Oil & Gas Geology ›› 2025, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (1): 123-135.doi: 10.11743/ogg20250109

• Petroleum Geology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Enrichment conditions and exploration potential of shale oil in continental faulted freshwater lacustrine basins: A case study of the Paleogene Hetaoyuan Formation in the Nanyang Sag, Nanxiang Basin

Liangjun WANG(), Liansheng LI(), Yan ZHU, Yanran LI   

  1. Henan Oilfield Branch Company,SINOPEC,Nanyang,Henan 473132,China
  • Received:2024-09-20 Revised:2024-12-23 Online:2025-03-03 Published:2025-03-03
  • Contact: Liansheng LI E-mail:wanglj389.hnyt@sinopec.com;llsby.hnyt@ sinopec.com

Abstract:

Commercial oil flow with peak daily production ranging from 5.21 to 19.17 t has been achieved in shale oil exploitation in the 3rd member of the Hetaoyuan Formation (also referred to as the He 3 Member) in the Nanyang Sag, Nanxiang Basin. Therefore, investigating shale oil enrichment in this sag is significant for exploration. Using methods including core observation, log response analysis, thin section observation, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), hydrocarbon generation and expulsion simulation, and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), we investigate the formation conditions, occurrence characteristics, enrichment conditions, and exploration potential of freshwater lacustrine shale oil in the Nanxiang Basin. The results indicate that shales in the Nanyang Sag primarily occur in the upper part of the He 3 Member to the He 2 Member, with a maximum cumulative thickness reaching up to 1 400 m. The shale layers in the sag exhibit total organic carbon (TOC) content ranging from 0.18 % to 1.58 %, with an average of 0.84 %, and free hydrocarbon (S1) content from 0.15 to 1.23 mg/g. Their organic matter is dominated by Type Ⅱ1, with vitrinite reflectance (Ro) values ranging from 0.5 % to 1.0 %, indicating moderate thermal maturity. The lithofacies of the shales consist principally of lamellar to laminated mixed shales, lamellar felsic shales, and lamellar dolomitic calcareous shales, with lamellar mixed shales predominating. The main storage spaces within the shales include matrix pores and fractures. The matrix pores are dominated by intergranular pores in clay minerals, intercrystalline pores, and dissolved pores, along with a small quantity of organic pores. These pores contribute to matrix porosity ranging from 0.2 % to 5.4 %, with an average of 3.1 %. The shale layers in the sag thereby exhibit moderate reserving properties, moderate shale oil mobility and good fracability. Calculations using the volumetric method reveal total shale oil resources in the sag reaching up to 2.01 × 10⁸ t, with the identified exploration area of play fairways covering 72.1 km².

Key words: denrichment factor, occurrence mode, sweet spot, shale oil, freshwater lacustrine basin, Nanyang Sag, Nanxiang Basin

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