Charging time of tight gas in the Upper Paleozoic of the Ordos Basin, central China

The Upper Paleozoic section contains a tight gas sandstone reservoir (of 2.75 × 1012 m3) in the Ordos Basin, central China. The measured porosities (< 10%) and permeabilities (generally < 1 mD) are the result of significant mechanical and chemical compaction and precipitation of carbonate, quartz and authigenic clay cements. Fluid inclusion geochemistry and kinetic modeling (generation of gaseous components and δ13C1) were integrated to constrain the timing of gas charge into the tight reservoir. The modeling results indicate that the natural gases in the present reservoir are similar to gases liberated from quartz inclusions in both composition and stable carbon isotope values and also similar to gas generated from Upper Paleozoic coal. The similar geochemistry suggests that an important phase of quartz cementation must have occurred after gas emplacement in the reservoirs during regional uplift at the end of the Cretaceous. The latest carbonate cement, postdating quartz cementation, consumed most of the late CO2 generated from coal at high maturity (RO > 1.7%) and reduced the reservoir quality dramatically. On the contrary, tight sandstones from non-producing areas have fluid inclusions that were trapped in quartz cements much earlier. These data indicate that natural gas migrated into the Upper Paleozoic reservoir when it still retained high porosity and permeability. The reservoir continued to experience porosity and permeability reduction from continued quartz and carbonate cementation after gas charging due to low gas saturation. Comparison of the relative timing of gas charging with that of sandstone cementation can help to predict areas of risk during tight gas exploration and development.