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Accumulation of unconventional petroleum resources and their coexistence characteristics in Chang7 shale formations of Ordos Basin in central China

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Abstract

The Ordos Basin is the largest oil and gas producing basin in China, where tight oil, shale gas, oil shale, and other unconventional oil and gas resources have been found in the Chang7 subsection of the Triassic Yanchang Formation. However, the mechanism of formation and the distribution of unconventional oil and gas resources in the shale layers have not been systematically investigated until now. According to the type of unconventional oil and gas resources, main controlling factors, and the maturity, depth and abundance of organic matters, the shale oil and gas resources from Chang7 region are divided into five zones that include an outcrop-shallow oil shale zone, a middle-matured and medium-burial shale oil zone, a medium-matured and medium-burial in situ conversion process (ICP) shale oil zone, a high-maturity and deep-burial shale gas zone, and an adjacent-interbedded tight sandstone oil zone. By the distribution of resources, orderly evolution of oil and gas resources and coexistences in lacustrine shale formations have been put forward, and also a strategy of integrated exploration and development of resources in the shale formations is proposed. Overall, the outcome of this study may guide on the effective utilization of unconventional oil and gas resources in other shale formations.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Basic Research Program of China (No. 2014CB239000). In the preparation of this paper, thanks to Professor Katz. Barry J, Chevron Corporation.

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Authors and Affiliations

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

    Jingwei Cui, Rukai Zhu & Zhiguo Mao

  2. Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Depositional Mineralization & Sedimentary Mineral, Shandong University of Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266590, China

    Jingwei Cui

  3. Changqing Oilfield Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, CNPC, Xi’an, 710018, China

    Shixiang Li

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  1. Jingwei Cui
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Correspondence to Jingwei Cui.

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Cui, J., Zhu, R., Mao, Z. et al. Accumulation of unconventional petroleum resources and their coexistence characteristics in Chang7 shale formations of Ordos Basin in central China. Front. Earth Sci. 13, 575–587 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11707-019-0756-x

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