surfactant-aided imbibition is a potential way. The current work aimed to explain comprehensively how surfactants can enhance the imbibition rate. Laboratory experiments were performed to investigate the effects of wettability, interfacial tension(IFT), and relative permeability as the key parameters underlying surfactant solution imbibition. Two different types of surfactants, sodium dodecyl sulfate and polyethylene glycol octylphenol ether, at varied concentrations were tested on reservoir rocks. Experimental results showed that the oil recovery rate increased with increased wettability alteration and IFT and decreased residual oil saturation. A mechanistic simulator developed in previous studies was used to perform parametric analysis after successful laboratory-scale validation. Results were proven by parametric studies. This study,which examined the mechanism and factors influencing surfactant solution imbibition, can improve understanding of surfactant-aided imbibition and surfactant screening.

Numerical simulation of hydraulic fracture propagation in tight oil reservoirs by volumetric fracturing

Volumetric fracturing is a primary stimulation technology for economical and effective exploitation of tight oil reservoirs. The main mechanism is to connect natural fractures to generate a fracture network system which can enhance the stimulated reservoir volume. By using the combined finite and discrete element method, a model was built to describe hydraulic fracture propagation in tight oil reservoirs. Considering the effect of horizontal stress difference, number and spacing of perforation clus- ters, injection rate, and the density of natural fractures on fracture propagation, we used this model to simulate the fracture propagation in a tight formation of a certain oil- field. Simulation results show that when the horizontal stress difference is lower than 5 MPa, it is beneficial to form a complex fracture network system. If the horizontal stress difference is higher than 6 MPa, it is easy to form a planar fracture system; with high horizontal stress differ- ence, increasing the number of perforation clusters is beneficial to open and connect more natural fractures, and to improve the complexity of fracture network and the stimulated reservoir volume （SRV）. As the injection rate increases, the effect of volumetric fracturing may be improved; the density of natural fractures may only have a great influence on the effect of volume stimulation in a low horizontal stress difference.

Laboratory to field scale assessment for EOR applicability in tight oil reservoirs

Tight oil reservoirs are contributing a major role to fulfill the overall crude oil needs,especially in the US.However,the dilemma is their ultra-tight permeability and an uneconomically short-lived primary recovery factor.Therefore,the application of EOR in the early reservoir development phase is considered effective for fast-paced and economical tight oil recovery.To achieve these objectives,it is imperative to determine the optimum EOR potential and the best-suited EOR application for every individual tight oil reservoir to maximize its ultimate recovery factor.Since most of the tight oil reservoirs are found in wide spatial source rock with complex and compacted pores and poor geophysical properties yet they hold high saturation of good quality oil and therefore,every single percent increase in oil recovery from such huge reservoirs potentially provide an additional million barrels of oil.Hence,the EOR application in such reservoirs is quite essential.However,the physical understanding of EOR applications in different circumstances from laboratory to field scale is the key to success and similarly,the fundamental physical concepts of fluid flow-dynamics under confinement conditions play an important role.This paper presents a detailed discussion on laboratory-based experimental achievements at micro-scale including fundamental concepts under confinement environment,physics-based numerical studies,and recent actual field piloting experiences based on the U.S.unconventional plays.The objective of this paper is to discuss all the critical reservoir rock and fluid properties and their contribution to reservoir development through massive multi-staged hydraulic fracture networks and the EOR applications.Especially the CO_(2)and produced hydrocarbon gas injection through single well-based huff-n-puff operational constraints are discussed in detail both at micro and macro scale.

A novel approach of tight oil reservoirs stimulation based on fracture controlling optimization and design

To deal with the stress interference caused by simultaneous propagation of multiple fractures and the wettability reversal and physical property changes of the reservoir caused by fracturing fluid getting in during large-volume fracturing of tight oil reservoirs through a horizontal well, a non-planar 3D fracture growth model was built, wettability reversal characterizing parameters and change of relative permeability curve were introduced to correct the production prediction model of fractured horizontal well, a fracturing design optimization software(Fr Smart) by integrating geological and engineering data was developed, and a fracturing design optimization approach for tight oil reservoirs based on fracture control was worked out. The adaptability of the method was analyzed and the fracture parameters of horizontal wells in tight oil reservoirs were optimized. The simulation results show that fracturing technology based on fracture control is suitable for tight oil reservoirs, and by optimizing fracture parameters, this technology makes it possible to produce the maximum amount of reserves in the well-controlled unit of unconventional reservoirs. The key points of fracturing design optimization based on fracture control include increasing lateral length of and reducing the row spacing between horizontal wells, increasing perforation clusters in one stage to decrease the spacing of neighboring fractures, and also avoiding interference of old and new fracturing wells. Field tests show that this technology can increase single well production and ultimate recovery. Using this technology in developing unconventional resources such as tight oil reservoirs in China will enhance the economics significantly.

