West Gas Province Research Articles

Improving the Efficiency of Managing the Development of the West Siberian Oil and Gas Province Fields on the Basis of Differentiation and Grouping

Abstract —Using image recognition methods (principal component method (PCM) and discriminant analysis) made it possible to group and identify more than 500 research objects developed in five oil and gas areas of the West Siberian oil and gas province (WSOGP), which are confined to 13 large tectonic structures and 10 productive horizons. The grouping was made according to 19 parameters characterizing the mode of oil and gas occurrence and the geologic–physical and physicochemical properties of the reservoirs and hosted fluids exerting a prevailing influence on the recovery of oil reserves and used on projecting the development of research objects. The performed study has identified 19 relatively homogeneous groups of objects, each having a specific set of geologic–physical properties. It is shown that the parameters reflecting the geologic–physical and physicochemical properties of the reservoirs and fluids within the identified groups of objects exert different effects on the recovery of oil reserves. This requires differentiation and grouping of the objects during the solution of various development problems. It has been established that the specific features of groups of objects are determined primarily by areal, tectonic, and stratigraphic factors and that grouping must be performed separately in each stratigraphic system. Algorithms are proposed for grouping the developed oil and gas fields and for searching for groups of analogous objects in fields out of exploration that are most similar to the developed ones. The performed grouping and the results obtained provide the necessary information about the research objects and increase its reliability, thus making it possible to improve the efficiency of managing the oil company assets, i.e., the WSOGP oil fields.

The use of data on capillary pressures in the development of deposits in the Middle Ob region

Currently, most of the oil fields in the West Siberian oil and gas province are in the final stage of development. There is water-cut in production, a decrease in oil production, and the structure of residual reserves deteriorates. The search and application of the most successful scientific methods and technologies for improving oil recovery in the development of fields is quite an urgent task.It should be taken into account that hydrophobic reservoirs are common in the oil fields of Western Siberia, and when applying the method of reservoir flooding, this fact should be taken into account and a more detailed approach should be taken to the study of capillary forces to prevent flooding of productive objects. Despite the good knowledge of the West Siberian megabasin, some fundamental issues of its structure and oil and gas potential remain debatable.The article proposes methods for improving oil recovery of the BS10 formation of the Ust-Balykskoye oil field based on the study of capillary pressures in productive reservoir formations, and provides recommendations for the placement of injection wells. The study of the capillary properties of reservoir rocks will significantly improve the efficiency of exploration and field operations in oil fields.

Petroleum potential of Kurgan region

The territory of Kurgan region is actually located within the boundaries of the West Siberian oil and gas province, where industrial reserves of hydrocarbons are discovered and actively developed within Tyumen, Omsk, Tomsk and Novosibirsk regions. The article presents an assessment of petroleum potential of Kurgan region (a case study of deposits of Early Carboniferous age, zones of serpentinization of ultrabasic rocks, as well as the Upper Cretaceous Suprasenomanian complex of rocks). It would seem that Kurgan region today could conduct industrial development of fields, because it neighboures upon those regions in which hydrocarbon production is carried out. However, oil or gas deposits in this region have not been discovered yet, and the study of the subsurface is discrete and unsystematic. The uncertainty in the fate of Kurgan oil is a legacy of Soviet geology. It is likely that large hydrocarbon reserves will not be found in Kurgan region, but there are forecast resources, and they cannot be confirmed without a comprehensive study of the subsurface. The authors of the article try to understand why an oil or gas fountain has not clogged in Kurgan region yet.

Generation potential of organic matter of the Upper Jurassic deposits within the Karabash search zone

The article considers the geochemical characteristics of the rocks of the Bazhenov and Nizhnetutleim formations in the southwestern part of the West Siberian oil and gas province, or rather in the territory of the Karabash search zone. The work was carried out on the basis of the core material study of the section of 29 wells within the Karabash zone by pyrolysis on the Rock-Eval 6. The regularities of the distribution of organic carbon concentrations (Сorg, %) on the studied territory were obtained. With the help of data mapping, it was established that the maximum concentrations of organic matter are timed to the southern regions of the zone (the most submerged parts of the paleobasin). The assessment of the catagenesis degree (degree of maturity) of organic matter of the Bazhenov horizon in the study area was carried out. Level maturity of organic matter of rocks is specified in the parameter Tmax Rock-Eval. Within the study area it’s increasing from South to North, from graduation PK3 (according to the scale of N.B. Vassoevich) (Tmax < 430 0С) in the area of wells Verkhnetyumskaya 34 to MK2 (Tmax 440–445 0С) in the area of Molodezhnaya and the Zapadno-Frolovskaya square. The resulting catagenetic zoning determined the boundaries of the generation kitchen for this territory. Generation scale for the Upper Jurassic source rocks was estimated, taking into account its lithofacial structure.

