Formation, preservation and connectivity control of organic pores in shale

In view of strong heterogeneity and complex formation and evolution of organic pores,field emission scanning electron microscopy(FESEM),Raman spectrum and fluid injection+CT/SEM imaging technology were used to study the macerals,organic pores and connectivity of organic pores in the lower Paleozoic organic-rich shale samples from Southern China.Combined with the mechanism of hydrocarbon generation and expulsion and pore forming mechanism of organic matter-based activated carbon,the relationships between organic pore development and the organic matter type,hydrocarbon generation process,diagenesis and pore pressure were explored to reveal the controlling factors of the formation,preservation and connectivity of organic pores in shale.(1)The generation of organic pores goes on through the whole hydrocarbon generation process,and is controlled by the type,maturity and decomposition of organic matter;the different hydrocarbon generation components and differential hydrocarbon-generation evolution of kerogen and solid asphalt lead to different pore development characteristics;organic pores mainly develop in solid bitumen and hydrogen-rich kerogen.(2)The preservation of organic pores is controlled by maturity and diagenesis,including the steric hindrance effect of in-situ hydrocarbon retention,rigid mineral framework formed by recrystallization,the coupling mechanism of pore-fluid pressure and shale brittleness-ductility transition.(3)The Ro of 4.0%is the maturity threshold of organic pore extinction,the shale layers with Ro larger than 3.5%have high risk for shale gas exploration,these shale layers have low gas contents,as they were in an open state before uplift,and had high hydrocarbon expulsion efficiency and strong aromatization,thus having the"congenital deficiency"of high maturity and pore densification.(4)The pores in the same organic matter particle have good connectivity;and the effective connectivity between different organic matter pores and inorganic pores and fractures depends on the abundance and distribution of organic matter,and development degree of pores and fractures in the shale;the accumulation,preservation and laminar distribution of different types of organic matter in high abundance is the prerequisite for the development and connection of organic pores,grain margin fractures and bedding fractures in reservoir.

Repeated Wildfires in the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation(Aalenian and Bajocian Ages) in Northwestern China

The coal-bearing strata in the southern Junggar Basin in northwestern China have recently attracted the attention of coal geologists. Its abundance of coal resources is of great interest as there is a potential of unlocking details about the palaeoclimatic information. Coal deposits have the capacity to record wildfire events, even those with inefficient combustions. To characterize wildfire events and palaeoclimatic history of the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation(Aalenian and Bajocian ages), 22 coal samples from borehole cores and coal mines in the southern Junggar Basin were collected and their macerals were analyzed. The results indicated that fusinite and semi-fusinite were the dominant components of inertinite with proportions of 35.27% and 54.67%, respectively. The presence of inertinite is an indicator that wildfires occurred at the time of peat land development, and the widespread occurrence suggests large scale wildfires during the Middle Jurassic. This study proposes a new parameter for the evaluation of wildfire features by combining burning frequency and burning temperature. The comprehensive evaluation index(CEI) was influenced by the lacustrine basin level and ancient plant types from a sequence framework. During the Middle Jurassic, most wildfires were surface fires with low level and ground fire with high level. High oxygen levels were estimated in the lower, middle, and upper members of the Xishanyao Formation with corresponding to 26.78%, 24.55%, and 23.55%, respectively. The high oxygen levels would be the primary cause of repeated wildfires in the Middle Jurassic. These results are helpful for understanding palaeoclimatic changes in the Middle Jurassic.

Coal Seam Correlation in Terrestrial Basins by Sequence Stratigraphy and Its Implications for Paleoclimate and Paleoenvironment Evolution

Coal correlation cannot only guide coal and coalbed methane exploitation,but may also provide valuable information for the evolution of the paleoclimate and paleoenvironment during coalaccumulation periods.It is difficult to undertake coal correlation in a terrestrial basin due to multiple superimposed coal seams and a lack of effective marker beds.In this study,based on the analyses of coal-bearing sedimentary environments and the observations of field outcrops and drilling cores,three key sequence surfaces of the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation were identified in the middle part of the southern Junggar Basin.Three third-order sequences(S.Ⅲ1,S.Ⅲ2 and S.Ⅲ3)and ten fourth-order sequences were divided within the Xishanyao Formation.Regional coal correlation was finally identified,combined with the layered vertical pattern coal and its interval thickness,coal maceral,and coal quality data.In terms of the coal correlation within a specific sequence set,the interval of the B2–B3 coals was approximately three times thicker than that of the B3–B5 coals,which was the main marker for regional coal correlation in the Lower Xishanyao Formation.Furthermore,the phenomena of steadily developed B4 coal seam(2–3 m in thickness)across the Liuhuanggou coal mining area(eastern study region)and the large-small-large variation for intervals between the B8 and B9,B9 and B10,and B10 and B11 coal seams in the Manasi coal mining(western study region)were also an effective means for local coal correlation.Increasing vitrinite and sulphur content and decreasing inertinite content in a third-order sequence were found,which were likely to be closely related to lake level fluctuations.Based on the variation of coal macerals,the wildfire frequency gradually decreased from the bottom to the top of the Xishanyao Formation.The predicted O2level of the S.Ⅲ1,S.Ⅲ2,and S.Ⅲ3 of the Xishanyao Formation was 26.36%,24.22%,and 22.51%,respectively.Except for global paleoclimate effects,the provenance direction changes caused by the Bogda Mountains uplifts would result in a regular variation of coal maceral and coal quality across the study region.

