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The modeling of carbon isotope kinetics and its application to the evaluation of natural gas

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Abstract

The modeling of carbon isotope kinetics of natural gas is an issue driving pioneering research in the oil and gas geochemistry in China and internationally. Combined with the sedimentary burial history and basin geothermal history, the modeling of carbon isotope kinetics provides a new and effective means for the determination of the origin and accumulation history of natural gas pools. In this paper, we introduce themodeling of carbon isotope kinetics of natural gas formation and its applications to the assessment of natural gas maturity, the determination of the gas source, the history of gas accumulation, and the oil-gas ratio. It is shown that this approach is of great value for these applications. The carbon isotopic characteristics of natural gas are not only affected by the gas source and maturity of the source rock, but also are related to the accumulation condition and geothermal gradient in a basin. There are obvious differences in the characteristics of carbon isotope ratios between instantaneous gas and cumulative gas. Different basins have different kinetic models of carbon isotope fractionation, which depends on the gas source condition, the accumulation history and the sedimentary-tectonic history. Since the origin of natural gas in the superimposed basin in China is very complicated, and the natural gas pool is characterized by multiphase and variable gas-sources, this paper may provide a new perspective on the study and evaluation of natural gas.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Coal Resources and Safe Mining, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing, 100083, China

    Xianqing LI, Qiang Zhou, Yunfeng Yang, Peng Dong, Yan Wang & Zhihong Song

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

    Xianqing LI, Xianming Xiao & Hui Tian

  3. Research Center of Petroleum Energy and Environment, California Institute of Technology, 738 Arrow Grand Circle, Covina, CA, 91722, USA

    Yongchun Tang

  4. School of Resources and Safety Engineering, China University of Mining and Technology, Beijing, 100083, China

    Qiang Zhou, Yunfeng Yang, Peng Dong, Yan Wang & Zhihong Song

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  1. Xianqing LI
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Correspondence to Xianqing LI.

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LI, X., Xiao, X., Tang, Y. et al. The modeling of carbon isotope kinetics and its application to the evaluation of natural gas. Front. Earth Sci. China 2, 96–104 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-008-0011-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-008-0011-3

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