Classification and evaluation criteria of shale oil and gas resources: Discussion and application

Abstract

Research on the evaluation criteria of shale oil and gas is conducted to accurately assess the resource potential of shale oil and gas. Statistic analysis of the geochemical index of hydrocarbon source rocks in five areas such as Songliao, Hailaer, Jiyang, based on the characteristic of triple-division between the oil content and TOC of source rock, suggests that shale oil and gas can be categorized into three levels of resource enrichment: scattered (ineffective) resources, low efficient resources and enriched resources. The mature stage, at which organic matter generates oil and gas in large amounts, corresponds to the shale oil and gas enrichment window. Furthermore, recoverable index is defined and its computation formula is proposed to provide a quantitative index for recoverability evaluation, considering the brittle mineral content, thickness and depth of shale, etc. In practice, TOC variable values in well profile obtained by TOC-logging correspondence can be used to draw TOC isopach maps and calculate the amount of resources at different levels. Then combined with the evaluation criteria, TOC and Ro isopach maps are superimposed to identify the favorable shale oil and gasareas. Key words: shale oil, shale gas, resource evaluation, resource classification, scattered resources, low efficient resources, enriched resources