Secondary Petroleum Migration Research Articles

Petroleum Migration Characteristics in the Northeastern Part of the Baiyun Depression, Pearl River Mouth Basin, South China Sea

AbstractThis paper investigates the origin and migration characteristics of petroleum in the northeastern part of the Baiyun Depression, Pearl River Mouth Basin (PRMB). The discovered petroleum in the study area is mainly located in the Lower Zhujiang Member (N1z2) and mainly originated from the Enping Formation source rocks in the eastern sag. Active faults (vertical migration) and N1z2 sandstones (lateral migration) acted as the petroleum migration systems. The fault activities in the Dongsha event controlled the episodic petroleum migration. Fractures in the fault zones provided effective conduits, and overpressure was the driving force. The vertical migration could not cross the fault zones laterally. The petroleum injection areas in the carrier beds were the contact zones of petroleum‐migration faults and carrier beds. The lateral migration was steady‐state migration, and buoyancy was the driving force. The migration pathways in the carrier beds were controlled by the structural morphology. Secondary petroleum migration in the study area could be divided into two parts: vertical migration along the fractures in the fault zones and lateral migration through preferential petroleum migration pathways (PPMPs) in the carrier beds. The petroleum migration behaviors, including migrating direction, driving force, and migration pattern, in the faults and sandstone carrier beds were quite different. This study provides a typical example for comprehending secondary migration processes and has great importance for determining future exploration targets in the deep‐water area of the PRMB.

Composition Changes of Hydrocarbons during Secondary Petroleum Migration (Case Study in Cooper Basin, Australia)

The reliable mathematical modelling of secondary petroleum migration that incorporates structural geology and mature source rocks in the basin model, allows for prediction of the reservoir location, yielding the significant enhancement of the probability of exploration success. We investigate secondary petroleum migration with a significant composition difference between the source and oil pools. In our case study, the secondary migration period is significantly shorter than the time of the hydrocarbon pulse generation. Therefore, neither adsorption nor dispersion of components can explain the concentration difference between the source rock and the reservoir. For the first time, the present paper proposes deep bed filtration of hydrocarbons with component kinetics retention by the rock as a physics mechanism explaining compositional grading. Introduction of the component capture rate into mass balance transport equation facilitates matching the concentration difference for heavy hydrocarbons, and the tuned filtration coefficients vary in their common range. The obtained values of filtration coefficients monotonically increase with molecular weight and consequently affects the size of the oleic component, as predicted by the analytical model of deep bed filtration. The modelling shows a negligible effect of component dispersion on the compositional grading.

Composition changes of hydrocarbons during secondary petroleum migration

We investigate secondary migration of hydrocarbons with significant composition difference between the source and oil pools in the Cooper-Eromanga Basin, Australia. The secondary migration period is significantly shorter than the time of the hydrocarbon pulse generation, so neither adsorption nor dispersion of components can explain the concentration difference. The filtration coefficients, obtained from oil compositions in source rock (Patchawarra Formation) and in the reservoir (Poolowanna Formation and Hutton Sandstone), monotonically increase as carbon number increases. The monotonicity takes place for heavy hydrocarbons (n > 10). Loss of monotonicity for light and intermediate hydrocarbons can be explained by their evaporation into the gas phase. The evaporation of light and intermediate hydrocarbons into the gas phase is supported by their concentrations in oil, which are higher in source rock than in trapped reservoir oil. The paper proposes deep bed filtration of hydrocarbons with component kinetic retention by the rock. Introduction of the component capture rate into the mass balance transport equation allows matching the concentration difference, and the tuned filtration coefficients are in the common range. The results suggest that deep bed filtration controls the final reservoir oil composition during secondary migration in the Cooper-Eromanga Basin petroleum system, which was not previously considered.

