Shale Gas Formation and Occurrence in China: An Overview of the Current Status and Future Potential

Shale gas is one of the most promising unconventional resources both in China and abroad. It is known as a form of self-contained source-reservoir system with large and continuous dimensions. Through years of considerable exploration efforts, China has identified three large shale gas fields in the Fuling, Changning and Weiyuan areas of the Sichuan Basin, and has announced more than 540 billion m~3 of proven shale gas reserves in marine shale systems. The geological theories for shale gas development have progressed rapidly in China as well. For example, the new depositional patterns have been introduced for deciphering the paleogeography and sedimentary systems of the Wufeng shale and Longmaxi shale in the Sichuan Basin. The shale gas storage mechanism has been widely accepted as differing from conventional natural gas in that it is adsorbed on organic matter or a mineral surface or occurs as free gas trapped in pores and fractures of the shale. Significant advances in the techniques of microstructural characterization have provided new insights on how gas molecules are stored in micro- and nano-scale porous shales. Furthermore, newly-developed concepts and practices in the petroleum industry, such as hydraulic fracturing, microseismic monitoring and multiwell horizontal drilling, have made the production of this unevenly distributed but promising unconventional natural gas a reality. China has 10–36 trillion m~3 of promising shale gas among the world's whole predicted technically recoverable reserves of 206.6 trillion m~3. China is on the way to achieving its goal of an annual yield of 30–50 billion m~3 by launching more trials within shale gas projects.     

A Review of the Bentong-Raub Suture vis-à-vis New Insight of the Tectonic Evolution of Malay Peninsula, South East Asia

As a milestone of the entire energy industry, unconventional resources have inevitably swept the world in the last decade, and will certainly dominate the global oil and gas industry in the near future. Eventually, the “unconventional” will become “conventional”. Along with the rapid development, however, some issues have emerged, which are closely related to the viability of unconventional resources development. Under the current circumstances of low crude oil and gas price, coupled with the prominent environmental concerns, the arguments about the development and production of unconventional resources have been recently heated up. This work introduced the full-blown aspects of unconventional resources especially shale reservoirs, by discussing their concepts and definitions, reviewing the shale gas and shale oil development history and necessity, analyzing the shale plays’ geology and petroleum systems with respects to key hydrocarbon accumulation elements and mechanisms, and summarizing the technology resolution. This study also discussed the relevant key issues, including significant estimation uncertainty of technically recoverable resources, the equivocal understanding of complex geology preventing the production and technologies implementation optimization, the difficulties of experiences and technologies global expanding, and the corresponding risks and uncertainties. In addition, based on the latest production and exploration data, the future perspective of the unconventional resources was depicted from global unconventional resources assessments, technology development, and limitations constraining the development.     

沉积盆地铀-油(气)共生机理

产于含油(气)盆地中的地浸砂岩型铀矿床与油(气)关系密切,在空间上常与油(气)藏呈共生关系。文章认为其成矿条件和控矿因素相似,并且具有成因联系是二者共生的主要原因。砂岩型铀矿和油(气)藏具有相似的成矿大地构造背景、岩相古地理条件、容矿地层、岩性圈闭、构造控矿条件和有机质基础;在成因上油(气)中的不同组分及其次生矿物对铀有重要的吸附和还原作用,是铀沉淀富集的重要因素之一,铀等放射性元素的存在也有利于油气的生成。由于成矿机理的差异性,砂岩型铀矿与油(气)藏属于异体共生矿床,二者的产出位置并不完全重叠,砂岩型铀矿的产出位置往往更靠近盆缘,且在油(气)储层上方,或以单一矿种产出。     

Using Geomechanical Method to Predict Tectonic Fractures in Low-Permeability Sandstone Reservoirs

Understanding and interpreting the timing, location, orientation, and intensity of natural fractures within a geological structure are commonly important to both exploration and production planning activities of low-porosity and low-permeability carbonate reservoirs. In this study, we explore the application of comprehensive geomechanical methods to quantitatively characterize the fracture parameters based on Strain Energy Density Theory, such as linear fracture density and volume fracture density. This study approach is based on the idea that energy generated by tectonic stress on brittle sandstone,which can be distinguished fracture surface energy, friction energy dissipation and residual strain energy and natural fractures can be interpreted or inferred from geomechanical-model-derived strains. For this analysis, we model an extension and compression compound fault block developed in a mechanically stratified sandstone and shale sequence because mechanics experimental data and drilling data exist that can be directly compared with model results.However, the results show that the approach and our study conclusion are independent of the specified structural geometry, which can correlate fracture parameters in different stages with different tectonic activities, and finally build and visualize fracture networks in sandstone. The presence or absence of filling minerals in fractures is shown to strongly control the destruction and transformation of low-permeability sandstone, and this control possesses crucial implications for interpreting fracture aperture and reservoir flow simulation.     

