Oil & Gas Geology ›› 2022, Vol. 43 ›› Issue (2): 378-389.doi: 10.11743/ogg20220211

• Petroleum Geology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Characteristics of horizontal and vertical permeability of continental shale oil reservoirs in China: A case from Jiyang Depression in Bohai Bay Basin and Qianjiang Sag in Jianghan Baisn

Yunqi Shen1,2(), Zhijun Jin1,2,3(), Jianzheng Su1,2,3, Zhiming Li1,2,3, Jun Niu1,2   

  1. 1.Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute,SINOPEC,Beijing 100083,China
    2.State Energy Center for Shale Oil Research and Development,Beijing 100083,China
    3.State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development,Beijing 100083,China
  • Received:2020-11-12 Revised:2022-01-18 Online:2022-04-01 Published:2022-03-11
  • Contact: Zhijun Jin E-mail:shenyq.syky@sinopec.com;jinzj.syky@sinopec.com

Abstract:

At present, commercial development of shale oil has been achieved in North America, and a major breakthrough has been made in the exploration and development of shale oil in China. In practice, it has been found that segments with horizontal beddings contribute more in petroleum production compared with those without beddings, probably indicating a larger horizontal permeability compared with the vertical permeability. The study focuses on quantitative analysis of horizontal and vertical permeability variation pattern in typical continental shale oil reservoirs in China by using pressure-pulse decay method. The results indicate that: (1) under atmospheric pressure, the horizontal permeability is 5 orders of magnitude higher than the vertical permeability in shale oil reservoirs with bedding?parallel fractures, while it is about 20 to 50 times higher than the vertical permeability in those without bedding-parallel fractures. When vertical structural micro-fractures cutting through bedding exist, the ratio of horizontal permeability to vertical permeability is less than 1. (2) Under confining pressure, the variation of horizontal and vertical permeability in continental shale oil reservoirs is more complicated in comparison with marine shale reservoirs, and the horizontal permeability is the more sensitive to the confining pressure. (3) The ratios of horizontal permeability to vertical permeability in laminated calcareous shale/laminated arenaceous shale facies, lamellar shale facies, and massive shale facies, vary from 1.5 to 90.0, from 1.4 to 46.0 and from 1.3 to 40.0, respectively. (4) In comparison, the permeability of shale oil reservoirs in Qianjiang Sag in Jianghan oilfield is 10-100 times lower than that in Jiyang Depression in Shengli oilfield due to smaller pore throat, complex mineral composition and the existence of pore-filling anhydrite.

Key words: horizontal permeability, vertical permeability, permeability anisotropy, continental shale oil, Qianjiang Sag, Jiyang Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, Jianghan Basin

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