--> Abstract: Productive Shale Gas: Not Only Key Investment in Portfolio, But Big Thing in Petroleum System, by Xinjing Li and Zhongjian Qiu; #90175 (2013)

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Productive Shale Gas: Not Only Key Investment in Portfolio, But Big Thing in Petroleum System

Xinjing Li¹ and Zhongjian Qiu²
¹Research Institute of Petrochina Exploration and Development/Petrochina, Beijing, China
²China National Petroleum Corporation, Beijing, China

Natural gas resources are classified as conventional or unconventional depending on the geological drivers significant for occurrence and intensive technology necessary for exploitation. There is growing interest in exploiting unconventional shale gas across the globe to keep robust portfolio and chase long term opportunities. Shale gas reservoirs have long been recognized, meanwhile, they have been regarded as source rocks for conventional petroleum systems. Gas shale that has not entirely expelled its gas potential is self-contained petroleum system, in other words, in-situ gas generation, migration and trapping. Whether gas is present in shale depends on multi-factors like anoxic depositional environment and pressure/temperature history to become excellent potential source rocks with high quality organic matter, gas content, porosity and permeability. There are many characteristics in common to the points, whatever is excellent source rock in conventional petroleum system or reservoir in unconventional petroleum system. However, successful fracturing of the material for gas production also depends on rock mineralogy, mechanical stratigraphy distribution, regional stress field that controls on the extent to which this potential can be realized.

The presentation will look over basin's hydrocarbon potential through time and space and provide essential critical elements and process picture of Silurian hot shale petroleum system to express extensive variables and response to multi-stages tectonic events affecting the Silurian shale deposition region in Sichuan stacked basin and surroundings, compared to those of other regions outside China. In conclusion, it’s not only technology play, but integrated petroleum system with conventional and unconventional oil and gas resource.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90175©2013 AAPG Hedberg Conference, Beijing, China, April 21-24, 2013