{"title":"Use of graphs to assess well safety in drilling projects and during operations by identification of available barrier elements and consolidation of barrier envelopes","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.02.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.02.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Two independent barrier envelopes are the usual requirement used in most well operations to avoid catastrophic accidents. These are classified as primary – concerning preventing the occurrence of a kick, and secondary – concerning controlling the kick to avoid a blowout. Barrier envelopes consist of barrier elements, thus verifying the quality of these elements is fundamental. Barrier elements may be either redundant or mandatory, and these relationships are what constitute the barrier envelopes. In this work, we present a methodology to evaluate well safety by identifying existing barrier elements and barrier envelopes and mapping their relationships through the usage of graphs technique. This technique explicitly states the relationship between barriers and between them and envelopes. It enables a simpler visualization for well designers and allows the development of computer programs to control the safety and integrity of wells, both in the design phase and during drilling. 12 graphs are provided for a 4-phase well (conductor, surface, production, and drill-in), considering both the primary and secondary envelopes. Reasoning for constructing each graph is thoroughly provided. If these graphs are used, reliability values can then be assigned to each barrier element, which results in the reliability of entire barrier envelopes. This can be further extended to analyze the safety of each operation by applying the system to operational sequences and even comparing well designs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":19756,"journal":{"name":"Petroleum Research","volume":"9 3","pages":"Pages 418-431"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096249524000255/pdfft?md5=99ec4494e7d1c016bf43f10c75fdb671&pid=1-s2.0-S2096249524000255-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140084462","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Research on slim-hole drilling technology for shale gas geological survey in China","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.03.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.03.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Over the last 10 years, the China Geological Survey has deployed 137 slim-hole shale gas geological exploration wells for coring entire wellbores. These wells are primarily located in new blocks and geological formations where neighboring well data are insufficient, beyond the scope of developed oil fields in China, or outside of oil and gas company mining-right areas. The drilling rig equipment, coring tools, and core drill bits of slim-hole shale gas drilling technology are different from those associated with traditional petroleum drilling. Many studies have been conducted on non-coring slim-hole drilling technology. This paper focuses on coring technology and drilling safety, summarizing a set of high-efficiency shale gas drilling equipment and technology systems based on geological drilling equipment and techniques (that can be used for solid mineral exploration). We report on: 1) an improved vertical shaft drilling rig adapted to shale gas well control safety; 2) high-efficiency core drilling techniques, focusing on coring tools, and techniques incorporating an inverted tower drilling tool combination, air circulation follow-through technology, and expanded casing technology; 3) research progress on high-efficiency core drill bits, including non-planar tooth polycrystalline diamond compact bits and impregnated diamond core bits, along with their application effects. This research provides substantial advances in drill-core technology and improvements in exploration efficiency. Moreover, it provides a reference frame for well structural design and selection of construction technology for shale gas exploration drilling projects.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":19756,"journal":{"name":"Petroleum Research","volume":"9 3","pages":"Pages 451-461"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096249524000322/pdfft?md5=644a46f277292c005d866fc0c42b587d&pid=1-s2.0-S2096249524000322-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140400036","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Empirical study of magnetohydrodynamic effect on fluid flow in clayey porous media","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.03.010","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.03.010","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>Enhancing oil recovery from clayey reservoirs is a significant challenge in petroleum industry due to complex interactions between fluids and rock surfaces, particularly clay swelling. This study presents the first empirical analysis of magnetic fields' impact on fluid flow in clayey porous media. Our core findings indicate that magnetic treatment of water increases oil recovery by an average of 15–30% in clayey media, with limited effectiveness in pure quartz media. Detailed experiments unraveled that improved recovery factor by magnetic treatment stem from both mitigated swelling and altered magnetic properties at clay surface; introducing 30% clay to porous medium decreased the recovery by 32% compared to pure quartz sand. Heating the clay to around 1000 °C to reduce its swelling property improved the recovery by only 16%, suggesting magnetic treatment is not solely attributed to clay swelling mitigation. Treating ferromagnetic films at clay surface with HCl to produce non-magnetic FeCl<sub>3</sub> resulted in a high recovery factor, similar to