A new rapid method for shale oil and shale gas assessment

The Sichuan Basin is rich in shale oil and gas resources, with favorable geological conditions that the other shale reservoirs in China cannot match. Thus, the basin is an ideal option for fully “exploring petroleum inside source kitchen” with respect to onshore shale oil and gas in China. This paper analyzes the characteristics of shale oil and gas resources in the United States and China, and points out that maturity plays an important role in controlling shale oil and gas composition. US shale oil and gas exhibit high proportions of light hydrocarbon and wet gas, whereas Chinese marine and transitional shale gas is mainly dry gas and continental shale oil is generally heavy. A comprehensive geological study of shale oil and gas in the Sichuan Basin reveals findings with respect to the following three aspects. First, there are multiple sets of organic-rich shale reservoirs of three types in the basin, such as the Cambrian Qiongzhusi Formation and Ordovician Wufeng Formation-Silurian Longmaxi Formation marine shale, Permian Longtan Formation transitional shale, Triassic Xujiahe Formation lake-swamp shale, and Jurassic lacustrine shale. Marine shale gas enrichment is mainly controlled by four elements: Deep-water shelf facies, moderate thermal evolution, calcium-rich and silicon-rich rock association, and closed roof/floor. Second, the “sweet section” is generally characterized by high total organic carbon, high gas content, large porosity, high brittle minerals content, high formation pressure, and the presence of lamellation/bedding and natural microfractures. Moreover, the “sweet area” is generally characterized by very thick organic-rich shale, moderate thermal evolution, good preservation conditions, and shallow burial depth, which are exemplified by the shale oil and gas in the Wufeng-Longmaxi Formation, Longtan Formation, and Daanzhai Member of the Ziliujing Formation. Third, the marine, transitional, and continental shale oil and gas resources in the Sichuan Basin account for 50%, 25%, and 30% of the respective types of shale oil and gas geological resources in China, with great potential to become the cradle of the shale oil and gas industrial revolution in China. Following the “Conventional Daqing-Oil” (i.e., the Daqing oilfield in the Songliao Basin) and the “Western Daqing-Oil & Gas” (i.e., the Changqing oilfield in the Ordos Basin), the Southwest oil and gas field in the Sichuan Basin is expected to be built into a “Sichuan-Chongqing Daqing-Gas” in China.

An investigation of long range reliance on shale oil and shale gas production in the U.S. market

Chapter Three - Exploration and Drilling in Shale Gas and Oil Reserves

Chapter 10 - Shale Oil and Gas

Both the shale gas and oil are the potential sources of energy. This potential is considered ‘game-changer’ in the international energy market. Pakistan is ranked among top 10 countries in the world, which has big resources of shale oil and gas, i.e. 9 billion barrel and 105 trillion cubic feet (tcf) respectively (US EIA 2013). This study aims to present an analytical view of shale oil and gas production in Pakistan while considering some key issues such as technical feasibility, economic viability, and environmental sustainability. Further, it highlights the impact of shale oil and gas exploration on water and communities.In 2012, there was a shortage of gas (1000-15000 million standard cubic feet per day), and oil (80 million tons per annum) (Khawaja 2013). Similarly, Pakistan has to import 3.4 million tons of diesel and 4 million tons of furnace oil (PSO 2008) to meet its energy demands. While considering these aspects, this study also explores major technical and capacity constraints to domestic supplies of indigenously available shale oil and gas resources to improve energy mix and its impact on economic growth and societal changes like creation of new jobs. It also points out the policy and key investment issues (public and private partnership) for the exploration of shale gas and oil.

Enrichment control factors and exploration potential of lacustrine shale oil and gas: A case study of Jurassic in the Fuling area of the Sichuan Basin

Shale oil and gas resources in the worldwide are mainly distributed in the United States, Canada and other countries. Thanks to the continuous progress of shale oil and gas development technology, the upsurge of shale oil development started after the shale gas revolution in the United States. At the same time, the United States has introduced supporting policies and measures related to shale oil development, which have promoted the economic and efficient development of shale oil and gas. Taken as a whole, the successful commercial development of shale gas and oil in the United States is profoundly changing the world’s energy and political landscape, and some of the initiatives of the shale gas revolution have profound implications for China and other countries.

