Skip to main content
Log in

The migration fractionation: an important mechanism in the formation of condensate and waxy oil

  • Discussion
  • Published:
Chinese Science Bulletin

Abstract

Fault-initiated pressure release within reservoirs and the injection of external excessive dry gas may result in occurrence of oil and gas phases. Because of different partitioning coefficients of compounds in two phase flow, lower-molecular-weight components are easier to dissolve in gas phase, yielding condensates, while higher-molecular-weight components are retained in the oil phase, yielding waxy oil cumulations. The fractionation process causes extensive compositional variability in aliphatic/aromatic hydrocarbon ratios, molecular compound distributions and carbon isotope ratios that are traditionally considered to be related to the source organic matter or the thermal maturity.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Curialc, J. A., Bromley, B. W., Migration induced compositional changes in oils and condensates of a single field, Organic Geochemistry, 1996, 24(12): 1097.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Thompson, K. F. M., Fractionated aromatic petroleum and generation of gas-condensates, Organic Geochemistry, 1987, 11: 237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  3. Dzou, L. I. P., Hughes, W. B., Geochemistry of oils and condensates, K Field, offshore Taiwan: a case study in migration fractionation, Organic Geochemistry, 1993, 20: 437.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Thompson, K. F. M., Gas-condensates migration and oil fractionation in deltaic systems. Marine Petroleum Geology, 1988, 5: 237.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Price, L. C., Wenger, L. M., Ging, T. et al., Solubility of crude oil in methane as a function of pressure and temperature. Organic Geochemistry, 1983, 4: 201.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Larter, S. R., Mills, N., Phase-controlled molecular fractionationa in magrating petroleum charges, Petroleum Migration, London: Geol. Soc. Spec. Pub., 1991, 59: 191.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Huang Difan, Zhao Mengjun, Study on physical property of crude oils and genesis of marine crude oils with medium wax and lower sulfur in the Tarim Basin, Advance in Petroleum Geology in the Tarim Basin (in Chinese), Beijing: Science Press, 1996, 329–337.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Zhang, S. C., Hanson, A. D., Moldowan, J. M. et al., Paleozoic oil-source rock correlations in the Tarim Basin, NW China, Organic Geochemistry, 2000 (in press).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

About this article

Cite this article

Zhang, S. The migration fractionation: an important mechanism in the formation of condensate and waxy oil. Chin.Sci.Bull. 45, 1341–1344 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03182916

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF03182916

Keywords

Navigation