东营凹陷南坡沙三段坡移扇沉积特征

目前,东营凹陷南坡沙三段已钻遇到坡移扇这一新型的岩性油气藏类型,但是对坡移扇的地质认识较浅,且其识别特征尚不明确,从而制约了坡移扇勘探的进程。通过大量的岩芯精细观察和描述,统计分析了大量实验数据,在结合地震资料分析的基础上,系统总结坡移扇有别于浊积岩的沉积特征等识别标志。分析认为,坡移扇的形成受三角洲的规模和建设性、构造坡度或沉积坡度、构造运动及湖平面变化等因素所控制。     

河南义马地区页岩气储层孔隙非均质性

运用高压压汞、液氮吸附及渗透率测试等实验,利用极差、突进系数、变异系数等参数,表征煤系页岩孔渗特征及孔隙层间非均质性,分析孔隙层间非均质性主控因素。结果表明:河南义马地区上、下石盒子组泥页岩微孔与小孔较为发育,山西组大孔较为发育,分别提供了气体吸附附着面积和储存运移空间;上石盒子组孔容与孔径相对偏差最小,孔隙分布均匀,山西组比表面积相对偏差最小,表面积分布均匀;随围压增大,渗透率不断降低,且满足负指数相关关系;渗透率级差、突进系数和变异系数显示下石盒子组渗透率非均质性较弱,山西组渗透率非均质性很弱,更易于压裂开发。非均质性宏观上主要受沉积物质组成和构造改造作用影响,微观上受成岩演化影响。     

昭通示范区黄金坝气田五峰—龙马溪组页岩气储层地质特征

昭通国家级页岩气示范区黄金坝气田是继礁石坝和长宁—威远之后中国又一个在页岩气勘探、开发领域实现重大突破的地区,为了系统地展示黄金坝气田页岩气资源富集的储层条件,为未来的勘探工作提供参考,以五峰—龙马溪组页岩气储层为研究对象,从区域地质条件、储层岩石学、物性和地球化学4个方面对该页岩气储层进行了综合研究。结果表明稳定的区域构造和良好的顶底板条件是黄金坝地区页岩气资源富集的关键,良好的保存条件使储层维持了较高的压力(压力系数1);较高的孔隙度(平均4%)和TOC含量(目的层2%)提供了良好的储集空间,使储层具有较高的含气量(1.35~3.48 cm3/g,平均2.50 cm3/g);天然气地球化学数据表明,区内天然气主要成分为CH4(97%),其次还含有少量的C2H6、C3H8和CO2;天然气同位素数据表明烃类C同位素组成发生了倒转,表明储层具有良好的封闭性。但储层孔隙系统较为复杂,且非均质性极强,从而导致渗透率较低,在储层改造施工过程中应予以充分考虑。总体上,黄金坝气田具有较好的开发前景,生产测试表明,区内直井压裂产量为0.5×104~3.5×104m3/d/井,水平井压裂产量可达12×104~40×104m3/d/井。     

辐射井技术在尾矿库降排水工程中的应用

尾矿库是我国重大危险源之一,而尾矿库内的浸润线又是坝体安全的重要指标之一,为有效排出尾矿中的水,降低尾矿库内浸润线,本文通过辐射井技术在尾矿库降排水工程中应用的多个成功工程实例,归纳、总结并提出该技术在尾矿库应用过程中的设计思路、施工要点及工艺方法等。     

Diagenesis and origin of calcite cement in the Flemish Pass Basin sandstone reservoir (Upper Jurassic): Implications for porosity development

The Flemish Pass Basin is a deep-water basin located offshore on the continental passive margin of the Grand Banks, eastern Newfoundland, which is currently a hydrocarbon exploration target. The current study investigates the petrographic characteristics and origin of carbonate cements in the Ti-3 Member, a primary clastic reservoir interval of the Bodhrán Formation (Upper Jurassic) in the Flemish Pass Basin.The Ti-3 sandstones with average Q_86.0F_3.1R_10.9 contain various diagenetic minerals, including calcite, pyrite, quartz overgrowth, dolomite and siderite. Based on the volume of calcite cement, the investigated sandstones can be classified into (1) calcite-cemented intervals (>20% calcite), and (2) poorly calcite-cemented intervals (porous). Petrographic analysis shows that the dominant cement is intergranular poikilotopic (300–500 μm) calcite, which stared to form extensively at early diagenesis. The precipitation of calcite occured after feldspar leaching and was followed by corrosion of quartz grains. Intergranular calcite cement hosts all-liquid inclusions mainly in the crystal core, but rare primary two-phase (liquid and vapor) fluid inclusions in the rims ((with mean homogenization temperature (T_h) of 70.2 ± 4.9 °C and salinity estimates of 8.8 ± 1.2 eq. wt.% NaCl). The mean δ¹⁸O and δ¹³C isotopic compositions of the intergranular calcite are −8.3 ± 1.2‰, VPDB and −3.0 ± 1.3‰, VPDB, respectively; whereas, fracture-filling calcite has more depleted δ¹⁸O but similar δ¹³C values. The shale normalized rare earth element (REE_SN) patterns of calcite are generally parallel and exhibit slightly negative Ce anomalies and positive Eu anomalies. Fluid-inclusion gas ratios (CO₂/CH₄ and N₂/Ar) of calcite cement further confirms that diagenetic fluids originated from modified seawater. Combined evidence from petrographic, microthermometric and geochemical analyses suggest that (1) the intergranular calcite cement precipitated from diagenetic fluids of mixed marine and meteoric (riverine) waters in suboxic conditions; (2)the cement was sourced from the oxidation of organic matters and the dissolution of biogenic marine carbonates within sandstone beds or adjacent silty mudstones; and (3) the late phases of the intergranular and fracture-filling calcite cements were deposited from hot circulated basinal fluids.Calcite cementation acts as a main controlling factor on the reservoir quality in the Flemish Pass reservoir sandstones. Over 75% of initial porosity was lost due to the early calcite cementation. The development of secondary porosity (mostly enlarged, moldic pores) and throats by later calcite dissolution due to maturation of organic matters (e.g., hydrocarbon and coals), was the key process in improving the reservoir quality.