scholarly journals Pore Structures of the Lower Permian Taiyuan Shale and Limestone in the Ordos Basin and the Significance to Unconventional Natural Gas Generation and Storage

Geofluids ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 2022 ◽  
pp. 1-16
Author(s):  
L. Zhang ◽  
Q. Zhao ◽  
C. Wu ◽  
Z. Qiu ◽  
Q. Zhang ◽  
...  

In the Ordos Basin, multiple sets of coal seams, organic-rich shale, and limestone are well developed in the Permian Taiyuan Formation, which are favorable targets for collaborative exploration of various types of unconventional natural gas resources, including coalbed methane, shale gas, and tight gas. In this study, core samples from the Permian Taiyuan Formation in the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin were used to carry out a series of testing and analysis, such as the organic matter characteristics, the mineral composition, and the pore development characteristics. In the shale of the Taiyuan Formation, the total organic carbon (TOC) content is relatively high, with an average of 5.38%. A thin layer of black shale is developed on the top of the Taiyuan Formation, which is relatively high in TOC content, with an average of 9.72%. The limestone in the Taiyuan Formation is also relatively high in organic matter abundance, with an average of 1.36%, reaching the lower limit of effective source rocks (>1%), being good source rocks. In the shale of the Taiyuan Formation, various types of pores are well developed, with relatively high overall pore volume and pore-specific surface area, averaging 0.028 ml/g and 13.28 m2/g, respectively. The pore types are mainly mineral intergranular pores and clay mineral interlayer fractures, while organic matter-hosted pores are poorly developed. The limestone of the Taiyuan Formation is relatively tight, with lower pore volume and pore-specific surface area than those of shale, averaging 0.0106 ml/g and 2.72 m2/g, respectively. There are mainly two types of pores, namely, organic matter-hosted pores and carbonate mineral dissolution pores, with a high surface pore rate. The organic matter in the limestone belongs to the oil-generation kerogen. During thermal evolution, the organic matter has gone through the oil-generation window, generating a large number of liquid hydrocarbons, which were cracked into a large number of gaseous hydrocarbons at the higher mature stage. As a result, a large number of organic matter-hosted pores were generated. The study results show that in the Ordos Basin, the shale and limestone of the Permian Taiyuan Formation have great potential in terms of unconventional natural gas resources, providing a good geological basis for the collaborative development of coal-bearing shale gas and tight limestone gas in the Taiyuan Formation.

Minerals ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 298
Author(s):  
Chenlong Ding ◽  
Jinxian He ◽  
Hongchen Wu ◽  
Xiaoli Zhang

Ordos Basin is an important continental shale gas exploration site in China. The micropore structure of the shale reservoir is of great importance for shale gas evaluation. The Taiyuan Formation of the lower Permian is the main exploration interval for this area. To examine the nanometer pore structures in the Taiyuan Formation shale reservoirs in the Lin-Xing area, Northern Shaanxi, the microscopic pore structure characteristics were analyzed via nitrogen adsorption experiments. The pore structure parameters, such as specific surface area, pore volume, and aperture distribution, of shale were calculated; the significance of the pore structure for shale gas storage was analyzed; and the main controlling factors of pore development were assessed. The results indicated the surface area and hole volume of the shale sample to be 0.141–2.188 m2/g and 0.001398–0.008718 cm3/g, respectively. According to the IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry) classification, mesopores and macropores were dominant in the pore structure, with the presence of a certain number of micropores. The adsorption curves were similar to the standard IV (a)-type isotherm line, and the hysteresis loop type was mainly similar to H3 and H4 types, indicating that most pores are dominated by open type pores, such as parallel plate-shaped pores and wedge-shaped slit pores. The micropores and mesopores provide the vast majority of the specific surface area, functioning as the main area for the adsorption of gas in the shale. The mesopores and macropores provide the vast majority of the pore volume, functioning as the main storage areas for the gas in the shale. Total organic carbon had no notable linear correlation with the total pore volume and the specific surface area. Vitrinite reflectance (Ro) had no notable correlation with the specific surface area, but did have a low “U” curve correlation with the total pore volume. There was no relationship between the quartz content and specific surface area and total pore volume. In addition, there was no notable correlation between the clay mineral content and total specific surface area and total pore volume.


2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 863-873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xuan Tang ◽  
Jinchuan Zhang ◽  
Yansheng Shan ◽  
Jinyu Xiong

2017 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 218-236 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoqi Wu ◽  
Jianhui Zhu ◽  
Chunhua Ni ◽  
Kuang Li ◽  
Yanqing Wang ◽  
...  