Secondary migration of petroleum along syncline axes: a case study of the southern Kuqa Foreland Basin

Tracing petroleum migration pathways for petroleum exploration in a sedimentary basin is challenging. Paleo-uplifts are generally considered to represent the primary migration directions of petroleum. Here we propose a model for the Kuqa Foreland Basin, in which petroleum migrates along the axes of synclines between paleo-uplifts, based on an integrated analysis of seismic, geochemical, and production data. Interpretation of detailed seismic data indicates that petroleum is unlikely to migrate to the paleo-uplifts because of their relatively low positions, fault disruptions, or a lack of Mesozoic reservoirs. Geochemical parameters, including the ratios of alkyl dibenzothiophenes and the gas wetness parameter, show that petroleum maturity gradually decreases along the axes of synclines between paleo-uplifts from northeast to southwest. Petroleum production data and gas/oil ratios also show decreasing trends from northeast to southwest. This evidence suggests that petroleum is likely to migrate along the axes of the synclines between the paleo-uplifts from northeast to southwest. This study not only enhances the scientific understanding of secondary migration, but also may be useful to guide petroleum exploration in the southern Kuqa Foreland Basin.

Benzo[b]naphthothiophenes and alkyl dibenzothiophenes: Molecular tracers for oil migration distances

The secondary migration of petroleum is one of the most critical geological processes responsible for the accumulation of hydrocarbons in a sedimentary basin. Pyrrolic nitrogen compounds such as carbazoles and benzocarbazoles are thought to be practical molecular indicators for estimating relative migration distances of oil. In light oils or condensates, however, considerable analytical errors are usually caused by low concentrations of NSO-compounds. Here we show that polycyclic sulfur aromatic hydrocarbons such as dibenzothiophene, C1∼C3 alkylated dibenzothiophenes and benzo[b]naphthothiophenes, which are present in relatively higher concentrations than the pyrrolic nitrogen compounds, exhibit changes in both absolute and relative concentrations that correlate with migration distances. The polycyclic sulfur aromatic hydrocarbons related parameters — benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene/{benzo[b]naphtho[2,1-d]thiophene + benzo[b]naphtho[1,2-d]thiophene} (abbreviated as [2,1]BNT/([2,1]BNT+[1,2]BNT) and the concentration of total dibenzothiophenes plus benzo[b]naphthothiophenes — are proposed by this paper to trace the oil migration distances.

Quantitative characterization of connectivity and conductivity of sandstone carriers during secondary petroleum migration, applied to the Third Member of Eocene Shahejie Formation, Dongying Depression, Eastern China

Studies on migration pathways remain qualitative, albeit extensive quantification of migration forcing. In this study, hydrocarbon carriers are defined as carrier units and their corresponding carrier beds for the Third Member of Eocene Shahejie Formation in the Dongying Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, eastern China, on the basis of their lithofacies and physical properties, spatial relationships, and data availability; secondary migration conduits are then quantified. A carrier unit is defined as a stratigraphic unit that contains microscopically porous and permeable carrier beds and is covered by regional seals. The carrier beds are macroscopically and physically connected to each other within a carrier unit and are hydrodynamically connected during secondary migration. A method of quantifying sandstone carrier units using common physical properties is developed. First, a carrier unit containing potential carrier beds is identified on the basis of lithofacies and their lateral changes. Second, physical connectivity of sandstone carrier beds is assessed on the basis of percolation theory. Third, the hydrodynamic connectivity of a sandstone carrier unit is analyzed using effective parameters that may reflect the hydraulic circulation in the carrier unit. Last, the conductivity of a sandstone carrier bed is quantitatively characterized using appropriate physical property parameters. The results for sandstone carrier units in the Third Member of the Shahejie Formation are used in numerical models addressing Pleistocene secondary migration. The model results explain the discovered accumulation and hydrocarbon shows well; and the model predictions on exploration targets have been confirmed by drilling.