In 2000, shale gas was 1% of domestic gas production in the United States. In 2013, it had risen to 32% and it is expected to account for half of total US domestic gas supply in two decades from now. The US who is the second largest energy consumer in the world after China has seen a decline in her net import of energy since 2007. In Europe, a recent report in the UK suggests that Shale gas in Northern England could meet Britain's gas need for 40 years. Though lagging behind shale gas, shale oil development has already begun in some countries. With the abundance of shale oil and gas around the world and the increasing interest in their development, this paper intends to look at the fast changing trend in the energy mix and hypothesize the effects on energy prices, energy demands and energy politics in different regions and across the world.

Development model and identification of evaluation technology for Wufeng Formation–Longmaxi Formation quality shale gas reservoirs in the Sichuan Basin

ABSTRACT: Shale oil in northeast China is about to enter the stage of large-scale hydraulic fracturing. Cement sheath integrity must be ensured for horizontal shale oil wells. In this paper, the mechanical parameters of cement sheath are measured. A numerical model of casing - cement sheath - formation assembly is established to analyze the stress law of cement sheath. The integrity of the cement sheath is analyzed. The results show that the elastic modulus of cement is 6 GPa and the Poisson’s ratio is 0.17. The compressive strength and tensile strength of cement after cyclic loading are 90MPa and 7.5mpa ~ 11.25mpa respectively. The maximum radial stress of cement sheath increases with the increase of fracturing pressure, the decrease of displacement, and the increase of elastic modulus. The maximum tangential stress of cement sheath increases with the increase of fracturing pressure and elastic modulus of cement. The tensile strength of cement sheath cannot meet hydraulic fracturing requirements. The elastic modulus of cement should be reduced to 4 GPa or the tensile strength should be increased to be higher than 15 MPa. This study would guide the shale oil wells in northeast China. 1. INTRODUCTION As hydraulic fracturing technology matures and international oil prices recover, more and more unconventional oil and gas resources are being developed, such as shale gas, conglomerate reservoirs, and shale oil. In particular, shale oil resources are becoming a new direction of exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas resources in China. Shale oil has been developed scaled in Jimsar block, in Inner Mongolia, and Tianjin district. At the same time, shale oil resources have been successfully explored in northeast China and will soon enter the stage of large-scale development. Based on the development experience of shale gas and other unconventional oil and gas resources over the past few years, casing deformation and sustained casing pressure are the most common problems in horizontal wells during multistage fracturing (Adams, 2017; Atkinson, 2020; Chaojie Zhao, 2020; Xi Yan, 2021.). Well integrity issues have a significant impact on the safety and production of horizontal wells. Fig. 1 shows the casing deformation logging results of Wel-Wei204H39-6 in the Weiyuan block and Well-JHW033 in Jimsar Block, Xinjiang respectively. Logging results showed casing deformation in both wells. One of the wells is a shale gas horizontal well and the other is a shale oil horizontal well. Thus, shale oil wells face the same well integrity issues as shale gas wells.

Shale oil and gas is an important component of unconventional oil and gas, and the United States has achieved energy independence through the shale revolution. China has abundant unconventional oil and gas resources, and the vigorous development of shale oil and gas is a necessary path for the development of China’s oil and gas industry. By systematically analyzing the developmental characteristics of shale oil and gas major countries, represented by North America, this study compares domestic and foreign shale oil and gas drilling engineering technologies from the perspectives of development process, well construction cycle, drilling parameters, and other aspects. It clarifies the advantages and challenges of Chinese shale oil and gas drilling engineering technology and provides targeted recommendations. The drilling mode for shale oil and gas in China has progressed from single horizontal wells to large-scale platform factory operations, significantly reducing costs and increasing efficiency. However, due to the complex geological conditions of shale formations and poor surface environment, China’s shale oil and gas wells have a horizontal section length about 1000 meters shorter than those in North America, and the well construction cycle is 2-3 times longer. There are still certain gaps in drilling efficiency and operating costs compared to foreign countries. By systematically analyzing the development process and parameter characteristics of shale oil and gas drilling engineering technology at home and abroad, this study clarifies the current status of drilling engineering technology, providing references for the integration and promotion of mature technologies, demonstration of key core technology breakthroughs, and exploration of cutting-edge technology research and development.

