Key elements controlling oil accumulation within the tight sandstones

Abstract

Tight oil sandstone reservoirs with low porosity and permeability, which are an unconventional petroleum resource, have been discovered in the Jurassic intervals of the central Junggar Basin, the northwestern China. To reveal the accumulation mechanism, a relatively comprehensive research was conducted, including oil-source correlation, porosity evolution, and hydrocarbon charging history. The results show that crude oil of these tight sandstone reservoirs were mainly from Permian source rocks with some contribution from Jurassic source rocks. The reservoirs were buried at shallow depth ( 5%). In contrast, the sandstone reservoir had already become tight and did not provide available space to accumulate oil due to severe compaction and cementation when hydrocarbon from Jurassic source rock filled, evidenced by low GOI values (<5%). Therefore, reservoir porosity controls the oil accumulation within tight sandstone. Whether tight sandstone reservoirs accumulate oil depends on the reservoir quality when hydrocarbons charge. Before the exploration of tight oil sandstone reservoirs, it should be required to investigate the relationship between oil charging history and porosity evolution to reduce the exploration risk and figure out the available targets.