Hydrodynamic stagnation zones: A new play concept for the Llanos Basin, Colombia

Hydraulic heads from a calibrated, three-dimensional, constant-density, ground-water-flow model were used to compute Hubbert oil potentials and infer secondary petroleum migration directions within the Llanos Basin, Colombia. The oil potentials for the C7 reservoir show evidence of the development of two hydrodynamic stagnation zones. Hydrodynamic effects on secondary oil migration are greatest in the eastern Llanos Basin, where structural slopes are lowest and local hydraulic-head gradients drive ground-water flow westward down structural dip. The Rubiales field, a large oil reservoir within the eastern Llanos Basin with no structural closure, is located at the edge of one of these stagnation zones. This oil field hosts heavy oils (12 API) consistent with water washing and biodegradation. The best agreement between model results and field conditions occurred in an oil density of 12 API, suggesting that the Rubiales field position is in dynamic equilibrium with modern hydraulic and oil density conditions. Cross sectional ground-water-flow models indicate that the most likely explanation of observed underpressures are caused by hydrodynamic effects associated with a topography-driven flow system. Late Miocene to present-day ground-water flow likely was an important factor in flushing marine connate porewaters from Tertiary reservoirs. Ground-water recharge along the western margin of the basin could help explain the observed low-temperature gradients (20C/km). However, upward flow rates were not high enough to account for elevated temperature gradients of 50C/km to the east.

Modelling the petroleum generation and migration of the third member of the Shahejie Formation (Es3) in the Banqiao Depression of Bohai Bay Basin, Eastern China

The mudstones in the third member of the Shahejie Formation (Es3) are the primary source rocks in the Banqiao Depression of Bohai Bay Basin. They are rich in organic matter with Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content up to 3.5%. The sandstones in the Es3 member are the deepest proven hydrocarbon reservoir rocks with measured porosity and permeability values ranging from 3.6% to 32.4% and from 0.01 md to 3283.7 md, respectively. One, two and three-dimensional basin modelling studies were performed to analyse the petroleum generation and migration history of the Es3 member in the Banqiao Depression based on the reconstruction of the burial, thermal and maturity history in order to evaluate the remaining potential of this petroleum province. The modelling results are calibrated with measured vitrinite reflectance ( R o ), borehole temperatures and some drilling results of 63 wells in the study area. Calibration of the model with thermal maturity and borehole temperature data indicates that the present-day heat flow in the Banqiao Depression varies from 59.8 mW/m 2 to 61.7 mW/m 2 and the paleo-heat flow increased from 65 Ma to 50.4 Ma, reached a peak heat-flow values of approximately 75 mW/m 2 at 50.4 Ma and then decreased exponentially from 50.4 Ma to present-day. The source rocks of the Es3 member are presently in a stage of oil and condensate generation with maturity from 0.5% to 1.8% R o and had maturity from 0.5% to 1.25% R o at the end of the Dongying Formation (Ed) deposition (26 Ma). Oil generation (0.5% R o ) in the Es3 member began from about 37 Ma to 34 Ma and the peak hydrocarbon generation (1.0% R o ) occurred approximately from 30 Ma to 15 Ma. The modelled hydrocarbon expulsion evolution suggested that the timing of hydrocarbon expulsion from the Es3 member source rocks began from 31 Ma to 10 Ma with the peak hydrocarbon expulsion shortly after 26 Ma. Secondary petroleum migration pathways in the Es3 member of the Banqiao Depression are modelled based on the structure surfaces at 26 Ma and present-day, respectively. The migration history modelling results have accurately predicted the petroleum occurrences within the Es3 member of the Banqiao Depression based on the calibration with drilling results of 10 oil-producing wells, one well with oil shows and 52 dry holes. Six favorable zones of oil accumulations in the Es3 member of the Banqiao Depression are identified especially oil accumulation zones I and II due to their proximity to the generative kitchens, short oil migration distances and the presence of a powerful drive force.

