Composition of the water accommodated fractions as a function of exposure times and temperatures

The water accommodated fractions (WAFs) of nine oils in seawater have been studied. The oils range from light condensate to heavy crude, and include one highly biodegraded oil and one very wax rich oil. This study has identified large variations in the chemical composition of WAFs, depending on oil type, temperature, and mixing time. Experiments at different temperatures (2-13 °C) showed that it takes longer time to reach equilibrium at the lowest temperatures, and that this varies for the different oil types. Oils with higher pour point (wax rich oils) need a longer time to establish WAF in equilibrium than oils with lower pour points (naphthenic oils). At 13 °C a mixing time of 48 h, as recommended in standard procedures, seems to be sufficient for asphalthenic and paraffinic oils. The results demonstrated that for WAF prepared from an unknown oil, or at lower temperatures, different mixing times should be tested. Since the WAF often is used in toxicity testing, the toxicity might be underestimated if the mixing time is too short.     

Formation mechanism of condensates,waxy and heavy oils in the southern margin of Junggar Basin,NW China

It is a challenge to determine the source and genetic relationship of condensate, waxy and heavy oils in one given complicated petroliferous area, where developed multiple sets of source rocks with different maturity and various chemical features.The central part of southern margin of Junggar Basin, NW China is such an example where there are condensates, light oils, normal density oils, heavy crude oils and natural gases. The formation mechanism of condensates has been seriously debated for long time;however, no study has integrated it with genetic types of waxy and heavy oils. Taking the central part of southern margin of Junggar Basin as a case, this study employs geological and geochemical methods to determine the formation mechanism of condensates,waxy and heavy oils in a complicated petroliferous area, and reveals the causes and geochemical processes of the co-occurrence of different types of crude oils in this region. Based on detailed geochemical analyses of more than 40 normal crude oils, light oils,condensates and heavy oils, it is found that the condensates are dominated by low carbon number n-alkanes and enriched in light naphthenics and aromatic hydrocarbons. Heptane values of these condensates range from 19% to 21%, isoheptane values from1.9 to 2.1, and toluene/n-heptane ratios from 1.5 to 2.0. The distribution of n-alkanes in the condensates presents a mirror image with high density waxy crude oils and heavy oils. Combined with the oil and gas-source correlations of the crude oils, condensates and natural gas, it is found that the condensates are product of evaporative fractionation and/or phase-controlled fractionation of reservoir crude oils which were derived from mature Cretaceous lacustrine source rocks in the relatively early stage. The waxy oils are the intermediate products of evaporative fractionation and/or phase-controlled fractionation of reservoir crude oils, while the heavy oils are in-situ residuals. Therefore, evaporative fractionation and/or phase-controlled fractionation would account for the formation of the condensate, light oil, waxy oil and heavy oil in the central part of southern margin of Junggar Basin, resulting in a great change of the content in terms of light alkanes, naphthenics and aromatics in condensates, followed by great uncertainties of toluene/n-heptane ratios due to migration and re-accumulation. The results suggest that the origin of the condensate cannot be simply concluded by its ratios of toluene/n-heptane and n-heptane/methylcyclohexane on the Thompson's cross-plot, it should be comprehensively determined by the aspects of geological background, thermal history of source rocks and petroleum generation,physical and chemical features of various crude oils and natural gas, vertical and lateral distribution of various crude oils in the study area.     

Geochemical characteristics of crude oils from the Sagara oil field, Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan

Abstract   Six oil samples collected from the Sagara oil field, Shizuoka Prefecture, were geochemically analyzed. Unlike the Niigata oils, the Sagara oils: (i) are low-sulphur light oils dominated by gasoline and kerosene fractions; (ii) have low values of environment index in light hydrocarbon compositions; (iii) have high Pr/ n -C₁₇ and low Ph/ n -C₁₈ ratios and high oleanane/hopane ratios; (iv) have high relative abundance of C₂₉ and low relative abundance of C₂₈ regular steranes; and (v) have 'light' stable carbon isotope compositions. These characteristics show that the source rocks of the Sagara oils contain mainly marine organic matter, but with more input of terrigenous organic matter deposited under more oxic conditions compared to those of the Niigata oils. The light carbon isotope compositions and the low relative abundance of C₂₈ regular steranes of the Sagara oils suggest that their source rock is not Miocene, but probably Paleogene in age. The Sagara oils probably migrated along faults from deeper parts of the basin.     

