Microbial alteration of natural gas in Xinglongtai field of the Bohai Bay Basin, China |
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Authors: | Weiwei Yang Guangdi Liu Yaojin Gong Yuan Feng |
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Institution: | Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resource and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum, Beijing 102249, China 2 Research Institute of Exploration and Development, PetroChina Liaohe Oilfield Company, Panjin 124010, China 3 PetroChina Changqing Oilfield Company, Xi’an 710021, China |
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Abstract: | Xinglongtai field has been an important petroleum-producing area of Liaohe Depression for 30 years. Oil exploration and production
were the focus of this field, but the gas was ignored. This study examined twenty five gas samples with the purpose of determining
the gas genetic types and their geochemical characteristics. Molecular components, stable carbon isotopic compositions and
light hydrocarbons were also measured, and they proved that microbial activity has attacked some of the gas components which
resulted in unusual carbon isotopic distributions. Propane seems to be selectively attacked during the initial stage of microbial
alteration, with abnormally lower content compared to that of butane as well as anomalously heavy carbon isotope. As a consequence,
the carbon isotopic distribution among the gas components is partially reverse, as δ13C1<δ13C2<δ13C3>δ13C4. Besides, n-alkanes of C3+ gas components are preferentially attacked during the process of microbial alteration. This is manifested that n-alkanes are more enriched in 13C than corresponding iso-alkanes. As a result, the concentrations of n-alkanes become very low, which may be misleading in indentifying the gas genetic types. As to four gas samples, light hydrocarbon
compositions display evidence for microbial alteration. The sequence of hexane isomers varies obviously with high content
of 2,3-DMC4, which indicates that they have been in the fourth level of extensively bacterial alteration. So the geochemical characteristics
can be affected by microbial alteration, and recognition of microbial alteration in gas accumulations is very important for
interpreting the natural gas genetic types. |
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Keywords: | Liaohe Depression Xinglongtai field microbial alteration carbon isotope light hydrocarbon |
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