Quantitative investigation of nanofluid imbibition in tight oil reservoirs based on NMR technique

Nanofluids have been effective chemical additives for enhanced oil recovery(EOR)in tight oil reservoirs due to their special properties.However,oil imbibition recoveries vary for different nanofluids.The oil/water distribution in rocks during imbibition using various nanofluids was less discussed in previous studies.In this study,we systematically examined the imbibition efficiencies of various nanofluids at60℃.Furthermore,the migration of nanofluids and oil distribution in the rock pores were monitored using nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR).The nanofluids were prepared by dispersing silica nanoparticles and five different types of surfactants i.e.,anionic-nonionic,anionic,nonionic,amphoteric and cationic surfactants in deionized(DI)water.Subsequently,interfacial tension(IFT)and contact angle measurements were conducted to reveal the underlying EOR mechanisms of various nanofluids.The experimental results showed that the EOR potential of the different types of nanofluids was in the order anionic-nonionic>anionic>nonionic>amphoteric>cationic>brine.Anionic-nonionic(sodium lauryl ether sulfate(SLES))and anionic(sodium dodecyl sulfonate(SDS))nanofluids exhibited excellent capability of wettability alteration,and increased oil recovery by 27.96%and 23.08%,respectively,compared to brine.The NMR results also showed that mesopores(0.1-1μm)were the dominant developed pores in the rocks,and contributed the most to imbibition efficiency.In addition,the imbibition of nanofluids initially took place in mesopores and micropores before moving into macropores.This study provides fundamental information on the selection of nanofluids for EOR in tight oil reservoirs.The study also improved the understanding of oil/water distribution during the imbibition of the proposed nanofluids.

Optimization of refracturing timing for horizontal wells in tight oil reservoirs: A case study of Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation, Songliao Basin, NE China

Tight oil reservoirs in Songliao Basin were taken as subjects and a novel idealized refracturing well concept was proposed by considering the special parameters of volume fracturing horizontal wells, the refracturing potential of candidate wells were graded and prioritized, and a production prediction model of refracturing considering the stress sensitivity was established using numerical simulation method to sort out the optimal refracturing method and timing. The simulations show that: with the same perforation clusters, the order of fracturing technologies with contribution to productivity from big to small is refracturing between existent fractured sections, orientation diversion inside fractures, extended refracturing, refracturing of existent fractures; and the later the refracturing timing, the shorter the effective time. Based on this, the prediction model of breakdown pressure considering the variation of formation pressure was used to find out the variation pattern of breakdown pressure of different positions at different production time. Through the classification of the breakdown pressure, the times of temporary plugging and diverting and the amount of temporary plugging agent were determined under the optimal refracturing timing. Daily oil production per well increased from 2.3 t/d to 16.5 t/d in the field test. The research results provide important reference for refracturing optimization design of similar tight oil reservoirs.

An Experimental Study on the Effect of a Nanofluid on Oil-Water Relative Permeability

The low porosity and low permeability of tight oil reservoirs call for improvements in the current technologies for oil recovery.Traditional chemical solutions with large molecular size cannot effectively flow through the nanopores of the reservoir.In this study,the feasibility of Nanofluids has been investigated using a high pressure high temperature core-holder and nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR).The results of the experiments indicate that the specified Nanofluids can enhance the tight oil recovery significantly.The water and oil relative permeability curve shifts to the high water saturation side after Nanofluid flooding,thereby demonstrating an increase in the water wettability of the core.In the Nanofluid flooding process the oil recovery was enhanced by 15.1%,compared to waterflooding stage.The T2 spectra using the NMR show that after Nanofluid flooding,a 7.18%increment in oil recovery factor was gained in the small pores,a 4.9%increase in the middle pores,and a 0.29%increase in the large pores.These results confirm that the Nanofluids can improve the flow state in micro-sized pores inside the core and increase the ultimate oil recovery factor.

