Classification and oil system of continental shale: Es3L sub-member of Bonan sag, Jiyang depression, Eastern China

Original Paper
First Online:
Received:
Accepted:
  • 208 Downloads

Abstract

On the basis of shale textures, carbonate contents, and total organic carbon (TOC) contents, five types of continental shale are identified: organic-rich laminated argillaceous limestone, organic-rich laminated lime mudstone, organic-lean laminated argillaceous limestone, non-laminated massive argillaceous limestone, and non-laminated massive lime mudstone. Criteria for shale oil system is also proposed, characterized by Ro value higher than 0.5 %, TOC content higher than 0.5 wt%, or S1 (free hydrocarbon) value higher than 0.5 mg/g, with more than 2-m-thick shale top and bottom layers, and the whole system thickness is no less than 30 m. The Es3L (lower sub-member of the third member of Paleogene Shahejie formation) continental shale has total organic carbon (TOC) values ranging from 0.71 to 9.32 wt%, with an average of 3.1 wt%. The organic matter (OM) is predominantly type I kerogen, with minor amounts of type II kerogen. Vitrinite reflectance ranges from 0.7 to 0.9 %, indicating that most of the shales are in the oil generation window. The temperature of maximum yield of pyrolysate (T max) ranges from 424 to 447 °C, with an average of 440 °C. Free hydrocarbon (S1) values range from 0.03 to 13.12 mg HC/g rock, with an average of 2.14 mg HC/g rock, the hydrocarbons cracked from kerogen (S2) yield values in the range of 1.19–78.59 mg HC/g rock, with an average of 17.07 mg HC/g rock, and hydrogen index (HI) values range from 160.58 to 1041.82 mg/g TOC, and with an average of 495.87 mg/g TOC. The dominant minerals of the Es3L shale are carbonates (including calcite and dolomite), ranging from 38 to 92 wt%, with an average of 65 wt%, along with secondary clay and quartz, both at an average of 17.5 wt%. The continental shale oil resource potential of Es3L in the Bonan sag was evaluated through further research on TOC content, and free oil content (S1). The evaluation results show that the shale oil accumulation intensity ranges from 0.3 to 4 × 106 ton/km2. The oil content of the Es3L continental shale is similar to that of Monterey shale and Antelope shale of the USA.

Keywords

Continental shale Shale classification Shale oil system Resource potential Bonan sag Jiyang depression 
This is a preview of subscription content, log in to check access.

Notes

Acknowledgments

This study was supported by grants from the Natural Science Foundation of China (41402110, 41330313), “Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities” (14CX05017A, 13CX05013A), and CNPC Innovation Foundation (2011D-5006-0101). We thank Kent A. Bowker and Prasanta K. Mukhopadhyay for giving the helpful advice on the first manuscript.