The molecular composition, stable carbon and hydrogen isotopes, and light hydrocarbons of the Lower Paleozoic natural gas in the Daniudi gas field in the Ordos Basin were investigated to study the geochemical characteristics. The Lower Paleozoic gas in the Daniudi gas field displays methane contents of 87.41–93.34%, dryness coefficients (C1/C1–5) ranging from 0.886 to 0.978, δ13C1 and δ13C2 values ranging from −40.3 to −36.4‰, with an average of −38.3‰, and from −33.6 to −24.2‰, with an average of −28.4‰, respectively, and δD1 values ranging from −197 to −160‰. The alkane gas generally displays positive carbon and hydrogen isotopic series, and the C7 and C5–7 light hydrocarbons of the Lower Paleozoic gas are dominated by methylcyclohexane and iso-alkanes, respectively. The Lower Paleozoic gas in the Daniudi gas field is mixed from coal-derived and oil-associated gases, similar to that observed in the Jingbian gas field. The oil-associated gas in the Lower Paleozoic gas is secondary oil cracking gas and displays a lower cracking extent than that in the Jingbian gas field. The coal-derived gas in the Lower Paleozoic gas in the Daniudi gas field migrated from the Upper Paleozoic gas through the window area where the iron–aluminum mudstone caprocks in the Upper Carboniferous Benxi Formation were missing. The oil-associated gas in the Lower Paleozoic gas in the Daniudi gas field was probably derived from presalt source rocks in the Lower Ordovician Majiagou Formation rather than the limestone in the Upper Carboniferous Taiyuan Formation. It seems unlikely that the marlstone in the Upper Ordovician Beiguoshan Formation and shale in the Middle Ordovician Pingliang Formation on the western and southwestern margins of the Ordos Basin contributed to the oil-associated gas in the Lower Paleozoic gas in the Daniudi gas field.


Geofluids ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-14
Author(s):  
Zhifu Wei ◽  
Yongli Wang ◽  
Gen Wang ◽  
Ting Zhang ◽  
Wei He ◽  
...  

The organic-rich shale of the Upper Carboniferous-Lower Permian transition period in the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin, China, was formed in a marine-continental facies sedimentary environment. With a high content of total organic carbon (TOC) and a large cumulative thickness, it is considered a good source rock for shale gas development. The sedimentary environment of marine-continental transitional shale is obviously different from that of marine shale, which leads to different enrichment characteristics of organic matter. In this paper, shale samples were collected from XX# well of the Taiyuan and Shanxi Formations across the Upper Carboniferous-Lower Permian, which is typical marine-continental transitional shale. The TOC, major elements, and trace elements were measured, and the formation and preservation conditions were investigated using multiple geochemical proxies, including paleoclimate, redox parameters, paleoproductivity, and controls on the accumulation of organic matter. The TOC of Shanxi Formation is higher than that of Taiyuan Formation. In the Taiyuan Formation, TOC is positively related to the redox index (V, U, and V/Cr), indicating that the dysoxic bottom water environment is the key factor controlling organic matter accumulation. For Shanxi Formation, there is a positive correlation between TOC and paleoclimate, which indicates that the enrichment of organic matter is affected by warm and humid paleoclimate and oxic environment. In addition, the paleoproductivity is lower with a positive correlation with TOC for the marine-continental transitional organic-rich shale, suggesting that it was inferior to the gathering of organic matter.


Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (24) ◽  
pp. 8500
Author(s):  
Weibo Zhao ◽  
Zhigang Wen ◽  
Hui Zhang ◽  
Chenjun Wu ◽  
Yan Liu ◽  
...  

