Natural fractures in the Triassic tight sandstones of the Dongpu Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, eastern China: The key to production

Abstract

Natural fractures are identified as high-quality storage space and seepage channels for the Triassic tight sandstone reservoirs in the Dongpu Depression, playing an important role in tight sandstone oil production. We have evaluated natural fracture growth at different scales using outcrops, cores, thin sections, and imaging logs and analyzed the correlation between fractures and crude oil production capacity with production data. Results show that natural fractures primarily are distributed in fine sandstones and siltstones, which mostly are shear fractures of near east–west and northeast–southwest strikes. The natural fractures of near east–west strikes generally are parallel to the present-day maximum horizontal principal stress with the biggest apertures and the highest permeability, which are the main seepage channels, next being the fractures of northeast–southwest strike. The natural fractures of near east–west strikes also are the most important contributors to the crude oil production in the Triassic tight sandstones of the Dongpu Depression. The intensity, permeability, and direction of natural fractures govern the crude oil productivity in the per-unit sandstone thickness.