Coalbed methane enrichment model of low-rank coals in multi-coals superimposed regions: a case study in the middle section of southern Junggar Basin

The Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation in the central section of the southern Junggar Basin has substantial amounts of low-ranked coalbed methane(CBM)recourses and is typically characterized by multi superimposed coal seams.To establish the CBM enrichment model,a series of experimental and testing methods were adopted,including coal maceral observation,proximate analysis,low temperature nitrogen adsorption(LTNA),methane carbon isotope determination,porosity/permeability simulation caused by overburden,and gas content testing.The controlling effect of sedimentary environment,geological tectonic,and hydrogeological condition on gas content was analyzed in detail.The results demonstrate that the areas with higher gas content(an average of 8.57 m3/t)are mainly located in the Urumqi River-Santun River(eastern study area),whereas gas content(an average of 3.92 m3/t)in the Manasi River-Taxi River(western study area)is relatively low.Because of the combined effects of strata temperature and pressure,the gas content in coal seam first increases and then decreases with increasing buried depth,and the critical depth of the inflection point ranges from 600 m to 850 m.Affected by the changes in topography and water head height,the direction of groundwater migration is predicted from south to north and from west to east.Based on the gas content variation,the lower and middle parts of the Xishanyao Formation can be divided into three independent coalbearing gas systems.Within a single gas-bearing system,there is a positive correlation between gas content and strata pressure,and the key mudstone layers separating each gas-bearing system are usually developed at the end of each highstand system tract.The new CBM accumulation model of the multi-coals mixed genetic gas shows that both biological and thermal origins are found in a buried depth interval between 600 m and 850 m,suggesting that the coals with those depths are the CBM enrichment horizons and favorable exploration regions in the middle section of the southern Junggar Basin.An in-depth discussion of the low-rank CBM enrichment model with multi-coal seams in the study region can provide a basis for the optimization of CBM well locations and favorable exploration horizons.

Fractal characterization of pore structure and its influence on CH_(4) adsorption and seepage capacity of low-rank coals

The pore structures of coal can directly affect the adsorption and seepage capacity of coalbed methane(CBM),which therefore is an important influence on CBM exploration and development.In this study,the pore structures of low-rank coals from the Middle Jurassic Xishanyao Formation in the southern Junggar Basin were analyzed,and the fractal dimensions(D1,D2,D3 and D4 corresponding to pore sizes of 0-5 nm,5-100 nm,100-1000 nm and 1000-20000 nm,respectively)were calculated to quantitatively describe these coal pore structures.The results show that Xishanyao coal is characterized by open pore morphology,good pore connectivity and well-developed seepage pores and microfractures,which is beneficial to CBM seepage.The D1 and D2 can be used to characterize the pore surface and structure of adsorption pores respectively.The D3 and D4 can be used to represent the pore structure of seepage pores.Compared with adsorption pores,the structure of seepage pores is more affected by the change of coal rank.The D1 is better than D2 in characterizing the methane adsorption capacity.When D1>2.2,D1 is positively correlated with Langmuir volume(VL)and negatively correlated with Langmuir pressure(PL),while D2 shows a weak opposite trend.The coals with the higher D1 and lower D2 are associated with a higher VL,indicating the coal reservoir with more complex pore surfaces and simpler pore structures has stronger methane adsorption capacity.D4 is better than D3 in characterizing the methane seepage capacity.The porosity and permeability of coal reservoirs increase with the increase of D4,while D3 displays an opposite trend,which is mainly related to the well-developed microfractures.The well-developed fracture system enhances the seepage capacity of the Xishanyao coal reservoir.This study reveals the fractal characteristics of pore structure and its significant influence on adsorption and seepage capacity of low-rank coal.