Geochemical characteristics of Tertiary Sagara oil from an active forearc basin, Shizuoka, Japan

Abstract   The Sagara oil field is located in the Neogene Kakegawa Basin, close to the Izu collision zone at the junction between the main Japanese Islands and the Izu–Bonin Arc. The Sagara oil field is one of the few oil fields situated in a forearc basin on the Pacific side of Japan and is present in a sedimentary basin with poor oil-generating potential. Several crude oils from Sagara oil field were investigated to infer their origin. Organic geochemical characteristics of Sagara oils showed the influences of light biodegradation, migration-contamination, and migration-fractionation. The maturity levels of Sagara oils evaluated based on abundant alkylnaphthalenes corresponded to 0.9–1.2% vitrinite reflectance. Sagara oils were characterized by significant amounts of higher plant biomarkers, a high pristane/phytane ratio and an absence of organic sulphur compounds, suggesting a siliciclastic source rock deposited under nearshore to fluvial–deltaic environments. Numerous faults and fractures in the active forearc basin provided excellent conduits and facilitated upward migration of light hydrocarbons generated at greater depth in the Kakegawa Basin.     

Controls on alkylphenol occurrence and distribution in oils from lacustrine rift basins in East China

Oils from two lacustrine rift basins in east China are thoroughly investigated using geochemical method to understand controls on alkylphenol occurrence and distribution in oils. Oils in the Lujiapu Depression, Kailu Basin are derived from the Cretaceous source rocks, and those in the Dongying De- pression, Bohai Bay Basin, from the Tertiary source rocks. All oils are experienced relatively short distance of migration and have similar maturity in each basin. Differences in homologue distributions from different oilfields are most likely caused by organic facies variation of source rocks. The oils in the Lujiapu Depression are characterized by high proportion of C3 alkylphenols (prefixes refer to the number of alkylcarbons joined to the aromatic ring of the phenol molecule) and low proportion of cre- sols and C2 alkylphenols compared to oils from the Dongying Depression. Alkylphenol isomer distri- bution is possibly affected by depositional environment especially for C3 alkylphenols. Dysoxic fresh- water environment is favorable for the formation of propyl or isopropyl substituted C3 alkylphenols, while highly reducing saline water is more suitable for trimethyl substituted C3 alkylphenols. Variations in alkylphenol concentrations within a petroleum system are controlled mainly by secondary migration processes with alkylphenol concentrations decreasing along migration direction. Interestingly, coupled with geological factors, a subtle change of alkylphenol concentrations can be applied to differentiate carrier systems. When oil migrates through sandy beds, concentrations of total alkylphenols decrease dramatically with migration distance, while such change is less significant when oil migrates vertically along faults. However, most isomer ratios potentially related to migration distance are not as effective as those alkylcarbazoles in migration diagnosis due to complicated affecting factors.     

渤海海域沙三段烃源灶演化特征研究

烃源灶是表征供烃中心的最合适的方法, 其迁移演化研究对油气勘探具有重要意义. 渤海海域为渤海湾盆地海域部分, 是中国主要富油气盆地之一. 沙河街组三段是古近系4套烃源岩中最重要的烃源岩. 本文在沉积、构造发育和热史研究成果的基础之上, 结合烃源岩地球化学参数模拟计算了沙三段烃源岩成熟生烃及生、排烃演化历史, 并以此研究渤海海域沙三段烃源灶的演化特征. 结果表明研究区具有早期的"双灶共存"和晚期"单灶为主, 多灶并存"的特征, 即早期(古近纪)为岐口和渤中凹陷烃源灶; 晚期(新近纪至今)以渤中凹陷烃源灶为主, 岐口、南堡、黄河口、辽中、辽西和秦南凹陷等烃源灶并存. 烃源灶为油气田的形成提供了物质基础, 渤海海域的大中型油气田分布在主要烃源灶周围的凸起区和斜坡带. 因而, 本文的研究可以为渤海海域油气的深入勘探决策提供基础.     

