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Physical Properties, Pore-Throat Structure, Fractal Characteristics and Their Effects on the Gas-Bearing Capacity of Tight Sandstone: A Case Study from the Northern Tianhuan Depression, Ordos Basin, China

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Abstract

In this study, various testing methods were used to analyze the mineral characteristics, reservoir storage types and pore-throat network characteristics of the Permian tight sandstone in the Upper Paleozoic of the Ordos Basin. A fractal method was applied to evaluate the reservoirs’ microscopic heterogeneity. According to the results, the storage space of the sandstone reservoir is predominantly intra-granular dissolution pores and kaolinite inter-crystalline pores, while primary pores and inter-granular dissolution pores form secondary spaces with low concentration and poor homogeneity of pore-throat size distribution. All samples were divided into four categories on account of porosity (ϕ), pore-throat size distribution and multifractal dimensions (D): Type A (ϕ > 10%) consisted mainly of macropores; Type B (ϕ < 6%, consisting mainly of transitional pores and micropores); Type C1 (6% < ϕ < 10%, consisting mainly of mesopores, D > 2.45); and Type C2 (6% < ϕ < 10%, consisting mainly of mesopores, D < 2.45). In general, the piecewise fractal dimension was associated with porosity, different pore size ranges and the pore-throat parameters. Between Types A and B samples, porosity and pore size distribution were the major controlling factors on gas-bearing capacity, while the microscopic pore-throat heterogeneity had little influence. However, the microscopic pore-throat heterogeneity had a significant effect on gas-bearing capacity in Types C1 and C2 samples. This study discusses the applicable pore size range for fractal analysis of tight sandstone based on fine reservoir division and provides a novel idea for the control of the microscopic pore-throat heterogeneity on gas-bearing capacity in tight sandstone.

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Notes

  1. * 1 mD = 1 millidarcy = 0.986923 × 10−15 m2.

  2. * 1 psi = 6.89476 kPa.

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (41872102; 41202107). We thank PetroChina Changqing Oilfield Company for permission to use industry data for this research. Thanks are also extended to the reviewers for their valuable comments and constructive modifications that greatly enhanced the manuscript. We are grateful to chief Editor John Carranza and two anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments and suggestions, which contributed to the improvement of the article.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. State Key Laboratory of Petroleum Resources and Prospecting, China University of Petroleum (Beijing), Beijing, 102249, China

    Hang Cui, Shifa Zhu, Chaofan Wan & Huan Tong

  2. College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum, Beijing, 102249, China

    Hang Cui, Shifa Zhu, Chaofan Wan & Huan Tong

  3. School of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PL, UK

    Jianpeng Wang

  4. PetroChina Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development, Beijing, 100083, China

    Yang Gao

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  1. Hang Cui
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Correspondence to Shifa Zhu.

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Cui, H., Zhu, S., Wang, J. et al. Physical Properties, Pore-Throat Structure, Fractal Characteristics and Their Effects on the Gas-Bearing Capacity of Tight Sandstone: A Case Study from the Northern Tianhuan Depression, Ordos Basin, China. Nat Resour Res 31, 1559–1584 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11053-022-10059-2

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