Characteristics of fault zones and their control on remaining oil distribution at the fault edge: a case study from the northern Xingshugang Anticline in the Daqing Oilfield, China

Most major oil zones in the Daqing Oilfield have reached a later,high water cut stage,but oil recovery is still only approximately 35%,and 50%of reserves remain to be recovered.The remaining oil is primarily distributed at the edge of faults,in poor sand bodies,and in insufficiently injected and produced areas.Therefore,the edge of faults is a major target for remaining oil enrichment and potential tapping.Based on the dynamic change of production from development wells determined by the injection-recovery relationship at the edge of faults,we analyzed the control of structural features of faults on remaining oil enrichment at the edge.Our results show that the macroscopic structural features and their geometric relationship with sand bodies controlled remaining oil enrichment zones like the edges of NNE-striking faults,the footwalls of antithetic faults,the hard linkage segments（two faults had linked together with each other to form a bigger through-going fault）,the tips of faults,and the oblique anticlines of soft linkages.Fault edges formed two types of forward microamplitude structures：（1） the tilted uplift of footwalls controlled by inverse fault sections and（2） the hanging-wall horizontal anticlines controlled by synthetic fault points.The remaining oil distribution was controlled by microamplitude structures.Consequently,such zones as the tilted uplift of the footwall of the NNW-striking antithetic faults with a fault throw larger than 40 m,the hard linkage segments,the tips of faults,and the oblique anticlines of soft linkage were favorable for tapping the remaining oil potential.Multi-target directional drilling was used for remaining oil development at fault edges.Reasonable fault spacing was determined on the basis of fault combinations and width of the shattered zone.Well core and log data revealed that the width of the shattered zone on the side of the fault core was less than 15 m in general;therefore,the distance from a fault to the development target should be larger than 15 m.Vertically segmented growth faults should take the separation of the lateral overlap of faults into account.Therefore,the safe distance of remaining oil well deployment at the fault edge should be larger than the sum of the width of shattered zone in faults and the separation of growth faults by vertical segmentation.

Comprehensive evaluation on hydrocarbon-bearing availability of fault traps in a rift basin: A case study of the Qikou sag in the Bohai Bay Basin, China

An evaluation system of hydrocarbon-bearing availability of fault traps was established based on the comprehensive analysis of fault segment growth history,fine reservoir anatomy and geochemistry tracing,with the Qikou sag in the Bohai Bay Basin as target area.The displacement/separation transform and displacement gradient method were used to prove the interpretation reliability of fault traps.The method of maximum throw subtraction was used to recover the history of fault growth and determine the availability of the forming period of fault traps.Based on the quantitative relationship between shale gouge ratio and cross-fault pressure difference of known reservoirs in southern Qikou sag,the critical shale gouge ratio of fault lateral sealing was calculated at 20%,and the quantitative evaluation chart based on the relationship of"fault throw–sand-formation ratio and hydrocarbon column height"was constructed.Based on the results of reservoir fine anatomy and quantitative fluorescence tracing test shale smear factor method is suitable for evaluating the vertical sealing of faults in the caprock of the middle submember of first member of Paleogene Shahejie Formation,and the shale smear factor critical value is 3.5.The juxtaposition thickness method is suitable for evaluating vertical sealing of faults in the caprock of the second member of Paleogene Dongying Formation,and the critical juxtaposition thickness of fault is 70–80 m.By combining four factors,the availability of fault trap interpretation,the availability of the forming period of fault trap,the availability of fault lateral sealing and the availability of fault vertical sealing,the comprehensive evaluation chart on hydrocarbon-bearing availability of fault traps in Qikou sag has been established,which provides a reasonable basis for risk assessment of fault traps.

Analysis of main controlling factors for hydrocarbon accumulation in central rift zones of the Hailar-Tamtsag Basin using a fault-caprock dual control mode

The Hailar-Tamtsag Basin is a typical rift basin where two sets of regional caprocks are developed,i.e.,mudstone caprocks(containing a small amount of tuff)developed in strong rifting stage and fault-depression stage,respectively.The caprocks have a cumulative thickness of 50-120 m in general,and a single-layer thickness of 20-50 m,interbedded with sandstone about 1-2 m thick.The large set of mudstone is distributed continuously,as pure mudstone caprock.Forty-three mudstone and tuff samples were taken to perform displacement pressure test with our independently developed displacement pressure tester.Test result shows that the displacement pressure is 0.04-10.00 MPa,which is equivalent to 0.09-20.01 MPa after being corrected to the actual burial depth.As the burial depth increases,the displacement pressure rises gradually,and is 1-10 times greater than that of oil-bearing sandstone or conglomerate reservoir at the same burial depth.The difference between displacement pressure of mudstone caprock and sandstone or conglomerate reservoir increases greatly if the burial depth exceeds 1000 m.Because of the displacement pressure difference between caprock and reservoir,the maximum height of hydrocarbon column sealed by the caprock ranges from 300 m to 2000 m,much higher than the height of the trap closure at the same burial depth.No hydrocarbons will leak through such caprocks.Analysis of the reservoir GOI,homogeneous temperature,and crude maturity of both deep and shallow reservoirs in Well Wu-20 in the Wuerxun Depression shows that Damoguaihe II Member reservoir is a secondary reservoir developed during adjustment of early reservoir.It is mainly distributed in inverted structures.Faulting is one of the main factors breaking the integrity of caprocks.Three kinds of faults are often related to the migration of hydrocarbons across regional caprocks:the first type refers to the positive inverted faults breaking the early sealing conditions and making the hydrocarbons accumulated in the early period re-migration;the second type refers to the faults with shear mudstone smear structures which lose their continuity and open vertically when the fault throws exceed 5 times of the mudstone thickness;the third type refers to the normal faults developed in the structural inversion stage,which have a typical cataclastic structure and are easy to cause vertical migration of hydrocarbons.Hydrocarbon enriched horizons of the rift basins are co-controlled by "fault-caprock".Specifically,95% of the geological reserve is controlled by regional caprocks,and only 5% is controlled by open faults,secondary oil/gas reservoirs are developed over regional caprocks.

Formation and evolution of oblique anticline in eastern Niger Delta

Based on the three-dimensional seismic interpretation data,this paper analyzed the formation mechanism and the growth process of the oblique anticline AE of the M region of the eastern Niger Delta,as well as the evolution process of the associated fault systems.The study results show that the stratigraphic sedimentary period between reflector H4-H6 of the middle and late Miocene was the initial fold-thrust stage,the anticline AE was a half-graben controlled by oblique extensional faults derived from the oblique extensional transfer structure formed by local initial differential fold-thrusting.At the same time the tear faults developed as a result of the differential sliding.During the stratigraphic sedimentary period between reflector H1-H4 of the late Miocene to Pliocene,the large-scale folding and thrusting occurred,differential contractional deformation resulted in the pre-existing extensional half-graben became AE anticline by oblique tectonic inversion,then the anticline grew continually and the crest of the anticline migrated gradually.The newly formed fault systems consist of a small number of associated tear-normal faults caused by differential thrusting and gravity-driven domino normal faults predominantly induced by the slope inclination of the anticline limb.During the stratigraphic sedimentary period between reflector H0-H1 of the Pleistocene to Holocene,as the growth of the anticline ceased,the area entered post-fold thrusting stage.The formation and distribution of conjugated faults were controlled by the local gravity return collapse,local differential sliding and reactivation of pre-existing positive inversion faults jointly.The research results of genetic mechanism of the oblique inversion anticline and evolution of associated faults are helpful to reveal the key factors controlling the accumulation and distribution of oil and gas.