Preferential petroleum migration pathways and prediction of petroleum occurrence in sedimentary basins: A review

The aim of this paper is to review the major points of contention concerning secondary petroleum migration, to discuss the nature and primary controls of the positions of petroleum migration pathways in sedimentary basins, and to illustrate the importance of preferential petroleum migration pathways for the formation of large oil/gas fields away from generative kitchens. There is competition between the driving force (buoyancy) and the restraining force (capillary pressure controlled largely by permeability contrast) in controlling the positions of petroleum migration pathways in heterogeneous carrier beds. At a large scale, there is a critical angle of dip of the carrier beds which determines the relative importance of structural morphology or permeability contrasts in controlling the positions of petroleum migration pathways in heterogeneous carrier beds. Maximum-driving-force-controlled migration pathways occur in carrier beds with an angle of dip greater than the critical dip and the positions of petroleum migration pathways are controlled mainly by the morphology of the sealing surfaces. Minimum-restraining-force-determined migration pathways occur in carrier beds with an angle of dip smaller than the critical angle where permeability contrasts would exert a more important influence on the positions of petroleum migration pathways. Preferential petroleum migration pathways (PPMP), defined as very restricted portions of carrier-beds that focus or concentrate petroleum from a large area of the generative kitchen, determine the distribution of oil and gas in sedimentary basins. The focusing of petroleum originating from a large area of the generative kitchens into restricted channels seems to be essential not only for long-range petroleum migration in hydrostatic conditions, but also for the formation of large oil or gas fields. Regions may miss out on petroleum migration because of its three-dimensional behavior, and two-dimensional migration modeling may be misleading in predicting petroleum occurrences in certain circumstances.

Preferential petroleum migration pathways in eastern Pearl River Mouth basin, offshore South China Sea

Secondary petroleum migration in the eastern Pearl River Mouth basin was modeled using the three-dimensional PATHWAYSTM model, which assumes that the positions of petroleum migration pathways are controlled by the morphology of the sealing surfaces. The modeling results have accurately predicted the petroleum occurrences. Most commercial petroleum accumulations are along the predicted preferential petroleum migration pathways (PPMP), and most large fields (petroleum reserves greater than 1×108 t) have more than one preferential petroleum migration pathways to convey petroleum to the traps. The lateral migration distance for oil in the LH11-1 field, the largest oilfield so far discovered in the Pearl River Mouth basin, was more than 80 km. The case study suggests that in lacustrine fault basins, petroleum can migrate over a long distance to form large oilfields without driving force from groundwater flow. The focusing of petroleum originating from a large area of the generative kitchens into restricted channels seems to be essential not only for long-range petroleum migration in hydrostatic conditions, but also for the formation of large oil or gas fields. The strong porosity and permeability heterogeneities of the carrier beds and the relatively high prediction accuracy by a model that does not take into consideration of the effect of heterogeneity suggest that the positions of petroleum migration pathways in heterogeneous carrier beds with relatively large dipping angles are determined primarily by the morphology of the sealing surfaces at regional scales.

Mn content of reservoir calcite cement: A novel inorganic geotracer of secondary petroleum migration in the tectonically complex Junggar Basin (NW China)

Electronic probe microanalysis (EPMA) results of reservoir calcite cement from fourteen core samples in the Junggar Basin show that Mn-content varies largely between different samples from below the detect limitation to 4.14%, while it displays a generally good correlation with oil-gas shows. This, therefore, likely indicates that concentration of the Mn-content of the calcite cement has a close relation to the intensity of petroleum fluid charging during hydrocarbon secondary migration. In order to assess this hypothesis, oxygen and strontium isotopic measurements on sixteen calcite veins host in source sequences were carried out to investigate the feature of the oil-source petroleum fluid. Analytical results imply that during hydrocarbon generation and migration, deep hot fluid has dissolved volcanic minerals interlined between mudstone source rocks. As Mn is a kind of typical trace element enriched in volcanic rocks, it is reasonable to conclude that the petroleum fluid formed in the source sequences would be Mn-rich. Consequently, calcite cements precipitated from such Mn-rich petroleum fluid would be Mn-rich accordingly. Due to the geologic chromatographic effect during migration along reservoir rocks, the decreasing of the Mn-content of the reservoir calcite cements indicates the migration direction. Then, this novel geotracer was further successfully applied in the study of hydrocarbon migration in the Junggar Basin in combination with organic geochemical analyses during the hydrocarbon migration. The Mn content of the reservoir calcite cement appears promising as a novel inorganic geotracer for the petroleum migration. This paper represents a search for novel indicators of secondary petroleum migration in tectonically complex basins based on fundamentals of the reservoir fluid-rock interactions.