Osoboe mnenie nachal'nika glavka

The article analyzes the activities of the head of the Glavtyumenneftegazstroy department Alexey Barsukov during the industrial development of the West Siberian oil and gas province. The article analyzes the economic policy of accelerated hydrocarbon production in the north of the Tyumen region, draws attention to its negative consequences for the economy of the USSR, and focuses on the alternative strategy proposed by A. Barsukov for the development of oil and gas fields in Western Siberia.

Economic Policy of the Late Soviet Period: The Problem of Setting Priorities

This article examines the ways and means used to set priorities in the late Soviet economic policy. Referring to the analysis of documents and existing historiography, the author substantiates the conclusion about the fact that their choice was made outside of the routine national economic planning framework. They were structured as projects (megaprojects, programmes) of national significance. Their implementation had a tremendous effect on the country’s economic development. It would suffice to mention the creation of the nuclear weapons complex and the aerospace industry, the establishment of the Siberian branch of the USSR Academy of Sciences, the economic development of the West Siberian oil and gas province, the formation of the territorial production conglomerations in the Angara-Yenisei region, the construction of the Baikal-Amur highway, etc. Decisions on launching these programmes were made in the form of “resolutions of the Communist Party and Government”. However, it was necessary to conform to them in the process of both long-term and operational planning (adjustment). In this way, the national scale economic goals were set apparently without any prior discussion. Moreover, the tougher the administrative regulation methods, the closer were the results achieved to the initial intentions. A very good example of this was the nuclear project. At the same time, the liberalisation of the regulation mode and the transformation of the “command” economy into the economy of “coordinated approvals” resulted in the loss of administrative regulation efficiency. In the absence of market signals or sanctions, this inevitably led to a misalignment of the economic development plans and results. By the end of the Soviet period, the prevailing opinion was that the only way to improve the balance would be a move of the economy to a “market-based track”. However, there was no clarity on how to do this. Hence, a series of ill-conceived actions, resulting in a complete loss of centralised planning and management. Not being guided by any commands “from above” or the market, the economy was in a state of “free fall”.

Application of neural network technology to calculate well logging porosity on the example of UK2-7 formations in the Yelizarovsky deflection (Western Siberia)

The article describes the use of an artificial neural network to calculate porosity in the West Siberian oil and gas province for the UK2–7 strata. The estimated porosity was compared with core porosity data. Correlation coefficient between core samples porosity and well logging porosity (using the neural network) showed higher values in comparison with traditional methods of porosity estimation.

Строение баженовского резервуара и прогноз нефтеносности горизонта Ю0 баженовской свиты в юго-восточных районах Западной Сибири

For the South-Eastern regions of the West Siberian oil and gas province, a model of the structure of the Bazhenov reservoir and criteria for selecting areas that are promising for detecting oil accumulations in the productive level of the South-West Bazhenov Formation are proposed. According to the our criteria, the following characteristics of the object of research are given: the thickness of rocks of the Bazhenov Formation, the thickness of rocks with a Corg content > 7%, catagenesis degree of organic matter, the thickness of the underlying and overlying fluid barriers, current reservoir temperatures of rocks and reservoir pressures in the Bazhenov Formation. Based on a comprehensive analysis of the materials that characterize the above criteria, promising zones of two categories are identified. The Central-Nyurol zone is assigned to the 1st category (the most promising), and the North-Nyurol, East-Nyurol, South-Nyurol, West-Parabel, and Ust-Tym zones are assigned to the 2nd category.