In the Benxi Formation of the Carboniferous system of the Upper Paleozoic in the Ordos Basin, there are many sets of coal measures dark organic-rich shale, being marine continental transitional facies, with significant unconventional natural gas potential. Previous studies are only limited to the evaluation of tight sandstone reservoir in this set of strata, with no sufficient study on gas bearing and geological characteristics of organic-rich shale, restricting the exploration and evaluation of shale gas resources. In this study, analysis has been conducted on the organic carbon content, the major elements, the trace elements, and the mineral composition of core samples from the Benxi Formation in key drilling sections. In addition, qualitative and quantitative pore observation and characterization of core samples have been conducted. The sedimentary environments and reservoir characteristics of the shale of the Benxi Formation have been analyzed. Combined with the gas content analyzing the results of the field coring samples, the shale gas resource potentials of the Benxi Formation have been studied, and the geological characteristics of the Benxi Formation shale gas in the eastern Ordos Basin have been made clear, to provide a theoretical basis for shale gas resource evaluation of the Benxi Formation in the Ordos Basin. The results show that (1) in the Hutian Member, Pangou Member, and Jinci Member of the Benxi Formation, organic-rich shale is well developed, with the characteristics of seawater input as a whole. There is a slight difference in sedimentary redox index, which shows that the reducibility increases gradually from bottom to top. (2) There is an evident difference in the mineral characteristics of shale in these three members. The Hutian Member is rich in clay minerals, while the Jinci Member is high in quartz minerals. (3) The pores are mainly inorganic mineral intergranular pores, clay interlayer fractures, and micro fractures, and organic matter pores are developed on the surface of local organic matter. (4) The mud shale in the Jinci Member has a large cumulative thickness, has relatively high gas-bearing property, and is rich in brittle minerals. The Jinci Member is a favorable section for shale gas exploration of the Benxi Formation.


Geophysics ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-53
Author(s):  
Tongcheng Han ◽  
Hongyan Yu ◽  
Li-Yun Fu

Shales are abundant and are increasingly important for the hydrocarbon industry as source rocks and unconventional reservoirs. The anisotropic dynamic elastic properties of shales are important in the exploration stage of shale reservoirs whereas their static elastic properties are key for the hydraulic fracturing for the more efficient development of shale gas and oil. However, the correlations between the static and anisotropic dynamic elastic properties that could provide a basis for the seismic methods to potentially evaluate the fracturing ability of shales without the need of cored samples from the borehole are still poorly understood. We have demonstrated, through dedicated simultaneous laboratory measurements of the anisotropic velocities and the strains of samples under triaxial stress, how the static and anisotropic dynamic elastic properties are correlated in seven lacustrine shales from the Ordos Basin, one of the major shale gas plays in China. The results show that the static and anisotropic dynamic elastic properties are stress-dependent. More importantly, the anisotropic velocities are found to be approximately linearly correlated with the axial strains of the samples at differential stress (the difference between axial stress and confining stress) greater than 30 MPa, with the slopes of the linear correlations in excellent linear relationship with Young’s moduli determined from the static elastic measurements. The results not only reveal the internal link between the static and anisotropic dynamic elastic properties of lacustrine shales, but they also pave a potential way for the anisotropic seismic explorations to remotely evaluate the fracturing ability of shales.


2019 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 372-405
Author(s):  
Yue Chen ◽  
Dongmin Ma ◽  
Yucheng Xia ◽  
Chen Guo ◽  
Fu Yang ◽  
...  

As the co-exploration and co-production of unconventional gas have become a new trend of the unconventional gas exploration and development in the eastern margin of the Ordos Basin, this study focuses on the distribution, pore characteristics, geochemical properties, and mineral composition of the mud shale in the coal-bearing strata. The results show that the mud shale in the coal-bearing strata is distributed relatively stably with an average cumulative thickness of 77.60 m and a buried depth of 200–2400 m, increasing from east to west. The total organic carbon content of mud shale is relatively high, ranging from 0.14% to 39.9%, and the thermal maturity ranges from 0.23% to 2.49%, affected by both buried depth and magmatic intrusion. The organic matter type of the mud shale is dominated by type III, favorable for gas generation. The mineral composition of mud shale is mainly clay minerals and quartz, with low brittle minerals content (averaging 30.34%) and high kaolinite content (averaging 59.23%). Pores and micro-fissures are relatively developed in the mud shale, dominated by intergranular pores, organic pores, and the micro-fissures developed between brittle mineral crystals, within crystals and between clay mineral particles, with a porosity of 1.05%–1.59% and a permeability of 0.001–0.142 (×10−3µm2). The specific surface area of pores in mud shale is 12.31–28.99 m2/g, and the total pore volume is 0.0146–0.0483 cm3/g. Mesopores and micropores (mainly slit shaped pores) provide the main pore volume of mud shale, and micropores contribute most of the specific surface area. The controlling factors on pore development include the total organic carbon, thermal maturity, and inorganic minerals composition. The total amount of shale gas resources is 2.49 × 1012 m3, and the Linxian-Xingxian area and Shilou-Daning area are the potential favorable zones for shale gas exploration and development.


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