西南石油大学学报(自然科学版) ›› 2019, Vol. 41 ›› Issue (1): 68-76.DOI: 10.11885/j.issn.1674-5086.2017.11.15.01

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Patterns and Comprehensive Predictions of Fracture Development in Bedrock Gas Reservoirs in Dongping, Qaidam Basin

LI Xiang1, LIU Yingru1, CHAI Xiaoying2, LONG Wei2, BAI Yadong1   

  1. 1. Northwest Branch of PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration and Development, Lanzhou, Gansu 730020, China;
    2. Research Institute of Exploration and Development, Qinghai Oilfield Ccompany, Petrochina, Dunhuang, Gansu 736202, China
  • Received:2017-11-15 Online:2019-02-10 Published:2019-02-10

Abstract: Located in the front eastern section of the Altyn-Tagh in the northwestern Qaidam Basin, the Dongping bedrock reservoir is the largest complete bedrock buried hill gas reservoir recently discovered in the terrestrial basins of China. Nevertheless, due to natural fractures in gneiss and granite bedrocks and karst caves in the region and their complex formations, the area is highly heterogeneous with significant yield differences between wells. In addition, mass exploitation of a large-scale gas reservoir is relatively difficult. Because fractures are the key factor in allowing high and stable yields of bedrock reservoirs, it is especially important to conduct research on patterns and comprehensive predictions of fracture development in the reservoir of interest. Hence, lithological and physical properties and reserve types of the reservoir were examined, followed by statistical analyses based on core samples, thin sections, and well imaging. We found that the fracture system of the Dongping bedrock reservoir is dominated by tectonic fractures, accompanied by two types of dissolution fractures. The statistics of individual wells were used as standards to divide the study area according to its lithology. The Post-Stack Amplitude Direction Decomposition (PADD) technique was employed to predict the horizontal distribution of fractures in the study area. Finally, the results were integrated and analyzed with yield data. According to the relative relationships between different lithological zones, different fracture types, yields, and transformation effects, the study area was divided into three effective fracture development zones. One is a natural high-yield zone, while the other two are potential areas requiring appropriate transformation measures. Comprehensive predictions of reservoir potential in the study area were performed, and the predicted results matched actual yields at a rate higher than 70%.

Key words: Qaidam Basin, bedrock gas reservoirs, tectonic fractures, fracture development zones, post-stack amplitude direction decomposition

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