“Exploring petroleum inside source kitchen”: Shale oil and gas in Sichuan Basin

The Sichuan Basin is rich in shale oil and gas resources, with favorable geological conditions that the other shale reservoirs in China cannot match. Thus, the basin is an ideal option for fully "exploring petroleum inside source kitchen" with respect to onshore shale oil and gas in China. This paper analyzes the characteristics of shale oil and gas resources in the United States and China, and points out that maturity plays an important role in controlling shale oil and gas composition. US shale oil and gas exhibit high proportions of light hydrocarbon and wet gas, whereas Chinese marine and transitional shale gas is mainly dry gas and continental shale oil is generally heavy. A comprehensive geological study of shale oil and gas in the Sichuan Basin reveals findings with respect to the following three aspects. First, there are multiple sets of organic-rich shale reservoirs of three types in the basin, such as the Cambrian Qiongzhusi Formation and Ordovician Wufeng Formation-Silurian Longmaxi Formation marine shale, Permian Longtan Formation transitional shale, Triassic Xujiahe Formation lake-swamp shale, and Jurassic lacustrine shale. Marine shale gas enrichment is mainly controlled by four elements: Deep-water shelf facies, moderate thermal evolution, calcium-rich and silicon-rich rock association, and closed roof/floor. Second, the "sweet section" is generally characterized by high total organic carbon, high gas content, large porosity, high brittle minerals content, high formation pressure,and the presence of lamellation/bedding and natural microfractures. Moreover, the "sweet area" is generally characterized by very thick organic-rich shale, moderate thermal evolution, good preservation conditions, and shallow burial depth, which are exemplified by the shale oil and gas in the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation, Longtan Formation, and Daanzhai Member of the Ziliujing Formation. Third, the marine, transitional, and continental shale oil and gas resources in the Sichuan Basin account for 50%, 25%, and 30% of the respective types of shale oil and gas geological resources in China, with great potential to become the cradle of the shale oil and gas industrial revolution in China. Following the "Conventional Daqing-Oil"(i.e., the Daqing oilfield in the Songliao Basin) and the "Western Daqing-Oil Gas"(i.e., the Changqing oilfield in the Ordos Basin), the Southwest oil and gas field in the Sichuan Basin is expected to be built into a "Sichuan-Chongqing Daqing-Gas" in China.     

Monitoring the horizontal movement along the Shanxi fault zone by GPS measurement

IntroductionShanxi is a significant seismic activity area in North China (WANG, 1995), named as Shanxi fault zone. One can see how important it is by the name. Up to now, a large number of achievements have been obtained from the studies mainly by the geological method. In order to improve the seismic research and carry out earthquake monitoring and prediction in this area, a GPS horizontal deformation monitoring network is established along the fault from the north to the south by the Se…     

Compound-specific stable carbon isotopic composition of petroleum hydrocarbons as a tool for tracing the source of oil spills

With the increasing demand for and consumption of crude oils, oil spill accidents happen frequently during the transportation of crude oils and oil products, and the environmental hazard they pose has become increasingly serious in China. The exact identification of the source of spilled oil can act as forensic evidence in the investigation and handling of oil spill accidents. In this study, a weathering simulation experiment demonstrates that the mass loss of crude oils caused by short-term weathering mainly occurs within the first 24h after a spill, and is dominated by the depletion of low-molecular weight hydrocarbons (相似文献   

