Oil & Gas Geology ›› 2021, Vol. 42 ›› Issue (2): 265-284.doi: 10.11743/ogg20210202

• Petroleum Geology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Integrated 3D hydrocarbon exploration in sedimentary basins of China

Dengfa He1(), Desheng Li2, Xiaoguang Tong2, Xiaozhi Wu2   

  1. 1. School of Energy Resources, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 100083, China
    2. Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing 100083, China
  • Received:2020-03-18 Online:2021-04-28 Published:2021-04-21

Abstract:

Oil and gas exploration in China has entered the peak of discovery with breakthroughs made in mature regions, frontier areas, new plays, new types of rock assemblages and new domains for both conventional and un-conventional hydrocarbon reservoirs in recent 15 years.Discussing the nature and guiding notion of the exploration during this period is of significant referential value to the on-going hydrocarbon exploration in China.Viewing from sedimentary basin system theories and petroleum exploration methodology, the paper puts forward exploration scenarios and methodology for the coming era based on a combination of oil and gas geologic condition analyses of sedimentary basins with current exploration activities in China.It shows that the sedimentary basins in China are chiefly of multi-cycle superimposed type under the joint control of the adjoining plate tectonics, the intra-continental structural deformation, and the deep mantle geologic processes, which together have resulted in large-scale oil and gas accumulation in multiple reservoirs or plays.The sedimentary basins in China are rich in variety of resources, including conventional oil and gas, low-maturity oil, bio-methane gas, tight gas, shale oil and gas, coal, coal-bed gas, salt and gypsum, hydrate, and metals etc.Petroleum exploration in China, after stages for structural oil and gas pools and lithologic-stratigraphic oil and gas pools, is now entering a stage for both conventional and unconventional oil and gas—also called the "integrated 3D reservoir exploration" stage.The stage is characterized by a full-chain and integrated exploration that scans the basin as a whole and takes multiple plays, multi-scale reservoirs, hybrid resources as its targets.It drills into subsurface over 10, 000 meters deep and explored the deep waters.It is based theoretically upon petroleum geology advancements in multi-cycle superimposed basins, deeper understanding to the dynamics of oil and gas accumulation, and progress in unconventional petroleum geology.It employs technologies including the multi-scale (micro-to-nano meter scale) analytical methods for reservoirs, the high-resolution seismic exploration featuring wide-frequency, wide-azimuth, and high-density, as well as the massive fracturing in horizontal wells.It is performed by integrating geology and engineering, exploration and production.It thus guarantees an integrated exploration of both conventional and unconventional oil and gas as well as other resources like coal, salt and metals in the basins.

Key words: exploration strategy, sedimentary basin system, basin dynamics, unified petroleum system, multi-cycle superimposed basin, unconventional oil and gas, integrated 3D reservoir exploration

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