the clay-free medium. Moreover, it was determined that a magnetic field intensity of 43760–51740 A/m is optimal for fluid displacement in clayey media. Notably, the intensity of 47760 A/m increased recovery to 84.5% in a 30% clay medium, compared to 49.7% without treatment. Interestingly, it was observed that the maximum flow rate was associated with zero potential difference across the medium, providing a faster method to determine the optimum magnetic field intensity. Lastly, the concept of ‘Magnetic memory’ was investigated, referring to the persistence of magnetic field's influence after its removal. Our findings indicated that pressure build-up time stability lasted 10 days post-treatment, after which water behavior reverts, and clay swelling resumes. This insight into the temporal dynamics of magnetic field application provides a deeper understanding of its long-term impacts on fluid flow in clayey reservoirs.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":19756,"journal":{"name":"Petroleum Research","volume":"9 3","pages":"Pages 462-471"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096249524000358/pdfft?md5=9de84d2e194b857775d50730214c4695&pid=1-s2.0-S2096249524000358-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140401132","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Harnessing deep transient testing for reservoir characterization and CO2 emission reduction in challenging geological settings","authors":"","doi":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.01.014","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.01.014","url":null,"abstract":"<div><p>This paper provides a comprehensive overview of Deep Transient Testing (DTT), a cutting-edge technique for reservoir characterization that has revolutionized the oil and gas industry. The main aim of DTT is to characterize the reservoir with a deeper radius of investigation. The optimization of the radius of investigation with the DTT approach is studied in detail. Reveal is a commercial numerical simulation application used to simulate the DTT process and evaluate the pressure wave analysis in the porous media. The main aim of the simulation is to understand the impact of the reservoir quality on the pressure response and use it to address the noise-to-pule ratio, which is a determinantal parameter in testing duration. The tested wells with the DTT tool show that measured well productivity can deliver the minimum commercial rate. The has been delivered within 2 days compared to the potential test time of 21 days which saved the 19 rig days and contributed to CO2 emission reduction of (gas flaring 1340 + rig emission 600) 1940 Metric tons equivalent to 421 cars emission in a year. However, DTT also presents certain limitations, such as the requirement for specialized equipment and expertise, as well as the potential for formation damage during testing. This study provides a detailed description of the DTT technique, encompassing its history, theory, and practical applications. Furthermore, it discusses the benefits and limitations of DTT and presents case studies to illustrate its effectiveness across various reservoir types. Overall, this study serves as a valuable resource for reservoir engineers, geologists, and other professionals involved in the exploration and production of oil and gas.</p></div>","PeriodicalId":19756,"journal":{"name":"Petroleum Research","volume":"9 3","pages":"Pages 380-392"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-09-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2096249524000140/pdfft?md5=38d9766f99f359d5eb4728a8d7041478&pid=1-s2.0-S2096249524000140-main.pdf","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"140523246","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jhonatan Jair Arismendi Florez, Carina Ulsen, Jean Vicente Ferrari
{"title":"Investigation of petrophysical properties of synthetic carbonate plugs: Adding a novel 3D printing approach to control pore networks","authors":"Jhonatan Jair Arismendi Florez, Carina Ulsen, Jean Vicente Ferrari","doi":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.06.006","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.06.006","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The physical and chemical properties of rocks play a crucial role in understanding fluid-solid flow behavior at the pore level. Thus, studying pore space characteristics is important in evaluating and determining petrophysical properties of various rock types, including synthetic rocks, which can be designed to mimic natural rocks. This study investigates the petrophysical properties of synthetic carbonate plugs by using a new approach that correlates the base material and a 3D printing solution with porosity and permeability. The research shows that with precise particle size and morphology, pure mineral materials such as calcite, dolomite, quartz and a non-structural Portland cement may produce a controlled rock matrix. The synthetic plugs developed in this study exhibit controlled macro, meso, and micro porosities, including fractures and vuggys, by the solubilization of materials with controlled morphology by 3D printing, which provides valuable information on regulating pore space in synthetic carbonate rocks.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19756,"journal":{"name":"Petroleum Research","volume":"9 4","pages":"Pages 514-540"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141415765","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
T.S. Yushchenko, E.V. Demin, V.A. Ivanov, R.A. Khabibullin, A.V. Volkov
