Oil & Gas Geology ›› 2024, Vol. 45 ›› Issue (4): 893-909.doi: 10.11743/ogg20240402

• Petroleum Geology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Exploring source rock-reservoir coupling mechanisms in lacustrine shales based on varying-scale lithofacies assemblages: A case study of the Jurassic shale intervals in the Sichuan Basin

Zongquan HU1,2,3(), Zhongbao LIU1,2,3, Qianwen LI1,2,3, Zhoufan WU4   

  1. 1.State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development,Beijing 102206,China
    2.Key Laboratory of Shale Oil/Gas Exploration and Production Technology,SINOPEC,Beijing 102206,China
    3.Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute,SINOPEC,Beijing 102206,China
    4.China University of Geosciences (Beijing),Beijing 100083,China
  • Received:2024-04-17 Revised:2024-07-12 Online:2024-09-05 Published:2024-09-05

Abstract:

China’s lacustrine shale sequences exhibit complex sedimentary genesis and lithofacies assemblages, and studies on their source rock-reservoir characteristics and coupling mechanisms remain limited. Guided by theories of petrology, sedimentology, and unconventional reservoir geology, we investigate the Jurassic shale intervals within the Sichuan Basin. An integration of experimental and testing techniques such as rock and mineral analyses, organic geochemistry, and shale reservoir characterization is applied to explore the source rock-reservoir coupling mechanisms in the lacustrine shale based on varying-scale lithofacies assemblages. As a result, a methodology that combines macroscopic observations with microscopic analyses to identify lithofacies and uses varying-scale analysis to determine lithofacies assemblages is put forward in the study. Using this, we identify three types of lithofacies assemblage in terms of sedimentary genesis: terrestrial mud-sand sedimentary type, endogenetic mud-lime sedimentary type, and mixed source mud-sand-lime sedimentary type. Our findings indicate that many lamellar to thin-layered calcite-shell or silt layers tend to occur in the shale intervals featuring large-scale lithofacies assemblages consisting of shale interbedded with shell limestone or siltstone, with varying-scale interlayers within the same lithofacies assemblage being of the same type. Meter-scale shell-limestone or siltstone layers within large-scale lithofacies assemblages display inferior reservoir physical properties, thus contributing minimally to hydrocarbon accumulation. In contrast, millimeter-scale laminae and centimeter-scale thinly-layered calcite shells within small-scale lithofacies assemblages feature well-developed intragranular pores filled with dark organic matter, providing effective storage spaces for hydrocarbons. The source rock-reservoir coupling models for the three types of lithofacies assemblages are established, revealing that the correlations between the source rock (total organic carbon, TOC) and reservoir (porosity) for these lithofacies assemblages show a gradual improvement from terrigenous to mixed and then to endogenetic assemblages. This finding is closely associated with their differences in maturity, organic macerals, and inorganic minerals. Additionally, we explore the factors affecting the formation of various lithofacies assemblages different in type and scale and analyze the necessity of understanding the source rock-reservoir characteristics and their coupling mechanisms of lacustrine shale oil and gas from the perspective of varying-scale lithofacies assemblage, aiming to develop a novel philosophy of research on the hydrocarbon accumulation mechanism of lacustrine shales.

Key words: lacustrine shale oil and gas, varying-scale lithofacies assemblage, shell limestone, source rock-reservoir coupling, shale reservoir, Jurassic, Sichuan Basin

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