An Overview of the Differential Carbonate Reservoir Characteristic and Exploitation Challenge in the Tarim Basin (NW China)

Lixin Chen, Zhenxue Jiang, Chong Sun, Bingshan Ma, Zhou Su, Xiaoguo Wan, Jianfa Han () and Guanghui Wu ()
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Lixin Chen: Unconventional Gas Research Institute, China Petroleum University, Beijing 102200, China
Zhenxue Jiang: Unconventional Gas Research Institute, China Petroleum University, Beijing 102200, China
Chong Sun: PetroChina Tarim Oilfield Company, Korla 841000, China
Bingshan Ma: School of Geoscience and Technology, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China
Zhou Su: PetroChina Tarim Oilfield Company, Korla 841000, China
Xiaoguo Wan: PetroChina Tarim Oilfield Company, Korla 841000, China
Jianfa Han: PetroChina Tarim Oilfield Company, Korla 841000, China
Guanghui Wu: School of Geoscience and Technology, Southwest Petroleum University, Chengdu 610500, China

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-14

Abstract: The largest marine carbonate oilfield and gas condensate field in China have been found in the Ordovician limestones in the central Tarim Basin. They are defined as large “layered” reef-shoal and karstic reservoirs. However, low and/or unstable oil/gas production has been a big challenge for effective exploitation in ultra-deep (>6000 m) reservoirs for more than 20 years. Together with the static and dynamic reservoir data, we have a review of the unconventional characteristics of the oil/gas fields in that: (1) the large area tight matrix reservoir (porosity less than 5%, permeability less than 0.2 mD) superimposed with localized fracture-cave reservoir (porosity > 5%, permeability > 2 mD); (2) complicated fluid distribution and unstable production without uniform oil/gas/water interface in an oil/gas field; (3) about 30% wells in fractured reservoirs support more than 80% production; (4) high production decline rate is over 20% per year with low recovery ratio. These data suggest that the “sweet spot” of the fractured reservoir rather than the matrix reservoir is the major drilling target for ultra-deep reservoir development. In the ultra-deep pre-Mesozoic reservoirs, further advances in horizontal drilling and large multiple fracturing techniques are needed for the economic exploitation of the matrix reservoirs, and seismic quantitative descriptions and horizontal drilling techniques across the fault zones are needed for oil/gas efficient development from the deeply fractured reservoirs.

Keywords: ultra-depth; tight matrix carbonate reservoir; fractured reservoir; “sweet spot”; exploitation; Tarim Basin (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: 2023
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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