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Identification of marine natural gases with different origin sources

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Abstract

Kinetic experiments of gas generation for typical samples of marine gas precursors including low-maturity kerogen, residual kerogen and oil as well as dispersed liquid hydrocarbon (DLH) in source rocks were performed by closed system, and the evolution trends of molecular and isotopic compositions of natural gases from different precursors against the maturity (R 0%) at laboratory conditions were analyzed. Several diagrams of gas origin were calibrated by using the experimental data. A diagram based on the ratio of normal and isomerous butane and pentane (i/nC4 − i/nC5) was proposed and used to identify the origins of the typical marine natural gases in the Sichuan Basin and the Tarim Basin, China. And the maturities of natural gases were estimated by using the statistical relationships between the gaseous molecular carbon isotopic data and maturities (δ13C-R 0%) with different origins. The results indicate that the molecular and isotopic compositions of simulated gases from different precursors are different from each other. For example, the dryness index of the oil-cracking gas is the lowest; the dryness indices of gases from DLH and kerogen in closed system are almost the same; and the dryness index of gases from residual kerogen is extremely high, indicating that the kerogen gases are very dry; the contents of non-hydrocarbon gases in kerogen-cracking gases are far higher than those in oil-cracking and DLH-cracking gases. The molecular carbon isotopes of oil-cracking gases are the lightest, those of kerogen in closed system and GLH-cracking gases are the second lightest, and those of cracking gases from residual kerogen are the heaviest. The calibration results indicate that the diagrams of In(C1/C2)-In(C2/C3) and δ4 3C2-δ4 3C3-In(C2/C3) can discriminate primary and secondary cracking gases, but cannot be used to identify gas origin sources, while the diagram of i/nC4 − i/nC5 can differentiate the gases from different precursors. The application results of these diagrams show that gas mixtures extensively exist in China, which involved the gases from multiple precursors and those from different maturity stages. For example, marine gases in the Sichuan Basin involve the mixture of oil-cracking gases and high-over-maturated kerogen gases, while those in the Tarim Basin involve not only the mixture of gases from multiple precursors, but also those from different maturity gases and post-reservoir alternations such as oxidized degradation and gas intrusion processes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Organic Geochemistry, Guangzhou Institute of Geochemistry, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Guangzhou, 510640, China

    YunPeng Wang, Jin Tian, YanRong Zou & JinZhong Liu

  2. Institute of Geology, Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, PetroChina, Beijing, 100083, China

    ChangYi Zhao, ZhaoYun Wang & HongJun Wang

Authors
  1. YunPeng Wang
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  2. ChangYi Zhao
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  3. ZhaoYun Wang
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  4. HongJun Wang
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  5. Jin Tian
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  6. YanRong Zou
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  7. JinZhong Liu
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Correspondence to YunPeng Wang.

Additional information

Supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (Grant No. 2007CB209501, 2001CB209101) and Knowledge Innovation Project of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. KZCX2-YW-108, KZCX3-SW-224)

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Wang, Y., Zhao, C., Wang, Z. et al. Identification of marine natural gases with different origin sources. Sci. China Ser. D-Earth Sci. 51 (Suppl 1), 148–164 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-008-5016-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11430-008-5016-y

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