A spectrum of combinations of rock and hydrocarbon properties in fine-grained rocks can result in significant production, effectively spanning ‘conventional’ tight oil to fractured ‘shale’ gas reservoirs, in four main families based on dominant porosity-permeability system and stratal relations (i.e., ‘Conventional’ tight, Hybrid/Interbedded, Porous ‘shale’, Fractured ‘shale’). Fine-grained reservoir types comprise ‘shale-oil’ reservoirs at lower thermal maturities and pressure-temperature (P-T) conditions to ‘shale-gas’ reservoirs at higher maturities and P-T conditions. These fine-grained reservoirs can contain a variety of pore types: inter-granular, intra-granular, fracture, intra-kerogen, and intra-pyrobitumen/char -- the last two ‘organic-hosted’ types are more obvious at higher maturities. ‘Shale-oil’ reservoirs share many attributes with ‘shale-gas’ reservoirs, but have some distinct differences. The key additional dimension is the properties of the hydrocarbon fluids: Over geological time, fluid density and phase influence fluid saturation in the matrix, and in the short term, viscosity and phase affect flow and production rates. Hence, two main classes of attributes affect ultimate ‘shale’ reservoir performance: rock properties (mainly permeability) and fluid properties (mainly viscosity) that are influenced by the full geological history of the reservoir. Overall reservoir permeability includes both matrix and fracture characteristics: Matrix permeability is a function of original depositional composition, texture, bedding, and stratal stacking plus burial history (thermal stress, diagenesis). Fracture permeability is a function of the same controls as matrix permeability along with structural history (mechanical stress). Fluid properties (viscosity, density) are also controlled by original depositional properties (which determine kerogen type) and burial/uplift history, along with present-day reservoir pressure and temperature. The higher thermal maturities of ‘shale-gas’ reservoirs result in contrasts with ‘shale-oil’ reservoirs: they tend to have less smectite due to illitization, but more obvious porosity associated with kerogen and bitumen. These factors modify the porosity-permeability system and well-log responses. Appreciation of the similarities and differences between ‘shale-gas’ and ‘shale-oil’ enables more efficient and effective exploitation of the full range of resource types.

Shale oil and gas, deemed as vital alternative resources to conventional oil and gas, have spurred significant interest in information-based exploration and development technologies within the industry in recent years [1]. China boasts extensive shale oil and gas reserves, with the International Energy Agency (EIA) estimating China's shale oil technology capable of extracting approximately 4.393 billion tonnes, ranking third globally. Additionally, China holds shale gas geological resources of about 134.4 trillion cubic meters, ranking first worldwide, showcasing immense development potential. Shale oil and gas, being unconventional resources, are distributed within the pore and fracture systems of organic-rich shale formations. Compared to conventional oil and gas, shale oil and gas exhibit weaker trap control and stronger distribution continuity, typically characterized by poor reservoir physical properties. Conventional extraction methods often struggle to yield industrial oil and gas flow from shale oil and gas resources, necessitating unconventional development technologies such as reservoir monitoring, directional wells, horizontal wells, and segmental fracturing [2]. However, these technologies come with challenges and risks, including complex production operations, high production data density, and environmental concerns such as surface ecological damage and pollutant emissions, further impacting shale oil and gas production. To facilitate the upgrading process of China's shale oil and gas industry, this paper presents the current status of Internet of Things (IoT) application technologies for shale oil and gas development and proposes a research outlook based on the concept of green development. Against the backdrop of energy transformation, it offers a reference framework for the sustainable development of China's extensive shale oil and gas resources.

4 - Shale Gas, Tight Oil, Shale Oil and Hydraulic Fracturing

Over the last 25 years the development of unconventional hydrocarbons, shale gas and shale oil, has come to dominate the oil industry, particularly in the USA where their development has dramatically overturned the decline in domestic production, with self-sufficiency in gas production attained. Exploration for and production of shale-based resources requires a very different approach and mind-set from that required for conventional resource exploration and production. The aim of this chapter is to discuss the geology of shale resources and the techniques developed for their exploration and exploitation.