Characterization of reservoirs, fluids, and productions from the Ordovician carbonate condensate field in the Tarim Basin, northwestern China

Abstract

The TZ-No1 gas field in the Tarim Basin is the largest condensate field in China; however, it has not developed efficiently because of low and unpredictable production during the past 20 yr. Cores, logging interpretation, seismic descriptions, fluid properties, and production data indicate that this Ordovician carbonate field is different from conventional stratigraphic oil and gas fields as follows: (1) the hydrocarbon-bearing area covers a large region of 2000 km2; (2) matrix reservoirs have low porosity ( 20% per year). An examination of the carbonate reservoir and hydrocarbon accumulation history suggests that this large-scale stratigraphic accumulation formed during hydrocarbon emplacement in the early Paleozoic, with the reservoirs gradually evolving into tight reservoirs as a result of intense diagenesis. Variable amounts of Neogene gas charged the tight carbonate reservoirs and formed unconventional accumulations. The TZ-No1 gas field is characterized by a strongly heterogeneous tight matrix reservoir with a superimposed fracture-cave reservoir and a complicated unconventional fluid distribution, which provides insights into the exploitation challenges of unconventional carbonate resources.