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Clay minerals in shales of the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation in the Eastern Sichuan Basin, China

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Geng Yi-Kai ,
Jin Zhen-Kui ,
Zhao Jian-Hua ,
Wen Xin ,
Zhang Zhen-Peng  and
Wang Yang
Geng Yi-Kai
Affiliation:
College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum(Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Jin Zhen-Kui*
Affiliation:
College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum(Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Zhao Jian-Hua
Affiliation:
College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum(Beijing), Beijing 102249, China State Key Laboratory of Shale Oil and Gas Enrichment Mechanisms and Effective Development, Beijing 100083, China
Wen Xin
Affiliation:
College of Geosciences, China University of Petroleum(Beijing), Beijing 102249, China
Zhang Zhen-Peng
Affiliation:
No. 2 Oil Production Plant, Daqing Oilfield Company, Daqing, Heilongjiang 163257, China
Wang Yang
Affiliation:
No. 2 Oil Production Plant, Daqing Oilfield Company, Daqing, Heilongjiang 163257, China
*
*E-mail: 85147477@qq.com
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Abstract

The present study examines the characteristics of clay minerals in shale gas reservoirs and their influence on reservoir properties based on X-ray diffraction and scanning electron microscopy. These analyses were combined with optical microscopy observations and core and well-log data to investigate the genesis, distribution characteristics, main controlling factors and pore features of clay minerals of the Lower Silurian Longmaxi Formation in the East Sichuan area, China. The clay mineral assemblage consists of illite + mixed-layer illite-smectite (I-S) + chlorite. This assemblage includes three sources of clay minerals: detrital, authigenic and diagenetic minerals. The lower section of the Longmaxi Formation in the Jiaoshiba area has sealing ability which resulted in abnormal high pressures during hydrocarbon generation which inhibited illitization. Therefore, an anomalous transformation sequence is present in which the mixed-layer I-S content increases with depth. This anomalous transformation sequence can be used to infer the existence of abnormal high pressures. The detrital components of the formation also affect the clay-minerals content indirectly, especially the abundance of K-feldspar. The transformation of mixed-layer I-S to illite is limited due to the limited availability of K+, which determines the extent of transformation. Three types of pores were observed in the shale reservoir rocks of the Longmaxi Formation: interparticle (interP) pores, intraparticle (intraP) pores and organic-matter pores. The clay-mineral content controls the development of intraP pores, which are dominated by pores within clay particles. For a given clay mineral content, smectite and mixed-layer I-S were more conducive to the development of shale-gas reservoirs than other clay minerals.

Keywords

Abnormal high pressureclay mineralShale reservoirLongmaxi FormationEastern Sichuan BasinChina
Type
Research Article
Information
Clay Minerals , Volume 52 , Issue 2 , June 2017 , pp. 217 - 233
Copyright
Copyright © The Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland 2017

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