Petroleum migration and accumulation in the Bozhong sub-basin, Bohai Bay basin, China: Significance of preferential petroleum migration pathways (PPMP) for the formation of large oilfields in lacustrine fault basins

This paper discusses migration styles and primary controls of petroleum migration pathways in heterogeneous carrier beds in Bozhong sub-basin, Bohai Bay basin. Modeling of secondary petroleum migration pathways has been conducted using a simple three-dimensional model, which assumes that the positions of petroleum migration pathways are controlled by the morphology of the sealing surfaces. The modeling results have accurately predicted the petroleum occurrences, and have been supported by petroleum geochemical studies. Most commercial petroleum accumulations are on the predicted preferential petroleum migration pathways (PPMP) formed by focusing of numerous “small petroleum streams” close to the kitchens, and most large fields (petroleum reserves greater than 1×10 8 ton) have more than one preferential petroleum migration pathway to convey petroleum to the traps. The focusing of petroleum originated from a large area of the generative kitchens into restricted channels is essential for the formation of large oilfields. The strong porosity and permeability heterogeneities of the carrier beds, and the relatively high prediction accuracy by a model that does not take into consideration of the effect of heterogeneity, suggest that the positions of petroleum migration pathways in heterogeneous carrier beds in the lacustrine fault basins are determined primarily by the morphology of the sealing surfaces at regional scales.

EXPERIMENTAL VERIFICATION OF OIL SATURATION AND LOSSES DURING SECONDARY MIGRATION

Accurate estimates of losses occurring during secondary petroleum migration are of vital importance for valid petroleum systems assessments. In this paper, we discuss the development of migration pathways and the corresponding hydrocarbon losses using data from laboratory experiments based on diphasic immiscible draining processes. These experiments permitted us to study the formation of migration pathways, the distribution of non‐wetting oil along these pathways, and the re‐utilization of existing pathways by later pulses of migrating oil.The configuration of a migration pathway can be characterized by a phase diagram whose coordinates are two dimensionless numbers: the capillary number and the Bond number (a measure of the buoyancy force). NMR imaging was used to measure the saturation of residual oil within the pathways. It was found that, after migration, the average residual oil saturation within a pathway was generally less than 40% at a resolution of 0.4mm. Hydrocarbon losses during migration were estimated as the product of the volumetric proportion of the migrating cluster structure, defined using this spatial resolution, multiplied by the average residual oil saturation in the pathway.