Refracturing candidate selection for MFHWs in tight oil and gas reservoirs using hybrid method with data analysis techniques and fuzzy clustering

The selection of refracturing candidate is one of the most important jobs faced by oilfield engineers. However, due to the complicated multi-parameter relationships and their comprehensive influence, the selection of refracturing candidate is often very difficult. In this paper, a novel approach combining data analysis techniques and fuzzy clustering was proposed to select refracturing candidate. First, the analysis techniques were used to quantitatively calculate the weight coefficient and determine the key factors. Then, the idealized refracturing well was established by considering the main factors. Fuzzy clustering was applied to evaluate refracturing potential. Finally, reservoirs numerical simulation was used to further evaluate reservoirs energy and material basis of the optimum refracturing candidates. The hybrid method has been successfully applied to a tight oil reservoir in China. The average steady production was 15.8 t/d after refracturing treatment, increasing significantly compared with previous status. The research results can guide the development of tight oil and gas reservoirs effectively.

Experimental study on the mechanism of adsorption-improved imbibition in oil-wet tight sandstone by a nonionic surfactant for enhanced oil recovery

In recent years,production from tight oil reservoirs has increasingly supplemented production from conventional oil resources.Oil-wet formations account for a considerable proportion of tight oil reservoirs.Surfactant can change wettability and reduce interfacial tension,thus resulting in a better oil recovery.In this manuscript,a nonionic surfactant was introduced for tight oil-wet reservoirs.The oil recovery in the oil-wet sandstone due to spontaneous imbibition was 8.59%lower than that of the waterwet sandstone due to surfactant.The 0.1%surfactant solution corresponded to the highest imbibition recovery rate of 27.02%from the oil-wet sample.With the surfactant treatment,the treated core quickly changed from weakly oil-wet to weakly water-wet.The capillary force acted as the driving force and promoted imbibition.The optimal surfactant adsorption quantity in the oil-wet sandstone was observed in the sample at concentrations ranging from 0.1%to 0.3%,which also corresponded to the highest oil recovery.Analysis of the inverse Bond number NB-1 suggested that the driving force was gravity for brine imbibition in the oil-wet cores and that it was capillary force for surfactant imbibition in the oil-wet cores.When the surfactant concentration was lower than the critical micelle concentration,the surfactant concentration was negatively correlated with the inverse Bond number and positively correlated with the oil recovery rate.When the surfactant concentration was higher than the critical micelle concentration,the oil recovery increased with a smaller interfacial tension.Nuclear magnetic resonance suggested that the movable pore and pore throat size in the oil-wet sample decreased from 0.363 mm in the untreated rock to 0.326 mm with the surfactant treatment,which indicated that the surfactant improved the flow capacity of the oil.The findings of this study can help to better understand the adsorption impact of surfactants on the characteristics of the oil/water and solid/liquid interfaces.The imbibition mechanism in oil-wet tight sandstone reservoirs was further revealed.These systematic approaches help to select appropriate surfactants for better recovery in oil-wet tight sandstone reservoirs through imbibition.

Pore scale performance evaluation and impact factors in nitrogen huff-n-puff EOR for tight oil

Nitrogen huff-n-puff(N_(2)HnP) appears to be an economical and high-efficiency enhanced oil recovery(EOR) technique for tight oil reservoirs.There is however a lack of understanding of the pore-level EOR performance of N2HnP under tight reservoir conditions.In this work,a non-magnetic reactor was created and combined with a nuclear magnetic resonance(NMR) device for real-time monitoring of oil distribution in the HnP experiment.N_(2)HnP experiments were then performed in a tight sandstone core sample at a temperature of 353 K and an injection pressure≥ 24 MPa.The pore-level oil distribution under reservoir conditions was monitored and the EOR performance of N2HnP in specific pores was analyzed.The pore throat structures of the core sample and the phase behavior of the N_(2)-Oil system were analyzed to elucidate the EOR mechanism of N_(2)HnP.An oil recovery factor of 37.52% can be achieved after four cycles,which proves the EOR potential of N_(2)HnP for tight reservoirs.The highest recoveries after N_(2)HnP are obtained in the large pores,followed by the medium pores,the small pores,and finally the micro pores.Increases in soaking time and injection pressure resulted in slight and pronounced increases in oil recovery,respectively,both of which are mainly reflected in the first cycle.Specifically,increasing the soaking time only slightly improves the cumulative oil recovery in the small pores while increasing the injection pressure significantly improves the cumulative oil recovery in the small,medium,and large pores simultaneously.However,variations in both injection pressure and soaking time have a negligible effect on the cumulative oil recovery of the micro pores.

