Zou Caineng; Zhang Guosheng; Yang Zhi; Tao Shizhen; Hou Lianhua; Zhu Rukai; Yuan Xuanjun; Ran Qiquan; Li Denghua and Wang Zhiping
. 2013, 40(4): 2-0.
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Petroleum geology is developing in two directions: conventional petroleum geology and unconventional petroleum geology. Conventional petroleum focuses on “whether hydrocarbon is accumulated in traps”, and intensively studies six geological elements, i.e. source rock, reservoir, cap rock, migration, trap, and preservation, and their coupling relationship. Unconventional petroleum geology focuses on “whether hydrocarbon is continuously accumulated in reservoirs”, and intensively studies six geological properties, i.e. lithology, reservoir quality, brittleness, petroliferous properties, source rock properties and stress anisotropy, and their coupling relationship. In this article, hydrocarbon accumulation model and theoretical equation in different pore-throats diameters, “L-type” production curve and theoretical prediction model for unconventional hydrocarbons, are proposed to uncover the unconventional hydrocarbon formation mechanism and development rule. This article defines the basic concept and geological characteristics, analyses the resource potential, and proposes the exploration and exploitation core technology of unconventional hydrocarbon. Unconventional hydrocarbon is characterized by the following two key marks: (1) continuous distribution of hydrocarbon-bearing reservoir bodies, and no obvious trap boundary, and (2) no naturally stable industrial production, and no obvious Darcy percolation. Based on systematical research, the proportion of global unconventional and conventional hydrocarbon resources is 8︰2, in which the unconventional oil is almost equal to conventional oil, and the unconventional gas is about 8 times conventional gas. In China, the potential of unconventional hydrocarbon resource is very huge, as unconventional oil is about 240×108 t and unconventional gas is about 100×1012 m3. The exploration and exploitation of different types of unconventional hydrocarbon should be done progressively. In recent years, tight gas and tight oil need to realize industrial reserves and productions, and meantime more shale gas industrial pilot areas should be constructed, and shale oil should be quested. In future, an unconventional hydrocarbon industrial system, which will include unconventional petroleum geology, fine-grains sedimentology, unconventional reservoir geology six geological properties prediction geophysics, large-scale horizontal drilling & fracturing, “factory-like” operation pattern, low cost management & policy subsidy, and talents training, is urgently needed to be established.