Two highly efficient accumulation models of large gas fields in China

Abstract

Based on reserve abundance, large gas fields in China can be divided into two types: type one of high abundance large gas fields, dominated by structural gas reservoirs; type two of low abundance large gas fields, dominated by stratigraphic and lithologic gas reservoirs. The formation of these two types of large gas fields is related to the highly efficient accumulation of natural gas. The accumulation of high abundance gas fields is dependent on the rapid maturation of the source kitchen and huge residual pressure difference between the gas source kitchen and reservoir, which is the strong driving force for natural gas migration to traps. Whereas the accumulation of low abundance gas fields is more complicated, involving both volume flow charge during the burial stage and diffusion flow charge during the uplift stage, which results in large area accumulation and preservation of natural gas in low porosity and low permeability reservoirs. This conclusion should assist gas exploration in different geological settings. © 2014 China University of Petroleum (Beijing) and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.