Rapid Determination of Complete Distribution of Pore and Throat in Tight Oil Sandstone of Triassic Yanchang Formation in Ordos Basin, China

This study aimed to investigate the complete distribution of reservoir space in tight oil sandstone combining casting slices, field emission scanning electron microscopy(FE-SEM), the pore-throat theory model, high-resolution image processing, mathematical statistics, and other technical means. Results of reservoir samples from the Xin’anbian area of Ordos Basin showed that the total pore radius curve of the tight oil sandstone reservoir exhibited a multi-peak distribution, and the peaks appeared to be more focused on the ends of the range. This proved that pores with a radius of 1–50,000 nm provided the most significant storage space for tight oil, indicating that special attention should be paid to this range of the pore size distribution. Meanwhile, the complete throat radius curve of the tight oil sandstone reservoir exhibited a multipeak distribution. However, the peak values were distributed throughout the scales. This confirmed that the throat radius in the tight oil sandstone reservoir was not only in the range of hundreds of nanometers but was also widely distributed in the scale approximately equal to the pore size. The new rapid determination method could provide a precise theoretical basis for the comprehensive evaluation, exploration, and development of a tight oil sandstone reservoir.

Origin of dolomites in the Permian dolomitic reservoirs of Fengcheng Formation in Mahu Sag,Junggar Basin, NW China

Origin of authigenic dolomites in the dolomitic reservoir of the Permian Fengcheng Formation in the Mahu Sag of Junggar Basin is unclear.Occurrence and genetic evolution of the authigenic dolomites in dolomitic rock reservoir of the Fengcheng Formation in the Mahu Sag were analyzed by polarized and fluorescence thin sections,scanning electron microscope(SEM),electron microprobe(EMP),C,O and Sr isotopes analysis,and other techniques.(1)Dolomites were mainly precipitated in three stages:penecontemporaneous-shallow burial stage(early stage of the Middle Permian),middle burial stage(middle stage of the Middle Permian),and middle-deep burial stage,with the former two stages in dominance.(2)Dolomitization fluid was high-salinity brine originating from alkaline lake.In the penecontemporaneous-shallow burial stage,Mg^(2+)was mainly supplied by alkaline-lake fluid and devitrification of volcanic glass.In the middle burial stage,Mg^(2+)mainly came from the transformation of clay minerals,devitrification of volcanic glass and dissolution of aluminosilicates such as feldspar.(3)Regular changes of Mg,Mn,Fe,Sr,Si and other elements during the growth of dolomite were mainly related to the alkaline-lake fluid,and to different influences of devitrification and diagenetic alteration of volcanic materials during the burial.(4)In the penecontemporaneous stage,induced by alkaline-lake microorganisms,the micritic-microcrystalline dolomites were formed by primary precipitation,replacement of aragonite and high-Mg calcite,and other processes;in the shallow burial stage,the silt-sized dolomites were formed by continuous growth of micritic-microcrystalline dolomite and replacement of calcites,tuffs and other substances;in the middle burial stage,the dolomites,mainly silt-and fine-sized,were formed by replacement of volcanic materials.The research results are referential for investigating the formation mechanism and distribution patterns of tight dolomitic reservoirs in the Mahu Sag and other similar oil and gas bearing areas.

Geological characteristics and ‘‘sweet area'' evaluation for tight oil

Tight oil has become the focus in exploration and development of unconventional oil in the world, especially in North America and China. In North America, there has been intensive exploration for tight oil in marine. In China, commercial exploration for tight oil in conti- nental sediments is now steadily underway. With the dis- covery of China＇s first tight oil field--Xin＇anbian Oilfield in the Ordos Basin, tight oil has been integrated officially into the category for reserves evaluation. Geologically, tight oil is characterized by distribution in depressions and slopes of basins, extensive, mature, and high-quality source rocks, large-scale reservoir space with micro- and nanopore throat systems, source rocks and reservoirs in close contact and with continuous distribution, and local ＂sweet area.＂ The evaluation of the distribution of tight oil ＂sweet area＂ should focus on relationships between ＂six features.＂ These are source properties, lithology, physical properties, brittleness, hydrocarbon potential, and stress anisotropy. In North America, tight oil prospects are distributed in lamellar shale or marl, where natural fractures are fre- quently present, with TOC 〉 4 %, porosity 〉 7 %, brittle mineral content 〉 50 %, oil saturation of 50 %-80 %, API 〉 35~, and pressure coefficient 〉 1.30. In China, tight oil prospects are distributed in lamellar shale, tight sand- stone, or tight carbonate rocks, with TOC 〉 2 %, poros- ity 〉 8 %, brittle mineral content 〉 40 %, oil saturation of 60 %-90 %, low crude oil viscosity, or high formation pressure. Continental tight oil is pervasive in China and its preliminary estimated technically recoverable resources are about （20-25） × lO8^ t.

