Oil & Gas Geology ›› 2025, Vol. 46 ›› Issue (3): 705-718.doi: 10.11743/ogg20250302

• Petroleum Geology • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Classification and characteristics of pores in marine shale gas reservoirs in the Lower Paleozoic Wufeng-Longmaxi formations, Sichuan Basin

Zongquan HU1,2,3(), Qianru WANG1,2,3, Baojian SHEN1,2,3, Dongjun FENG1,2,3, Wei DU1,2,3, Chuanxiang SUN1,2,3   

  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
  • Received:2025-02-15 Revised:2025-05-06 Online:2025-06-30 Published:2025-06-26

Abstract:

Shale gas reservoirs contain complex inorganic minerals and abundant organic matter, and have experienced a multistage evolutionary process including diagenesis and hydrocarbon generation. All these lead to the formation of diverse pore types with complex origins and formation processes. Internationally, systematic, in-depth studies on the classification of shale gas reservoirs have been conducted generally. However, in China, the genetic classification of these reservoirs largely relies on the criteria used for conventional reservoirs. Accordingly, there remains a lack of detailed studies on the interactions between inorganic minerals and organic matter, as well as on the evolution of inorganic and organic pores and their potential mutual transformation. In this study, we investigate typical marine shale gas reservoirs in the Wufeng-Longmaxi formations within the Sichuan Basin. By characterizing pores based on their props, we analyze the characteristics of pores propped by inorganic minerals, organic matter, and a combination of them, and accordingly propose a pore classification scheme in terms of prop types, pore development locations, and pore origins. Using this scheme, pores in marine shale gas reservoirs are categorized into inorganic, organic, and composite pores, each of which are further subdivided. To deepen the pore evolution and transformation, we integrate the diagenetic processes of inorganic minerals with the hydrocarbon generation of organic matter, and thereby the pore evolution in marine shale gas reservoirs can be divided into three distinct stages, namely, the sedimentary to early diagenetic stage, the oil generation stage, and the gas generation stage. The first stage is characterized by the development of abundant inorganic pores, most of which are saturated with water. The oil generation stage features the development of inorganic pores and a small quantity of pores within in situ organic matter (also referred to as in situ organic pores), which are dominated by oil. The gas generation stage is marked by the formation of numerous pores in migrated organic matter and a small number of inorganic pores. Most of the pores formed in this stage contain gas. By analyzing the evolution of inorganic pores, in situ organic pores, and pores in migrated organic matter, along with the transformation among these pore types, we propose that the evolutionary sequence of high-quality reservoirs consists of the formation of radiolarian-rich siliceous shales during the sedimentary stage, the coupling of biogenic silicon and organic matter during the diagenetic stage, the infilling of liquid hydrocarbons into the intergranular and intercrystalline pores of siliceous minerals during the oil generation stage, and finally, the infilling of asphalt into the intercrystalline pores of siliceous minerals and the development of organic pores within the asphalt during the gas generation stage.

Key words: pore prop, inorganic pore, organic pore, pore classification, shale gas reservoir, Wufeng-Longmaxi formations, Sichuan Basin

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