Experimental development and application of source rock thermal simulation for hydrocarbon generation and expulsion

Abstract

Simulation experiment was one of the most valuable methods for the study of hydrocarbon generation, expulsion and retention in source rocks. It was summarized in this paper that the progressing status and development significations of thermal simulation experiments. According to the open degree of reaction system, the experimental methods can be classified to three types, including open, closed and restricted systems. Cumulative generation and expulsion of oil and gas at a single temperature step and continuous generation and expulsion of oil and gas in multiple temperature steps were introduced. The main constrains included simulation temperature, pressure, time duration, sample morphology and inorganic reaction medium. The simulation experiments of hydrocarbon generation and expulsion have played an important role in clarifying the processes of oil and gas generation, expulsion and retention and their major controlling factors, establishing oil and gas evolution models of different types of sedimentary organic matter, evaluating the oil and gas resource potential of sedimentary basins, and performing oil and gas source comparison and correlation. The current hydrocarbon generation and expulsion simulation experiments have some limitations, and researches are needed in terms of experimental boundary conditions, physical simulation of hydrocarbon generation and accumulation of source-reservoir synergy, and dynamic calculation of hydrocarbon generation with various constrains.

Keywords

• source rock
• thermal simulation of hydrocarbon generation and expulsion
• experiment condition
• controlling factor