Key Oil Content Parameter Correction of Shale Oil Resources: A Case Study of the Paleogene Funing Formation, Subei Basin, China

Abstract

Estimating shale oil resources is critical in shale oil exploration, and the pyrolysis parameter S1 is a frequently used parameter to assess the oil amount in shale. However, S1 loses some light and heavy hydrocarbons due to core storage conditions and experimental technology, resulting in underestimating shale oil resources. In this paper, a set of models were developed to correct the light and heavy hydrocarbon losses for S1 based on conventional and multistage Rock-Eval experiments on liquefrozen and room-temperature shales collected from the Funing Formation, Subei Basin. Two types of correction models of heavy hydrocarbon loss for liquefrozen and room-temperature shales were determined by comparing the conventional and multistage Rock-Eval experiments, respectively. The light hydrocarbon loss correction model was obtained according to conventional Rock-Eval experiments on liquefrozen and room-temperature shales. Moreover, the estimation models of adsorbed, free, and movable amounts of oil were determined and validated by the oil saturation index (OSI) method. The results show that the total, adsorbed, free, and movable oil contents can be estimated well by these correction models. A case study from the Funing Formation, Subei Basin, indicates that the higher the content of total oil, the higher the amounts of free and movable oil, indicating that shale with more oil also has a more excellent mobile and developable potential. Organic matter is the main adsorbent for shale oil. Shales with TOC greater than 1.5% generally have greater free (movable) oil amounts, which may be the optimal target for shale oil exploration and exploitation. This study provides an innovative approach to correct the key parameters of shale oil resources, and thus, is crucial for the exploration and development of shale oil in the Funing Formation, Subei Basin.