{"title":"Case studies and operation features of transient multiphase flow in low-flow wells with multistage fracturing and extended horizontal wellbore operated with ESP in PSA mode","authors":"T.S. Yushchenko, E.V. Demin, V.A. Ivanov, R.A. Khabibullin, A.V. Volkov","doi":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.06.005","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.06.005","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The article is dedicated to the analysis and modeling of the operation modes of low-flow wells with extended horizontal wellbore (HW) and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing (MHF) during artificial lift with an electric submersible pump (ESP). A comprehensive analysis of the operation modes of Bazhenov formation wells with HW and MHF, working with ESP, has been conducted. Complications in the operation of ESP in such wells, related to proppant carryover, constant productivity decline, and gas factor growth, are shown, and operational data of various types of ESP in wells with complex construction are provided. One of the main parts of the manuscript is the new methodology for creating a model of multiphase transient flow in a well with ESP operating in periodic short-term activation (PSA) mode using specialized software. Various approaches for numerical modeling of transient multiphase flows in a well with ESP and a bottomhole separator were used to accurately describe the physical processes. Difficulties that may arise during well operation were demonstrated through the analysis of field data and numerical modeling results. The work includes modeling of complications in HW due to proppant carryover from MHF fractures, resulting in flow blockage in the well. The article demonstrates the process of tuning transient operation modes of a well with ESP in PSA mode using specialized software based on real field data (multiphase flowmeter, pressure gauges, etc.), taking into account the well construction, ESP characteristics, additional equipment (valves, separator, etc.), and reservoir parameters. The model was tuned to actual data, and possible ways of optimizing the operation mode were shown. In addition, the work provides an analysis of the sensitivity of fluid properties and well parameters to non-stationary flow in the well.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19756,"journal":{"name":"Petroleum Research","volume":"9 4","pages":"Pages 657-672"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-15","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141390513","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Xiaojun Xie , Wu Tang , Shangfeng Zhang , Rui Zhu , Dongxu Fan , Ran Li
{"title":"Sedimentary characteristics and geological significance of a mixed-process delta for petroleum exploration in the Zhuhai formation of the Baiyun Depression, Pearl River Mouth Basin, China","authors":"Xiaojun Xie , Wu Tang , Shangfeng Zhang , Rui Zhu , Dongxu Fan , Ran Li","doi":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.06.004","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.06.004","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The Zhuhai Formation in the Baiyun Depression of the Pearl River Mouth Basin in the northern South China Sea is a marine delta influenced by multiple hydrodynamic forces, including rivers, waves, and tides, resulting in a mixed-process delta. As a result of the combined effects of these forces, the distribution patterns and reservoir structures in the sandstone formations of the Zhuhai Formation are extremely complex. This paper provides a detailed description of the coring section of the Zhuhai Formation drilled in the Baiyun Depression, focusing on the lithology, sedimentary structure, special containers, and depositional dynamics of the coring section. It also summarizes the characteristics of a hybrid power delta controlled by rivers, waves, and tides, and explores the geological significance of this mixed-process delta for oil and gas exploration. The study reveals that sedimentation controlled by rivers primarily consists of medium-to-fine sandstones with interbedded cross-bedding and parallel bedding. Scour-fill structures and a bell or box-shaped natural gamma ray logging curve (GR) are also observed. Seismic reflection exhibits strong amplitude and high continuity. Wave-controlled sedimentation, on the other hand, predominantly consists of silt and fine sandstones with scouring, wave-formed cross-bedding, abundant bioturbation, and a serrated and funnel-shaped GR curve. Seismic reflection shows medium amplitude and high continuity. Tidally-controlled deposits are characterized by thin interbeds of mudstone, siltstone, and fine sandstone, as well as vein laminations, undulating composite laminations, lenticular laminations, and biclastic layers. The GR curves for tidally-controlled deposits are sharp or jagged with funnel shapes, and seismic reflections exhibit medium amplitude and continuity. The hydrodynamic features controlling sedimentation during the depositional period of the Zhuhai Formation in the Baiyun Depression exhibit evident zonation on a planar scale, influenced by sedimentary paleogeography and sea-level changes. River control is predominant in the northern Zhuhai Formation, with local wave influence and minimal tidal influence. In the southern part, tidal action becomes increasingly important. In terms of reservoir properties, wave-controlled reservoirs display significantly better porosity and permeability compared to tidally-controlled and river-controlled reservoirs. Tidally-controlled reservoirs exhibit high heterogeneity with a wide range of porosity and permeability values. The varying influences of different hydrodynamic drivers in different locations have led to significant variations in the size, morphology, and physical properties of sand bodies within the marine delta sediments of the Zhuhai Formation in the Baiyun Depression. Thus, the type and intensity of sedimentary hydrodynamics become the primary controlling factors for the development of high-quality