Geochemical Characteristics of Helium in Natural Gas From the Daniudi Gas Field, Ordos Basin, Central China

Quanyou Liu,Xiaoqi Wu,Qingqiang Meng,Jiujun Miao,Weilong Peng,Huiyuan Xu,Jianhui Zhu,Chunhua Ni,Huichong Jia,Dongya Zhu

doi:10.3389/feart.2022.823308

Abstract

Helium-bearing gas is accumulated in the Lower Ordovician, Upper Carboniferous, and Lower Permian reservoirs of the Daniudi gas field in Ordos Basin, and the helium concentrations and isotopic compositions are investigated in order to reveal the abundance and origin of helium. Geochemical characteristics indicate that the natural gas from the Daniudi gas field has helium concentrations of 0.0271–0.1273%, with R/Ra ratios of 0.007–0.072. The 4He/20Ne ratios range from 848 to 17,000, which are substantially higher than the ratio of air or air saturated water. The proved helium reserves of the Daniudi gas field exceed 100 × 106 m3, suggesting an extra-large helium gas field. Helium in the field is of crustal origin and derived from the radioactive decay of U and Th in the rocks and minerals, with no significant contribution by atmospheric or mantle-derived helium. The natural gas in the Daniudi gas field displays the characteristics of typical crustal helium, which is consistent with the gases from cratonic basins (Ordos, Sichuan, and Tarim) in China, whereas the gases from rift basins (Songliao, Bohai Bay, and Subei) have experienced a significant addition of mantle-derived helium.

Highlights

Helium (He) is an exhaustible natural resource with strategic values, and its unique physiochemical property leads it to an irreplaceable role in high-tech fields (Xu et al, 1998; Anderson, 2018)
The helium concentrations of natural gas from the Upper Paleozoic C3t, P1s, and P1x reservoirs of the Daniudi gas field are in the ranges of 0.0271–0.0452, 0.0316–0.0415, and 0.0371–0.1273%, respectively, with the corresponding average values of 0.034% (N = 5), 0.0367% (N = 6), and 0.054% (N = 8) (Table 1; Figure 3A)
The 3He/4He ratio of air (Ra) is generally considered as 1.4 × 10–6 (Mamyrin et al, 1970), whereas the 3He/4He ratios (R) of natural gas in the Daniudi gas field are in the range of (0.9128–10.115) × 10–8, and the calculated R/Ra ratios of the gas range from 0.007 to 0.072 (Table 1)

Summary

Introduction

Helium (He) is an exhaustible natural resource with strategic values, and its unique physiochemical property leads it to an irreplaceable role in high-tech fields (Xu et al, 1998; Anderson, 2018). The development of science and technology made the application fields of helium become more and more extensive, causing the global demand of helium gas to increase annually by 4–6% (Zhao et al, 2012), and the shortage of helium supply existed for a long time. The leading locations for estimated helium resources in the world are the United States, Qatar, Algeria, and Russia, and their helium resources account for >90% of the world’s total amount (Anderson, 2018). Helium resources in China are rare, with the supply basically relying on imports, and they have been poorly studied and explored to date. The amounts of helium resources and reserves urgently need to be further evaluated (Tao et al, 2019; Chen et al, 2021).

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Discussion

Conclusion