Phase change of the Ordovician hydrocarbon in the Tarim Basin: A case study from the Halahatang–Shunbei area

Abstract

Abstract To clarify the genetic mechanism for phase change of the hydrocarbon in the ultra-deep reservoirs, a case study from the Ordovician hydrocarbon in the Halahatang–Shunbei area (HSA), Tarim Basin, NW China, was conducted. The results show that the Ordovician reservoirs in the HSA are characterized as multi-phase reservoirs with a lateral co-existence of condensates, volatile-oil reservoirs, normal oil reservoirs, and heavy oil reservoirs. From north to south, there are regular variations in the geochemical characteristics of the Ordovician hydrocarbon in different blocks of the HSA, showing an increasing trend in GOR, dryness coefficients, methane contents, methane carbon isotope values, and ethane carbon isotope values, while a decreasing trend in oil densities and wax contents. Because the same Cambrian–Lower Ordovician source for the Ordovician hydrocarbon is observed and the kerogen-cracking gas is dominated in the HSA, the regular variations of the hydrocarbon phases and geochemical characteristics can be interpreted as records of biodegradation and multistage oil–gas filling rather than controlled by the source rock organofacies, oil cracking, and gas invasion. The formation mechanism of the Ordovician multi-phase reservoirs in the HSA suggests that the deep strata of the Tarim Basin hold potential for the exploration of natural gas resources.