Effect of Diagenetic Evolution and Hydrocarbon Charging on the Reservoir-Forming Process of the Jurassic Tight Sandstone in the Southern Junggar Basin, NW China

Tianqi Zhou, Chaodong Wu, Xutong Guan, Jialin Wang, Wen Zhu and Bo Yuan
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Tianqi Zhou: Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing 100083, China
Chaodong Wu: Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Xutong Guan: Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Jialin Wang: Key Laboratory of Orogenic Belts and Crustal Evolution, Ministry of Education, School of Earth and Space Sciences, Peking University, Beijing 100871, China
Wen Zhu: Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute, Sinopec, Beijing 100083, China
Bo Yuan: Geophysics Department in Exploration and Development Institution of Xinjiang Oilfield Company, Urumqi 834000, China

Energies, 2021, vol. 14, issue 23, 1-27

Abstract: Deeply buried sandstones in the Jurassic, Toutunhe Formation, are a crucial exploration target in the Junggar Basin, NW China, whereas, reservoir-forming process of sandstones in the Toutunhe Formation remain unknown. Focused on the tight sandstone of the Toutunhe Formation, the impacts of diagenesis and hydrocarbon charging on sandstone reservoir-forming process were clarified based on the comprehensive analysis of sedimentary characteristics, petrography, petrophysical characteristics, and fluid inclusion analysis. Three diagenetic facies developed in the Toutunhe sandstone reservoirs, including carbonate cemented facies (CCF), matrix-caused tightly compacted facies (MTCF), and weakly diagenetic reformed facies (WDF). Except the WDF, the CCF and the MTCF entered the tight state in 18 Ma and 9 Ma, respectively. There was only one hydrocarbon emplacing event in sandstone reservoir of the Toutunhe Formation, charging in 13 Ma to 8 Ma. Meanwhile, the source rock started to expel hydrocarbons and buoyancy drove the hydrocarbon via the Aika fault belt to migrate into sandstone reservoirs in the Toutunhe Formation. During the end of the Neogene, the paleo-oil reservoir in the Toutunhe Formation was destructed and hydrocarbons migrated to the sandstone reservoirs in the Ziniquanzi Formation; some paleo-oil reservoirs survived in the WDF. The burial pattern and change of reservoir wettability were major controlling factors of the sandstone reservoir-forming process. The buried pattern of the Toutunhe Formation in the western section of the southern Junggar Basin was “slow and shallow burial at early stage and rapid and deep burial at late stage”. Hence, pore capillary pressure was extremely low due to limited diagenetic reformation (average pore capillary pressures were 0.26 MPa). At the same time, high content of chlorite coating increased the lipophilicity of reservoirs. Therefore, hydrocarbons preferably charged into the WDF with low matrix content (average 4.09%), high content of detrital quartz (average 28.75%), high content of chlorite films (average 2.2%), and lower pore capillary pressures (average 0.03 MPa). The above conditions were favorable for oil and gas enrichment.

Keywords: tight sandstone reservoir; Junggar Basin; diagenetic process; hydrocarbon emplacement; reservoir-forming (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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