Oil & Gas Geology ›› 2020, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (6): 1310-1320.doi: 10.11743/ogg20200619

• Methods and Technologies • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Variation in liquid hydrocarbon content during thermal simulation and its influence on physical property of shale

Mo Deng1(), Xinguo Duan2, Changbo Zhai1, Shengxiang Long3,4, Zhenheng Yang1, Lunju Zheng1, Zhangchang Li2, Taotao Cao5,*()   

  1. 1. Wuxi Research Institute of Petroleum Geology, Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Wuxi, Jiangsu 214126, China
    2. State Key Laboratory of Oil and Gas Reservoir Geology and Exploitation, Chengdu University of Technology, Chengdu, Sichuan 610059, China
    3. Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Exploration&Production, SINOPEC, Beijing 100083, China
    4. Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute, SINOPEC, Beijing 100083, China
    5. Hunan Provincial Key Laboratory of Shale Gas Resource Exploitation, Hunan University of Science and Technology, Xiangtan, Hunan 411201, China
  • Received:2018-09-17 Online:2020-12-28 Published:2020-12-09
  • Contact: Taotao Cao E-mail:dengmo.syky@sinopec.com;515165359@163.com

Abstract:

In the process of thermal simulation, the changes of liquid hydrocarbon content and occurrence mode are important to the in-depth study of pore evolution and shale reservoir characterization.A thermal simulation experiment of semi-closed system was conducted on the low mature Dalong Formation shale from Shangsi section, Guangyuan area, Northwestern Sichuan Basin.The original shales and thermally simulated samples were subjected to argon ion milling-scanning electron microscopy (SEM) observation.The simulated samples and their extracted samples to low temperature nitrogen adsorption experiment.The results show that organic pores are not well developed in the original Dalong Formation shale.With the increase of temperature in thermal simulation, organic pores begin to develop with increasing number and pore size.In addition, the specific surface area and pore volume also increase accordingly, and they are in a good linear positive correlation with the temperature in thermal simulation.However, there is no significant change in the mesopore and macropore volumes with the temperature increase.On the other hand, a positive correlation is suggested between TOC consumption and specific surface area, pore volume, indicating a significant increase of the number of micro-pores during the transformation from organic matter to hydrocarbon.The SEM observation revealed that liquid hydrocarbon mainly exists within shale inter-crystalline pores and organic pores, and its content is started with a quick leap but is followed by a sharp drop with temperature increase, reaching a peak at a thermal simulation temperature of 325 ℃ to 340 ℃, but almost drop to zero at a temperature of 450 ℃ or higher.After liquid hydrocarbon extracting, nitrogen adsorption capacity of the samples is generally enhanced.The samples' pore size distribution is single peaked with a peak within a pore size range of 14.36-23.56 nm, while for the liquid hydrocarbon extracted samples their peak pore size distribution moves to smaller pores of 12.06-22 nm.The specific surface area, micro-pore and mesopore volumes of the extracted samples increase significantly compared to those of the original samples in thermal simulation.The correlation between thermal simulation temperature and specific surface area, micropore volume becomes better for extracted samples, reflecting that the liquid hydrocarbon mainly exists in shale micro-pores and some mesopores.

Key words: liquid hydrocarbon, extraction, pore evolution, physical property, thermal simulation experiment, shale, Dalong Formation, Sichuan Basin

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