Oil & Gas Geology ›› 2023, Vol. 44 ›› Issue (5): 1300-1307.doi: 10.11743/ogg20230518

• Methods and Technologies • Previous Articles     Next Articles

A method for predicting fault-induced changes of hydrocarbon migration pathways along sand carrier beds and its application

Chunbo HE1(), Yaxiong ZHANG2, Yinghua YU1(), Hongqi YUAN1   

  1. 1.School of Earth Sciences,Northeast Petroleum University,Daqing,Heilongjiang 163318,China
    2.Petroleum Exploration and Production Research Institute,SINOPEC,Beijing 102206,China
  • Received:2023-02-07 Revised:2023-08-02 Online:2023-10-19 Published:2023-10-19
  • Contact: Yinghua YU E-mail:hechunbo@nepu.edu.cn;42530546@qq.com

Abstract:

To reveal the distribution patterns of shallow hydrocarbons in slope zones of petroliferous basins, we explore the role of faults in changing the pathways for hydrocarbon migration along sand carrier beds, as well as the exact change. By matching the hydrocarbon leakage location of the cap rock with the dominant migration pathway along faults and sand carrier beds, we establish a method for predicting the fault-induced changes of hydrocarbon migration pathways along the sand carrier beds. By applying this method to the Qikou Sag in the Bohai Bay Basin, we predict the Zhaobei fault-induced change of pathways for hydrocarbon migration along the sand carrier beds in the lower submember of the 1st member of the Shahejie Formation where hydrocarbons migrate into the shallow Guantao Formation. The results indicate only one change in the migration pathways induced by the Zhaobei fault, lying in the middle of the lower submember of the 1st member of the Shahejie Formation. In this part, hydrocarbons migrating via the sand carrier beds in the lower submember migrate upward along the Zhaobei fault and accumulate in the overlying shallow Guantao Formation. This prediction result aligns with the fact that hydrocarbons found in the shallow Guantao Formation near the Zhaobei fault are predominantly distributed in the middle of the lower submember. Therefore, the method proposed in this study is feasible in predicting fault-induced changes of the hydrocarbon migration pathways along the sand carrier beds.

Key words: hydrocarbon migration along sand carrier bed, change of hydrocarbon migration pathway, prediction method, fault, hydrocarbon migration, Qikou Sag, Bohai Bay Basin

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