Oil & Gas Geology ›› 2016, Vol. 37 ›› Issue (5): 627-633.doi: 10.11743/ogg20160502

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Simulation experiments on crude oil cracking and carbon isotopic evolution in carbonate reservoirs

Liu Wenhui1,2, Luo Houyong1,2, Tenger1,2, Wang Wanchun3, Wang Jie1,2, Lu Longfei1,2, Tao Cheng1,2, Wang Ping1,2, Zhao Heng3   

  1. 1. Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, Exploration & Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214151, China;
    2. SINOPEC Key Laboratory of Hydrocarbon Accumulation, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214151, China;
    3. Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources Research, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, Gansu 730000, China
  • Received:2015-10-10 Revised:2016-08-14 Online:2016-10-08 Published:2016-11-07

Abstract: To study the characteristics of crude oil cracking and isotopic evolution in carbonate reservoirs,crude oil samples were collected from Well TK772 in the Ordovician Yingshan Formation,Tahe oilfield,Tarim Basin.We carried out the simulation experiment of oil cracking into gas process under simulated carbonate reservoir conditions by using the semi-open experiment system "hydrocarbon generation and expulsion simulation instrument under the conditions of stratum-porosity and thermo-compression",and then analyzed the geochemical characteristics of gaseous products.The experiment results showed that oil cracking process in a carbonate reservoir was mainly influenced by temperature,and the occurrence of the TSR was caused by the adding of magnesium sulfate.TSR affected the oil cracking process and the characteristics of its products,resulting in the drop of temperature for the large scale cracking of heavy hydrocarbons,and the generation of large amount of non-hydrocarbon gases in addition to the consuming of large amount of heavy hydrocarbons.The alkane gas carbon isotopic composition is mainly controlled by thermal evolution degree.The carbon isotopes get heavier progressively along with the increasing of temperature,but the alkane gas carbon isotopic sequence partially reverses (δ13C1< δ13C213C3) at certain temperature intervals when sulfates exist.The study shows that TSR not only could alter the chemical composition of natural gas,but also might be an important factor for alkane gas carbon isotopic sequence reversion that is common in the carbonate gas reservoirs with high content of sulfur.

Key words: carbon isotope, crude oil cracking, TSR, carbonate reservoir, Yingshan Formation, Tarim Basin

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