Types, distribution and play targets of Lower Cretaceous tight oil in Jiuquan Basin, NW China

Based on drilling and laboratory data, the formation conditions of tight oil reservoirs in the Jiuquan basin were comprehensively analyzed and the exploration domains were sorted out. The Jiuquan basin underwent three cycles of lake level fluctuation in early Cretaceous, leaving three sets of high-quality source rocks, the Zhonggou, Xiagou and Chijinbao Formations in the Lower Cretaceous. There are two types of reservoir assemblages, source-reservoir in one type and source below reservoir type, and two types of tight reservoirs, argillaceous dolomite and conglomerate. The "sweet spots" control the enrichment of oil and gas. Argillaceous dolomite tight oil reservoirs have the characteristic of "integrated source-reservoir", with fractures connecting the matrix micro-pores, pore-fracture type and fracture-pore type "sweet spots" distributed in large scale. The sandy conglomerate tight oil reservoirs were formed by source-reservoir lateral connection, and can be divided into source below reservoir type, source-reservoir side by side type and "sandwich" type. The overlapping areas of the favorable facies belts of fan-delta front and the secondary pore developing belts are the "sweet spot" sites. The favorable areas for seeking conglomerate tight oil are fan-delta front deposits around the Qingxi, Ying'er and Huahai sags, with an exploration area of 550 km^2; while the area to seek argillaceous dolomite tight oil is the NW fracture developed belt in Qingxi sag, with an exploration area of 100 km^2.

Sedimentology and Ichnology of Upper Montney Formation Tight Gas Reservoir, Northeastern British Columbia, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

Several decades of conventional oil and gas production in Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB) have resulted in maturity of the basin, and attention is shifting to alternative hydrocarbon reservoir system, such as tight gas reservoir of the Montney Formation, which consists of siltstone with subordinate interlaminated very fine-grained sandstone. The Montney Formation resource play is one of Canada’s prime unconventional hydrocarbon reservoir, with reserve estimate in British Columbia (Natural Gas reserve = 271 TCF), Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG = 12,647 million barrels), and oil reserve (29 million barrels). Based on sedimentological and ichnological criteria, five lithofacies associations were identified in the study interval: Lithofacies F-1 (organic rich, wavy to parallel laminated, black colored siltstone);Lithofacies F-2 (very fine-grained sandstone interbedded with siltstone);Lithofacies F-3A (bioturbated silty-sandstone attributed to the Skolithos ichnofacies);Lithofacies F-3B (bioturbated siltstone attributed to Cruziana ichnofacies);Lithofacies F-4 (dolomitic, very fine-grained sandstone);and Lithofacies F-5 (massive siltstone). The depositional environments interpreted for the Montney Formation in the study area are lower shoreface through proximal offshore to distal offshore settings. Rock-Eval data (hydrogen Index and Oxygen Index) shows that Montney sediments contains mostly gas prone Type III/IV with subordinate Type II kerogen, TOC ranges from 0.39 - 3.54 wt% with a rare spike of 10.9 wt% TOC along the Montney/Doig boundary. Vitrinite reflectance data and Tmax show that thermal maturity of the Montney Formation is in the realm of “peak gas” generation window. Despite the economic significance of the Montney unconventional “resource-play”, however, the location and predictability of the best reservoir interval remain conjectural in part because the lithologic variability of the optimum reservoir lithologies has not been adequately characterized. This study presents lithofacies and ichnofacies analyses of the Montney Formation coupled with Rock-Eval geochemistry to interpret the sedimentology, ichnology, and reservoir potential of the Montney Formation tight gas reservoir in Fort St. John study area (T86N, R23W and T74N, R13W), northeastern British Columbia, western Canada.