Geochemistry and possible origin of the hydrocarbons from Wells Zhongshen1 and Zhongshen1C,Tazhong Uplift

In 2013, a great breakthrough of deep petroleum exploration was achieved in the Cambrian pre-salt intervals of Wells Zhongshen1 (ZS1) and Zhongshen1C (ZS1C), Tazhong Uplift. However, the hydrocarbon discovery in the Cambrian pre-salt intervals has triggered extensive controversy regarding the source of marine oils in the Tarim Basin. The geochemistry and origin of the Cambrian pre-salt hydrocarbons in Wells ZS1 and ZS1C were investigated using GC, GC-MS and stable carbon isotope technique. These hydrocarbons can be easily distinguished into two genetic families based on their geochemical and carbon isotopic compositions. The oil and natural gases from the Awatage Formation of Well ZS1 are derived from Middle- Upper Ordovician source rocks. In contrast, the condensate and gases from the Xiaoerbulake Formation of Wells ZS1 and ZS1C probably originate from Cambrian source rocks. The recent discovery of these hydrocarbons with two different sources in Wells ZS1 and ZS1C suggests that both Middle-Upper Ordovician-sourced hydrocarbons and Cambrian-sourced petroleums are accumulated in the Tazhong Uplift, presenting a great exploration potential.     

Novel C15 sesquiterpanes and their origin in different crude oils from the Pearl River Mouth Basin of China

In the saturate fractions of crude oils from the Zhu1 and Zhu2 depressions of the Pearl River Mouth Basin,two novel C_(15) sesquiterpanes have been detected except for drimanes and rearranged drimanes.By comparison with spectra and retention times in previous studies,they have been identified as 2,2,4α,7,8-pentamethyl-trans-decalin and 2,2,4α,7,8-pentamethyl-cis-decalin,respectively,which are related to the D/Eringsof18α(H)-and18β(H)-oleanane.ResultsshowthatthenovelC15sesquiterpanesarerelativelyabundantincondensateoilsthathavehighPr/PhratiosandarerichinterrigenoustriterpanessuchasoleananeandbicadinanesfromtheZhu2depression,butevidentlylowinlacustrineoilsthathavelowPr/Phratiosandarerichin4-methylsteranesfromtheZhu1depression.ThissuggeststhatthenovelC15sesquiterpanescouldberelatedtoterrigenousorganicmatterinoriginandcanhelpdistinguishtheoriginandsourceofcrudeoilsinthestudyarea.Inaddition,thereexistcompletelydifferentcorrelationsbetweentherelativeabundancesofdifferentC15sesquiterpanesthathavedifferentsourcesandthePr/Phratio,whichindicatesredoxconditionsinthecrudeoils.Forexample,thenovelC15sesquiterpanesandcadinanethatindicateterrigenousinputarepositivelycorrelatedwiththePr/Phratio,butdrimanesandrearrangeddrimaneshavingmicrobialoriginarenegativelycorrelatedwiththePr/Phratio.ThisimpliesthattheformationofthenovelC15sesquiterpanesrequiresrelativelyoxicconditions.ThenovelC15sesquiterpanesaremuchmoreabundantincarbonaceousmudstone(Pr/Ph=7.39)thanindarkmudstone(Pr/Ph=2.19)fromtheEnpingformation,althoughtheirorganicmatterishumic.However,theyarenotcommoninsapropeliclacustrinesourcerocks(Pr/Ph=2.29)fromtheWenchangFormation.Thissuggeststhatterrigenousorganicmatterisonlyasufficientcondition,butanoxicenvironmentduringdepositionanddiagenesismaybeaprerequisitefortheformationofnovelC15sesquiterpanes.     

