Geological Characteristics and Challenges of Marine Shale Gas in the Southern Sichuan Basin

Shasha Sun (), Shiwei Huang, Feng Cheng, Wenhua Bai and Zhaoyuan Shao
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Shasha Sun: PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing 100083, China
Shiwei Huang: Exploration Division of PetroChina Daqing Oilfield Company, Daqing 163000, China
Feng Cheng: PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing 100083, China
Wenhua Bai: PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing 100083, China
Zhaoyuan Shao: PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Beijing 100083, China

Energies, 2023, vol. 16, issue 15, 1-20

Abstract: After more than 10 years of exploration, development, research, and practical efforts, China has opened up new perspectives for the commercial exploitation of marine shale gas. While high shale gas production is a main driver for energy security and economic development in China, there have been few attempts to systemically scientific analysis the challenges, prospect, development strategies, and goals for shale gas. Here, we present a detailed comparison of the differences in shale gas between the Sichuan Basin and North America from multiple dimensions, explain how and to what extent recent advances have been made, discuss the current challenges, and provide strategies to deal with these challenges. We demonstrate that a total of 13 graptolite zones developed in the Wufeng–Longmaxi Formations, achieved by representative cores from 32 coring wells and 7 outcrop profiles, can establish the chronostratigraphic framework in the Sichuan Basin, which leads to the potential impact of high-quality reservoir distribution and shale gas production. Shale gas is still faced with the challenges of complex underground and surface conditions, low single-well EUR, and immature deep development engineering technology. To circumvent these issues, here, we propose several strategies, including sweet-spot optimization, low-cost drilling techniques, and efficient fracturing technologies. Our results strengthen the importance of adopting fundamental theoretical research and practical and feasible development goals to realize more commercial discoveries of shale gas of diverse types and higher growth of shale gas reserves and production.

Keywords: southern Sichuan Basin; Wufeng–Longmaxi Formation; shale gas; graptolite (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 (1)

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