A Model of the Geological Structure and the Oil and Gas Prospects of Neocomian (Berriasian–Lower Aptian) Sediments of the West Siberia Arctic Regions and the Kara Sea Shelf

Abstract —The paper presents a model of the geologic structure of Neocomian (Berriasian–lower Aptian) sediments in the Arctic regions of West Siberia and on the shelf of the Kara Sea. The southern part of the Kara Sea is the northern end of the West Siberian sedimentary basin and is identified as the South Kara regional depression of the West Siberian oil and gas province (OGP). Structural and tectonic analysis was performed, and 97 oil- and gas-promising anticlinal objects (structures of ranks III–IV) were identified in the Neocomian megacomplex relief, including 61 on the continent and 36 on the shelf. In the Yamal and Gydan oil and gas areas (OGA), the Neocomian complex of sediments has a structure typical of West Siberia. The megacomplex includes clinoform and shelf complexes. Clinoforms resulted from the ablation of terrigenous material from the eastern and southeastern edges of the plate and are tilted in the northwestern direction; the depocenter within which the eastern and western clinoforms converge is located in the Urals zone, west of the Nurmin megaswell. In the South Kara regional depression, the Berriasian–lower Aptian megacomplex is also represented by clinoform and shelf complexes. On the Kara Sea shelf, Neocomian clinoforms are tilted in the southern, western, and eastern directions; they resulted from the ablation of sediments from the Novaya Zemlya Archipelago and the Siberian Sill. Throughout most of the South Kara regional depression, clinoforms have a typical structure and contain shelf and Achim sandstones that can concentrate significant volumes of hydrocarbons; in the northeast, in the pre-sill zone, clinoform deposits will be represented by poorly sorted “dump” sandstones.

Arctic oil and the eastern direction of Russia's energy policy

The article describes the main features of Russia’s position in the traditional and promising oil markets of Europe and China in the context of the importance of oil and gas income in the country’s economy in the formation of the Federal budget of the Russian Federation. The resource base of the eastern direction of oil transportation “Polar region - Eastern Siberia - Pacific Ocean” is evaluated and the geo-economic feasibility of increasing oil supplies to China is justified. At the same time, the developed resource base the West Siberian oil and gas province will not be enough to ensure growing supplies in the east while maintaining the level of oil exports to Europe. Therefore, the task is to develop oil energy resources in the Arctic.

Гидротермальные процессы в породах фундамента Западно-Сибирской нефтегазоносной провинции

Гидротермальные процессы в породах фундамента Западно-Сибирской нефтегазоносной провинции

Separate Prognosis and Formation of Hydrocarbon Systems in West Siberia

The west Siberian oil and gas province occupies an area of more than 2.5 million km[sup 2]. More than 1900 oil and gas pools have been discovered there. A study of the vertical and regional distribution of hydrocarbons suggests there is a regular zonation of the various phase state. Within the Mesozoic to Cenozoic series, five major zones have been identified. The first zone of Aptian, Albian, and Cenomanian rocks contains all principal gas accumulations of the province (95% of west Siberian gas) and a number of super giant and giant dry-gas fields have been discovered. Reservoir temperature varies from 9 to 20[degrees]C. The second zone includes Valanginian through lower Aptian rocks and contains gas and oil-gas condensate pools. A group of wet-gas fields is located between the Nadym and Taz rivers, and also on the Yamal and Gydan peninsulas. The total thickness of the Neocomian is 1000 m. Reservoir temperature varies from 30 to 75[degrees]C. The third zone contains mainly oil pools. The zone embraces Valanginian-Hauterivian and Berriasian-Valanginian productive horizons of the middle Ob region. Reservoir temperature is between 70 and 100[degrees]C. The fourth zone comprises Middle and Upper Jurassic rocks and contains oil and gas condensate pools, oilmore » with associated gas-bearing Upper and Middle Jurassic sandstones in the Salym and Krasnolensk region. The oil is lower density than the Neocomian oil and production is smaller. Reservoir temperature reaches 120 to 140[degrees]C. The fifth zone is in the deeply buried rocks of the Achimov Formation and Lower-Middle Jurassic strata of the Urengoy field in the northern part of the basin. The zone contains gas condensate and the reservoir temperature is more than 140[degrees]C. Specific features of the West Siberian basin is the genetic character of the vertical and areal zonation; the distribution and type of hydrocarbons is a function of primary kerogen type and in situ generation and entrapment.« less