Origin and accumulation of the oils from Bamianhe Oilfield, Bohai Bay Basin, Eastern China

Utilizing basic principles and methodologies of geology and organic geochemistry, kinetics of hydrocarbons generation and accumulation, quantitative assessment of crude oils sourced from different source rocks, and hydrocarbons migration pathways for the oils from the Bamianhe Oilfield, the Bohai Bay Basin, Eastern China are discussed. Results of oil-rock correlation showed that the oils were mainly derived from Es4 member (with buried depth >2700 m) of Niuzhuang and Guangli Sags within normal oil window though there is a little amount of mixed immature oils. Quantification of mixed oils with different sources indicated that mature oils account for about 80% of the total oils discovered and immature oils for only 20%. Migration of the oils sourced from the sags is controlled by predominant hydrocarbons migration passages determined by faults, unformalities and favored sandstone reservoir. Results of the origin and migration models for the oils have been recently further testified by considerable quantity of oils discovered in the Bamianhe area, which is obviously playing an important role in guiding further oil exploration.     

The distribution characteristic and its significance of compound specific isotopic composition of aromatic hydrocarbon from marine source rock and oil in the Tarim Basin,western China

Aromatic hydrocarbons are generally main distillation of crude oil and organic extract of source rocks. Bicyclic and tricyclic aromatic hydrocarbons can be purified by two-step method of chromatography on alumina. Carbon isotopic composition of individual aromatic hydrocarbons is affected not only by thermal maturity, but also by organic matter input, depositional environment, and hydrocarbon generation process based on the GC-IRMS analysis of Upper Ordovician, Lower Ordovician, and Cambrian source rocks in different areas in the Tarim Basin, western China. The subgroups of aromatic hydrocarbons as well as individual aromatic compound, such as 1-MP, 9-MP, and 2,6-DMP from Cambrian-Lower Ordovician section show more depleted 13 C distribution. The 13 C value difference between Cambrian-Lower Ordovician section and Upper Ordovician source rocks is up to 16.1‰ for subgroups and 14‰ for individual compounds. It can provide strong evidence for oil source correlation by combing the 13 C value and biomarker distribution of different oil and source rocks from different strata in the Tarim Basin. Most oils from Tazhong area have geochemical characteristics such as more negative 13C9-MP value, poor gammacerane, and abundant homohopanes, which indicate that Upper Ordovician source rock is the main source rock. In contrast, oils from Tadong area and some oils from Tazhong area have geochemical characteristics such as high 13C9-MP value, abundant gammacerane, and poor homohopanes, which suggest that the major contributor is Cambrian-Lower Ordovician source rock.     

Study on the sources of some deep focus earthquakes in Northwest Pacific region

The sources for thirteen deep focus earthquakes ofm _b≥5.5 andh>400 km in Northwest Pacific region were studied using waveform fitting and shear fracture source model. The source parameters were obtained as follows: focal depth, faulting plane, slip direction, rupture velocity, rupture length, rupture direction and scalar moment tensor. It was found that all these earthquake sources can be interpreted as shear faulting and have simple source time functions. The strike direction of faulting plane for most deep focus earthquakes coincides with that of the subduction zone, especially in the deep part of the subduction zone, it results in the tendency of reducing the dip angle of the subduction zone. The multiple point source model was also used to study the source process. The waveform fitting is better than the shear fracture model, but the general rupture direction which coincides with that from unilateral shear source model can not be obtained from the multiple point source model. This study is supported by the National Science Foundation of China and the Chinese Joint Seismological Science Foundation.     

阿尼玛卿缝合带及两侧上地壳泊松比分布

本文通过对马尔康－古浪宽角反射和折射剖面高精度观测段（200～400 km）的Pg、Sg资料的分析解释,给出了该区段上地壳速度结构和泊松比分布.并利用震相识别误差分析、分辨率计算及不同初始模型筛选等方法,使走时反演结果的可靠性进一步提高.研究表明：对应于阿尼玛卿缝合带的275km～355 km桩号段内平均泊松比高达0.297,P波和S波速度呈横向高低速条带变化,库赛湖－玛沁断裂和舟曲－两当断裂基本上均位于高泊松比和低速带内,并分别处在缝合带与若尔盖盆地和西秦岭褶皱带的分界上.阿尼玛卿缝合带南侧的若尔盖盆地平均泊松比较低,约为0.257,北侧西秦岭褶皱带的平均泊松比为0.264.     

