Hydrocarbon charge history of the Tazhong Ordovician reservoirs, Tarim Basin as revealed from an integrated fluid inclusion study

Abstract

Abstract This paper presents an integrated workflow for investigating hydrocarbon charge history using fluid inclusions using the Ordovician reservoirs from the Tazhong Oilfield, Tarim Basin as an example. The work flow involves the delineation of fluid inclusion assemblage (FIA) using fluid inclusion petrography and spectroscopy for microthermometric analysis. The interpretation of microthermometric data is based on data derived from synthetic inclusion experiments and takes consideration of the P-T re-equilibration of fluid inclusions in carbonate and over pressure effect on fluid inclusion trapping. The workflow also emphasizes on the requirements of adequate sample preparation, FIA identification, quantitative spectroscopic data (CIE), coeval petroleum and aqueous fluid inclusions, adequate number of microthermometric measurements and integrated interpretation using borehole temperature. In the study reservoirs in the Tazhong area, fluid inclusion spectroscopy reveals the presence of three groups of oil inclusions of near yellow, near blue and near white fluorescence colours. The fluid inclusion microthermometry data indicate the presence of at least two predominant hydrocarbon fluid inclusion assemblages including: homogenous liquid phase yellow fluorescence inclusions and liquid phase oil and condensate fluid inclusion assemblages with homogenous near blue, near white and near yellow fluorescence colours. The aqueous inclusions from the Ordovician reservoirs in the Tazhong area reveal the presence of low, moderate, high and very high salinities in the reservoirs. The extremely high salinity is believed to be caused by regional brine intrusions relating to regional structural movement and deformation.