Classification of Petroleum Plays and Their Mechanism

Abstract

Petroleum reservoirs and traps were carriers and storage for oil and gas migration and accumulation. However, it depended on the passage that linked the source rock and the trap as to whether hydrocarbons would accumulate. Different combinations of “source rock and trap” not only influenced the difficulty and the probability of petroleum accumulation, but also revealed clear distinctions in the petroleum injective mechanism, accumulative features and major controlling factors. Considering that the hydrocarbon source rock was the material foundation for petroleum accumulation, the traps (which were located either above source rock or beneath source rock) exhibited various dynamic features distinctively. Thus, according to the vertical relationship between source rocks and traps, this section will classify different types of petroleum play and will further discuss their mechanism and major controlling factors.