Quantitative assessment of gas washing of oils in the Tazhong area of the Tarim Basin,Northwest China

Gas washing has been known in the Tazhong area of the Tarim Basin, but its quantitative assessment has not yet been reported. Here the influence of gas washing fractionation in the area was discussed based on the gas chromatogram data of 68 oils and the results of the mixing experiments of a black oil and a condensate. The results show that the intensity of gas washing fractionation decreased generally from northern to southern part and vertically from deep reservoirs to shallow reservoirs. The gas washing fractionation was mainly controlled by fault systems in this area, with the increase of n-alkane mass depletion positively correlated to the number and scale of faults. Gas washing fractionation appears to have affected the hydrocarbon property, and as a result the diversity of the crude oils is markedly controlled by gas washing. In addition, the occurrence of waxy oil in this area may be resulted from multiple factors including gas washing, mixed filling and migration fractionation. Supported by National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2006CB202303) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 40672091)     

Characterization and source of oil contamination on the beaches and seabird corpses, Sable Island, Nova Scotia, 1996-2005

During April 1996-May 2005, 2343 oiled seabird corpses were recorded in beach surveys conducted on Sable Island, Nova Scotia. One hundred eighty-three samples of oil were collected from the beaches and from the feathers of bird corpses. Gas chromatographic (GC/FID) analysis was used to identify generic oil type and likely marine source. During this period, at least 74 marine oil discharge events were probably responsible for beached pelagic tar and contamination of seabird corpses found on Sable Island, of which 77.0% were crude oils, 14.9% were fuel oils, and 8.1% were bilge oil mixtures. While fuel and bilge oils may be discharged by all vessel and platform types, crude oil discharges are associated with tanker operations. This study demonstrates that oiling of the sea from tankers remains a serious wildlife issue in the Northwest Atlantic.     

Petroleum source rock identification of United Kingdom Atlantic Margin oil fields and the Western Canadian Oil Sands using Platinum,Palladium, Osmium and Rhenium: Implications for global petroleum systems

This study demonstrates that petroleum and source rocks are enriched in Pt and Pd to the ppb level, and that the ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os composition coupled with the Pt/Pd value permits the fingerprinting of petroleum to its source. Oils from the United Kingdom Atlantic Margin (sourced from the Upper Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay Fm.) as well as source rock samples have been analysed for Pt and Pd. When the Pt/Pd value is compared with ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os (calculated at the time of oil generation; Os_g) the values from both the known source and the oils are similar, demonstrating that they can be used as an oil to source fingerprinting tool. This inorganic petroleum fingerprinting tool is particularly important in heavily biodegraded petroleum systems where traditional fingerprinting techniques (e.g. biomarkers) are severely hampered, e.g. the world's largest oil sand deposit, the West Canadian Oil Sands (WCOS). This has caused the source of the WCOS to be hotly debated, with no present day consensus between inputs from potential source units e.g. Exshaw and Gordondale Fms. ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and Pt/Pd fingerprinting of the oil sands shows that the majority of the petroleum have similar ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and Pt/Pd values, supporting the hypothesis of one principal source. Analysis of the potential source rocks establishes that the principal source of the oil sands to be from the Jurassic Gordondale Fm., with a minor Exshaw Fm. input. Thus, the combination of previously pioneered Re–Os petroleum geochronology with ¹⁸⁷Os/¹⁸⁸Os and Pt/Pd values of petroleum permits both a temporal and spatial understanding of petroleum systems.     

