Occurrence mechanism of lacustrine shale oil in the Paleogene Shahejie Formation of Jiyang Depression, Bohai Bay Basin, China

Abstract

To determine the occurrence mechanism and mobility of shale oil in the Shahejie Formation in the Jiyang Depression, organic geochemistry analysis, thin-section petrological observation, low-temperature nitrogen adsorption, high-pressure mercury intrusion porosimetry, field emission scanning electron microscopy experiments were conducted on shale samples to reveal its storage mechanism, including pore size, ratio of adsorbed oil to free oil, mobility and its influencing factors, and mode of storage. Residual shale oil is mainly present in pores less than 100 nm in diameter under the atmospheric temperature and pressure. The lower limit of pore size for free oil is 5 nm, and the lower limit of pore size for movable oil occurrence is about 30 nm. The light components, low TOC and high porosity are the main factors contributing to the high proportion of movable oil. Each type of pore can contain residual shale oil, but not all pores have shale oil. Pore connectivity and surface wettability are the determinants of shale oil enrichment degree and enrichment state. Key words: shale oil, absorbed oil, free oil, occurrence mechanism, Paleogene Shahejie Formation, Jiyang Depression, Bohai Bay Basin