Surfactants: Fundamentals and Applications in the Petroleum Industry

Book Review| December 01, 2001 Surfactants: Fundamentals and Applications in the Petroleum Industry JENNIFER D. SHOSA JENNIFER D. SHOSA 1Department of Geology Colby College Waterville, ME 04901 Search for other works by this author on: GSW Google Scholar PALAIOS (2001) 16 (6): 615. https://doi.org/10.1669/0883-1351(2001)016<0615:BRSFAA>2.0.CO;2 Article history first online: 03 Mar 2017 Cite View This Citation Add to Citation Manager Share Icon Share MailTo Twitter LinkedIn Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Search Site Citation JENNIFER D. SHOSA; Surfactants: Fundamentals and Applications in the Petroleum Industry. PALAIOS 2001;; 16 (6): 615. doi: https://doi.org/10.1669/0883-1351(2001)016<0615:BRSFAA>2.0.CO;2 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Refmanager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentBy SocietyPALAIOS Search Advanced Search Laurier L. Schramm (Editor), 2000, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 621 p. (Hardcover $140.00) ISBN: 0-521-64067-9. For the past thirty years surfactants have played an increasingly important role in enhanced recovery of petroleum from reservoirs; but, it is not only secondary recovery efforts that benefit from an understanding of interfacial phenomena. Appreciation of the role interfacial forces play in multiphase fluid flow is also fundamental in the evaluation of primary and secondary migration of petroleum in sedimentary basins, and in the determination of the efficiency of seals. A better grasp of the physics of interfacial tension, therefore, enhances our ability to... You do not have access to this content, please speak to your institutional administrator if you feel you should have access.

Surfactants: Fundamentals and Applications in the Petroleum Industry

Laurier L. Schramm (Editor), 2000, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 621 p. (Hardcover $140.00) ISBN: 0-521-64067-9. For the past thirty years surfactants have played an increasingly important role in enhanced recovery of petroleum from reservoirs; but, it is not only secondary recovery efforts that benefit from an understanding of interfacial phenomena. Appreciation of the role interfacial forces play in multiphase fluid flow is also fundamental in the evaluation of primary and secondary migration of petroleum in sedimentary basins, and in the determination of the efficiency of seals. A better grasp of the physics of interfacial tension, therefore, enhances our ability to locate and exploit all economic oil reserves. Surfactants: Fundamentals and Applications to the Petroleum Industry explores and explains many of the effects of interfacial tension. For this reason, it is an indispensable addition to the petroleum geologist's library. This book is not exclusively for …

An experimental investigation of geochromatography during secondary migration of petroleum performed under subsurface conditions with a real rock

An understanding of the size of petroleum secondary migration systems is vital for successful exploration for petroleum reserves. Geochemists have suggested that compositional fractionation of petroleum accompanying the migration process (geochromatography) can potentially be used to infer distances petroleum may have travelled and the ratio of oil in the reservoir to that lost in the carrier. To date, this has been attempted by measuring concentrations and distributions of specific steranes, and aromatic oxygen and nitrogen compounds in reservoired oils which have been proposed to respond to migration rather than to source maturity or other effects. We report here an experiment involving oil migration through an initially water wet siltstone under realistic subsurface carrier bed or reservoir conditions (48 MPa, 70°C) where source facies and maturity effects are eliminated. We show that geochromatography does indeed occur even for initially water-saturated rocks and that the migration fractionations observed for alkylcarbazoles, benzocarbazoles and alkylphenols are very similar to those seen in field data sets. In contrast, sterane based migration parameters show no compositional fractionation under these conditions.

Geological conditions and geochemical effects of secondary petroleum migration and accumulation

The processes of secondary petroleum migration and reservoir filling remain among the least understood steps with respect to the characterisation and economic assessment of a petroleum system. Spatial heterogeneities of compositions of unaltered petroleum within individual fields have repeatedly been recognised and interpreted to result from compositional changes of multiple petroleum charges during the accumulation history in combination with limited degree of in-reservoir mixing of petroleum fluids (England, W. A., Mackenzie, A. S., Mann, D. U., & Quigley T. M. (1987). The movement and entrapment of petroleum fluids in the subsurface. J. Geol. Soc. London 144, 327–347; Leythaeuser, D., & Rückheim, J. (1989). Heterogeneity of oil composition within a reservoir as a reflection of accumulation history. Geochim. Cosmochim. Acta, 53(8), 2119–2123). Most previous attempts, to improve this situation, have aimed at an understanding of the conditions and effects of the flow of petroleum fluids by studying case histories on regional or field scales. In the study reported here we have, in addition, attempted to reconstruct the mode of filling of sandstone reservoir rocks on pore scales.