Potential petroleum sources and exploration directions around the Manjar Sag in the Tarim Basin

Since the discovery of the Tahe oilfield, it has been controversial on whether the main source rock is in the Cambrian or Middle-Upper Ordovician strata. In this paper, it is assumed that the crude oil from the Wells YM 2 and TD 2 was derived from the Middle-Upper Ordovician and Cambrian source rocks, respectively. We analyzed the biomarkers of the crude oil, asphalt-adsorbed hydrocarbon and saturated hydrocarbon in bitumen inclusions from the Lunnan and Hade areas in the North Uplift of the Tarim Basin. Results show that the ratios of tricyclic terpane C₂₁/C₂₃ in the crude oil, asphalt-adsorbed hydrocarbon and saturated hydrocarbon in bitumen inclusions are less than 1.0, indicating that they might be from Upper Ordovician source rocks; the ratios of C₂₈/(C₂₇+C₂₈+C₂₉) steranes in the saturated hydrocarbon from reservoir bitumen and bitumen inclusions are higher than 25, suggesting that they might come from the Cambrian source rocks, however, the ratios of C₂₈/(C₂₇+C₂₈+C₂₉) steranes in oil from the North Uplift are less than 25, suggesting that they might be sourced from the Upper Ordovician source rocks. These findings demonstrate that the sources of crude oil in the Tarim Basin are complicated. The chemical composition and carbon isotopes of Ordovician reservoired oil in the Tarim Basin indicated that the crude oil in the North Uplift (including the Tahe oilfield) and Tazhong Depression was within mixture areas of crude oil from the Wells YM 2 and TD 2 as the end members of the Cambrian and Middle-Upper Ordovician sourced oils, respectively. This observation suggests that the crude oil in the Ordovician strata is a mixture of oils from the Cambrian and Ordovician source rocks, with increasing contribution from the Cambrian source rocks from the southern slope of the North Uplift to northern slope of the Central Uplift of the Tarim Basin. Considering the lithology and sedimentary facies data, the spatial distribution of the Cambrian, Middle-Lower Ordovician and Upper Ordovician source rocks was reconstructed on the basis of seismic reflection characteristics, and high-quality source rocks were revealed to be mainly located in the slope belt of the basin and were longitudinally developed over the maximum flooding surface during the progressive-regressive cycle. Affected by the transformation of the tectonic framework in the basin, the overlays of source rocks in different regions are different and the distribution of oil and gas was determined by the initial basin sedimentary structure and later reformation process. The northern slope of the Central Uplift-Shuntuo-Gucheng areas would be a recent important target for oil and gas exploration, since they have been near the slope area for a long time.     

Effect of oil composition on fluid substitution in heavy oil reservoirs

Unlike light oils, heavy oils do not have a well‐established scheme for modelling elastic moduli from dynamic reservoir properties. One of the main challenges in the fluid substitution of heavy oils is their viscoelastic nature, which is controlled by temperature, pressure, and fluid composition. Here, we develop a framework for fluid substitution modelling that is reliable yet practical for a wide range of cold and thermal recovery scenarios in producing heavy oils and that takes into account the reservoir fluid composition, grounded on the effective‐medium theories for estimating elastic moduli of an oil–rock system. We investigate the effect of fluid composition variations on oil–rock elastic moduli with temperature changes. The fluid compositional behaviour is determined by flash calculations. Elastic moduli are then determined using the double‐porosity coherent potential approximation method and the calculated viscosity based on the fluid composition. An increase in temperature imposes two opposing mechanisms on the viscosity behaviour of a heavy‐oil sample: gas liberation, which tends to increase the viscosity, and melting, which decreases the viscosity. We demonstrate that melting dominates gas liberation, and as a result, the viscosity and, consequently, the shear modulus of the heavy oils always decrease with increasing temperature. Furthermore, it turns out that one can disregard the effects of gas in the solution when modelling the elastic moduli of heavy oils. Here, we compare oil–rock elastic moduli when the rock is saturated with fluids that have different viscosity levels. The objective is to characterize a unique relation between the temperature, the frequency, and the elastic moduli of an oil–rock system. We have proposed an approach that takes advantage of this relation to find the temperature and, consequently, the viscosity in different regions of the reservoir.