Geological characteristics and co-exploration and co-production methods of Upper Permian Longtan coal measure gas in Yangmeishu Syncline, Western Guizhou Province, China

Abstract

ABSTRACT Coal measure gas (also known as coal-bearing unconventional gas) is the key field and development direction of unconventional natural gas in recent years. The exploration and evaluation of coal measure gas (coalbed methane, coal shale gas and coal measure tight sandstone gas) from single coalbed methane has greatly expanded the field and space of resource evaluation, which is of positive significance for realizing the comprehensive utilization of coal resources, maximizing the benefits and promoting the innovation of oil and gas geological theory and technological advances in exploration and development. For the first time, in Yangmeishu Syncline of Western Guizhou Province, the public welfare coalbed methane geological survey project of China Geological Survey has been carried out a systematic geological survey of coal measure gas for the Upper Permian Longtan Formation, identified the geological conditions of coal measure gas and found high quality resources. The total geological resource quantity of coalbed methane and coal shale gas is 51.423×109 m3 and the geological resource abundance is up to 566×109 m3/km2. In this area, the coal measures are characterized by many layers of minable coal seams, large total thickness, thin to the medium thickness of the single layer, good gas-bearing property of coal seams and coal measure mudstone and sandstone, good reservoir physical property and high-pressure coefficient. According to the principle of combination of high quality and similarity of key parameters of the coal reservoir, the most favorable intervals are No.5−2, No.7 and No.13−2 coal seam in Well YMC1. And the pilot tests are carried out on coal seams and roof silty mudstone, such as staged perforation, increasing hydraulic fracturing scale and “three gas” production. The high and stable industrial gas flow with a daily gas output of more than 4000 m3 has been obtained, which has realized the breakthrough in the geological survey of coal measure gas in Southwest China. Based on the above investigation results, the geological characteristics of coal measure gas in the multi-thin-coal-seam-developed area and the co-exploration and co-production methods, such as the optimization method of favorable intervals, the high-efficiency fracturing and reservoir reconstruction method of coal measures, and the “three gas” drainage and production system, are systematically summarized in this paper. It will provide a reference for efficient exploration and development of coal measure gas in similar geological conditions in China.