An experimental investigation of geochromatography during secondary migration of petroleum performed under subsurface conditions with a real rock

An experimental investigation of geochromatography during secondary migration of petroleum performed under subsurface conditions with a real rock

Geochemical constraints on models for secondary petroleum migration along the Upper Devonian Rimbey-Meadowbrook reef trend in central Alberta, Canada

The Upper Devonian Rimbey-Meadowbrook reef trend of central Alberta, Canada, is one of the classical examples that was originally used to support Gussow's model of differential hydrocarbon entrapment. However, the clear discrepancies existing between the ideal hydrocarbon distribution predicted by this model and the one actually observed led to several alternative geological models, most of which have not been constrained by organic geochemical data. The present study uses a wide range of bulk and molecular parameters to determine the oil source characteristics and thermal maturity along the reef trend. The concentrations and isomeric distributions of alkylcarbazoles and non-alkylated benzocarbazoles in oils are employed to study petroleum migration pathways and to constrain the existing secondary petroleum migration models. The data indicates that Gussow's principle is generally applicable, as the oils in the up-dip direction generally have longer implied migration distances although this is not always the case. Other factors not recognized previously, such as the presence of two subfamilies of the Duvernay Formation sourced oils, may also have contributed significantly to the discrepancies in the oil and gas distributions between the model predictions and the actual observational data.

97/01739 Recovery of highly viscous products from open or closed storage areas such as tanks and sumps

The mudstones in the third member of the Shahejie Formation (Es3) are the primary source rocks in the Banqiao Depression of Bohai Bay Basin. They are rich in organic matter with Total Organic Carbon (TOC) content up to 3.5%. The sandstones in the Es3 member are the deepest proven hydrocarbon reservoir rocks with measured porosity and permeability values ranging from 3.6% to 32.4% and from 0.01 md to 3283.7 md, respectively. One, two and three-dimensional basin modelling studies were performed to analyse the petroleum generation and migration history of the Es3 member in the Banqiao Depression based on the reconstruction of the burial, thermal and maturity history in order to evaluate the remaining potential of this petroleum province. The modelling results are calibrated with measured vitrinite reflectance (Ro), borehole temperatures and some drilling results of 63 wells in the study area. Calibration of the model with thermal maturity and borehole temperature data indicates that the present-day heat flow in the Banqiao Depression varies from 59.8 mW/m2 to 61.7 mW/m2 and the paleo-heat flow increased from 65 Ma to 50.4 Ma, reached a peak heat-flow values of approximately 75 mW/m2 at 50.4 Ma and then decreased exponentially from 50.4 Ma to present-day. The source rocks of the Es3 member are presently in a stage of oil and condensate generation with maturity from 0.5% to 1.8% Ro and had maturity from 0.5% to 1.25% Ro at the end of the Dongying Formation (Ed) deposition (26 Ma). Oil generation (0.5% Ro) in the Es3 member began from about 37 Ma to 34 Ma and the peak hydrocarbon generation (1.0% Ro) occurred approximately from 30 Ma to 15 Ma. The modelled hydrocarbon expulsion evolution suggested that the timing of hydrocarbon expulsion from the Es3 member source rocks began from 31 Ma to 10 Ma with the peak hydrocarbon expulsion shortly after 26 Ma. Secondary petroleum migration pathways in the Es3 member of the Banqiao Depression are modelled based on the structure surfaces at 26 Ma and present-day, respectively. The migration history modelling results have accurately predicted the petroleum occurrences within the Es3 member of the Banqiao Depression based on the calibration with drilling results of 10 oil-producing wells, one well with oil shows and 52 dry holes. Six favorable zones of oil accumulations in the Es3 member of the Banqiao Depression are identified especially oil accumulation zones I and II due to their proximity to the generative kitchens, short oil migration distances and the presence of a powerful drive force.