Deep Basin Gas Pool Exploration in the Ordos Basin

By Ma Xinhua & Chen Mengjin

Abstract: The upper Paleozoic Era of Ordos Basin is a set of extensive coal-series sedimentary formation. The natural gas reservoir composed of series compact low-porosity and low-permeability sandstone, the average porosity is less than 8% and the permeability is less than 0.4210-3m2. The coal-series hydrocarbon source rock is in the substantial gas formation stage of highly-to-hyper mature wet/dry gas, where the gas generation reaches 539.831012m3. Through the study on the gas-water relationship and pressure characteristics, as well as the exploration practices, the authors believe that an apparent gas-water inversion exists on the S-N direction of the HE8-SHAN2 Section in the upper Paleozoic Era of Ordos Basin, where deep basin gas pool with a huge area develop. However, the eastern part of Ordos basin swelled as a result of Yanshan Movement, the deep basin gas pool is in the transforming status. At the same time, the hydrocarbon generating rate of the hydrocarbon source rock was lowered down substantially; although the coal rock desorbed the supplementary gas, it is assumed that the desorption amount was less than that of gas loss, thus making the early gas-water boundary to retract to south. The difference of reservoir formation and evolution in deep basin gas region lead to the existence of some high-permeability reservoirs. The development of efficient reservoir in the upper Paleozoic Era of Ordos basin is controlled by the features of bedrock, sedimentary and diagenesis. The mutual disposition of good quartz-sandstone development area and structural fracture development belt is the key to get high yield of gas. The discovery of Sulige Gas Field also provides evidences that the dessert zone with high-porosity and high-permeability exists in the Ordos deep basin gas region. It is estimated that the distribution range of deep basin gas region in the Ordos basin will reach the amount of 12104km2, resource capacity is 8.391012m3. The discovery of Sulige Gas Field which has a scope of 5000108m3 shows a vast exploration prospect of deep basin gas. Key Words: deep basin gas pool, gas-water inversion, pressure abnormality, fracture, quartz-sandstone, dessert zone Classification No: Profile of Author: Mr. Ma Xinhua was graduated from Jianghan Petroleum Institute in 1982. As a professor-level senior engineer, he assumes the post of Vice President of Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development-Langfang, China National Petroleum Corporation. Postal Address: P.O. Box 44 Langfang City, Hebei Province, P. R. China, 065007