Reservoir characteristics and evaluation of fluid mobility in organic-rich mixed siliciclastic-carbonate sediments: A case study of the lacustrine Qiketai Formation in Shengbei Sag, Turpan-Hami Basin, Northwest China

Abstract

Organic matter-rich mixed siliciclastic-carbonate sediments is a special type of tight oil reservoir in the Turpan-Hami basin, which is characterized by complex fluid type, mineral composition and pore structure. By using casting thin sections, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and whole rock X diffraction (XRD), pore types and petrological characterization of reservoirs are analyzed. Combined with the result of the physical property, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments, the effects of the porosity, permeability, and pore size distribution on the movable fluid distribution in the tight reservoir were evaluated. The results showed that there are four types of mixed siliciclastic-carbonate sediments reservoir, which have high TOC. The reservoirs are characterized by low porosity range from 2% to 10% and extra low permeability mainly less than 0.1 × 10−3 μm2. Nanometer scale intergranular pores and micro-fractures were the main reservoir pore types, we further divided the pore sizes distribution into two categories based on their water-saturated NMR T2 spectra: Type I (bimodal pattern) and Type II (left unimodal, micropores with a diameter less than 100 nm). The fluid components in the reservoir including water in nano-pores, movable light oil, non-movable heavy oil and bound water were analyzed using advanced NMR T1-T2 maps. The mobile light oil content in the silt-bearing argillaceous arenaceous limestone and silt-bearing lime micritic dolomite is higher than that of other lithological reservoirs. The movable light oil content exhibited a strong correlation with permeability, and the proportion of large pores, indicating that the large pores, which are mainly supplied by the intergranular pores in dolomite, substantially contributed to mobility of the hydrocarbon fluid. The non-movable heavy oil fluid component is impacted the small pores ratio and solid organic matter, while water the in nano-pores is greatly affected by clay minerals.