References

  1. Badics B, Vető I (2012) Source rocks and petroleum systems in the Hungarian part of the Pannonian Basin: the potential for shale gas and shale oil plays. Mar Pet Geol 31:53–69CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  2. Bowker KA (2007) Barnett Shale gas production, Fort Worth Basin: issues and discussion. AAPG Bull 91:523–533CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  3. EIA (2013) Technically recoverable shale oil and shale gas resources: an assessment of 137 shale formations in 41 countries outside the United StatesGoogle Scholar
  4. Espitalie J, Deroo G, Marquis F (1985) Rock-Eval pyrolysis and its applications (part one). Oil Gas Sci Technol Rev Inst Fr Pet 40:563–579Google Scholar
  5. Horsfield B, Schulz HM (2012) Insights into Shale gas exploration and exploitation. Mar Pet Geol 31:1–136CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  6. Hutton AC, Cook AC (1980) Influence of alginate on reflectance of vitrinite from Joadja, NSW, and some other coals and oil shales containing alginite. Fuel 59:711–714CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  7. Jarvie DM (2012) Shale resource systems for oil and gas: Part 2—Shale-oil resource systems. In: Breyer JA (ed) Shale reservoirs—Giant resources for the 21st century. AAPG Memoir, vol 97., pp 89–119Google Scholar
  8. Jarvie DM, Hill RJ, Ruble TE, Pollastro RM (2007) Unconventional shale-gas systems: the Mississippian Barnett Shale of north-central Texas as one model for thermogenic shale-gas assessment. AAPG Bull 91:475–499CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  9. Jia S (2011) Study on formation and distribution of the shale reservoir in the lower third member of Eogene Shahejie Formation in Loujia area of Zhanhua Sag, China University of Geosciences for Master Degree. [in Chinese with English abstract] Google Scholar
  10. Kalkreuth WD (1982) Rank and petrographic composition of selected Jurassic-Lower Cretaceous coals of British Columbia, Canada. Canada Pet Geol Bull 30:112–139Google Scholar
  11. Kinley TJ, Cook LW, Breyer JA, Jarvie DM, Busbey AB (2008) Hydrocarbon potential of the Barnett Shale (Mississippian), Delaware Basin, west Texas and southeastern New Mexico. AAPG Bull 92:967–991CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  12. Kirschbaum MA, Mercier TJ (2013) Controls on the deposition and preservation of the Cretaceous Mowry Shale and Frontier Formation and equivalents, Rocky Mountain region, Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming. AAPG Bull 97:899–921CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  13. Kuhn PP, di Primio R, Hill R, Lawrence JR, Horsfield B (2012) Three-dimensional modeling study of the low-permeability petroleum system of the Bakken Formation. AAPG Bull 96:1867–1897CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  14. Li W, Lu S, Xue H, Zhang P, Hu Y (2015) Oil content in argillaceous dolomite from the Jianghan Basin, China: application of new grading evaluation criteria to study shale oil potential. Fuel 143:424–429CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  15. Loucks RG, Reed RM, Ruppel SC, Jarvie DM (2009) Morphology, genesis, and distribution of nanometer-scale pores in siliceous mudstones of the Mississippian Barnett shale. J Sediment Res 79:848–861CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  16. Peters KE, Cassa MR (1994) Applied source rock geochemistry. In: Magoon LB, Dow WG (eds) The petroleum system—From source to trap, vol 60. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Memoir, Tulsa, pp 93–117Google Scholar
  17. Price LC, Barker CE (1985) Suppression of vitrinite reflectance in amorphous rich kerogen-a major unrecognized problem. J Pet Geol 8:59–84CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  18. Rietveld HM (1967) Line profiles of neutron powder-diffraction peaks for structure refinement. Acta Crystallogr 22:151–152CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  19. Ross DJK, Bustin RM (2008) Characterizing the shale gas resource potential of Devonian–Mississippian strata in the Western Canada sedimentary basin: application of an integrated formation evaluation. AAPG Bull 92:87–125CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  20. Song MY (2011) Study on reservoir development and forming mechanism of fractured shale reservoirs in Bonan sub-sagin, China University of Petroleum Master Degree Thesis., p 3Google Scholar
  21. Wang GM, Ren YJ, Zhong JH, Ma ZP, Jiang ZX (2005) Genetic analysis on lamellar calcite veins in Paleogene black shale of the Jiyang depression. Acta Geol Sin 79:834–838 [in Chinese with English abstract] Google Scholar
  22. Wang M, Wilkins RWT, Song G, Zhang L, Xu X, Li Z, Chen G (2015) Geochemical and geological characteristics of the Es3L lacustrine shale in the Bonan sag, Bohai Bay Basin, China. Int J Coal Geol 138:16–29CrossRefGoogle Scholar
  23. Wang M, Lu S, Zhang L, Chen G, Xiao D, Li Z, Hu H (2016) Lacustrine shale oil resource potential of Es3L sub-member of Bonan Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, Eastern China. J Earth Sci 2016. Accepted.Google Scholar
  24. Xue HT, Lu SF, Tian SS (2013) Unconventional hydrocarbon resource appraisement of northern Songliao basin, Northeast Petroleum University. [in Chinese] Google Scholar
  25. Zhang J, Lin L, Li Y, Tang X, Zhu L, Xing Y, Jiang S, Jin T, Yang S (2012) Classification and evaluation of shale oil. Earth Sci Front 19:322–331 [in Chinese with English abstract] Google Scholar
  26. Zou C, Dong D, Wang S, Li J, Li X, Wang Y, Li D, Cheng K (2010) Geological characteristics and resource potential of shale gas in China. Pet Explor Dev 37:641–653CrossRefGoogle Scholar

Copyright information

© Saudi Society for Geosciences 2016

Authors and Affiliations

  1. 1.Research Institute of Unconventional Petroleum and Renewable Energy (RIUP&RE), China University of Petroleum (East China)QingdaoChina

Personalised recommendations