reservoirs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19756,"journal":{"name":"Petroleum Research","volume":"9 4","pages":"Pages 599-609"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141396976","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A review on oilfield produced water and its treatment technologies","authors":"Amarjit Rajbongshi , Subrata Borgohain Gogoi","doi":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.06.003","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.06.003","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Owing to the soaring urge to meet the demand for oil and gas on different frontiers, its exploration all over the world is of paramount importance. Exploration and production of oil calls for handling a huge volume of associated water, produced along with it, referred to as Oilfield Produced Water (OFPW). OFPW is considered a potential threat to the environment due to the presence of toxic constituents such as dissolved and dispersed oil compounds, dissolved formation minerals, production chemical compounds, production solids (formation, corrosion, scale, bacteria, waxes, and asphaltenes), dissolved gases. This review is intended to provide information on OFPW, its constituents, impact, and treatment technologies of OFPW from various oilfields across the world. It presents a meticulous analysis of the scope of reusing OFPW instead of freshwater for various processes such as well drilling and completion, re-injection to the reservoir for pressure maintenance, and water flooding process for secondary recovery of crude oil. The reuse of OFPW can reduce the demand for fresh water and turn the wastewater into useable water resources after proper treatment. The paper provides rigorous information on the importance of developing an eco-friendly treatment process for the proper reuse and management of OFPW.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19756,"journal":{"name":"Petroleum Research","volume":"9 4","pages":"Pages 640-656"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141404241","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Muftahu N. Yahya , M.N.A.M. Norddin , Issham Ismail , A.A.A. Rasol , N. Salahudeen , Jeffrey O. Oseh , M. Muhammad , M. Shahid , Shaziera B. Omar
{"title":"Influence of triton-assisted coconut shell derived graphene nanoplatelets in water-based drilling fluid lubricity and shale inhibition application","authors":"Muftahu N. Yahya , M.N.A.M. Norddin , Issham Ismail , A.A.A. Rasol , N. Salahudeen , Jeffrey O. Oseh , M. Muhammad , M. Shahid , Shaziera B. Omar","doi":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.06.002","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.06.002","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Insufficient hole cleaning, cutting suspension, clay swelling, and filtrate invasion of the formation might result from inadequate drilling mud properties. For effective drilling and wellbore stability, water-based mud (WBM) rheology, lubricity, filtration, and shale inhibition must be optimized and controlled. WBMs react with clays and cause time-dependent borehole issues, which is their principal drawback. Moreover, prolonged exposure destroys certain WBM components, resulting in minimal mud properties. These indicate the need for multifunctional additives to improve WBMs. Thus, this study developed WBM systems employing graphene nanoplatelets (GNPs) and locally acquired discarded coconut shells to overcome severe drilling challenges. By adding triton-X100 to coconut shell-based graphene (GN-CS), a greater dispersion of modified graphene (GN-TX) particles was produced. Characterization, rheology, lubricity, inhibition, and filtration tests were performed on these GN-CS and GN-TX at concentrations of 0.125, 0.25, 0.375, and 0.50 wt%. Furthermore, biotoxicity, biodegradability, and heavy metal content experiments were performed to study the environmental impact of GN-CS and GN-TX. The results showed that GN-TX had good thermal resistance up to 300 °C with only a 10% loss in weight. Both EDX and FTIR tests showed that the epoxy, carboxyl, and hydroxyl groups are in the GNP-based materials' basal plane. The GN-CS and GN-TX had better fluid properties, including better lubricity, rheology, filtration, and inhibition over the base mud, and the optimal rheological model of the drilling muds was the Herschel Buckley model. The GN-TX (modified) decreased the fluid loss to 20.6–14.3 mL from 24.6 mL at 353 K, whereas the GN-CS (unmodified) reduced it to 21.3–16.7 mL. GN-TX and GN-CS decreased the coefficient of friction of WBM from 0.47 to 0.55 to 0.25–0.41 and 0.33–0.44, respectively, from 298 to 353 K. In addition, 0.50 wt% of GN-CS and GN-TX reduced the shale pellet swelling height to 5.4% and 5.6%, respectively, from 8.8%. Moreover, the EC<sub>50</sub> values for GN-CS and GN-TX were about 54,000 mg/L and the BOD/COD ratio was about 47%. These results show that the GNP-based products are safe and biodegradable. The GNP-based materials have promising prospects for drilling in environmentally sensitive formations.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19756,"journal":{"name":"Petroleum Research","volume":"9 4","pages":"Pages 620-639"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141410266","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Chemometric analysis on concentrations and ratios of terpanes and steranes and implications for oils from the cratonic region of the Tarim Basin, NW China","authors":"Yuanyuan Bian , Chenxi Zhou , Haizu Zhang , Zhongyao Xiao , Zhaowen Zhan , Shuang Yu , Changchun Pan","doi":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.06.001","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.ptlrs.2024.06.001","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>More than 2 × 10<sup>9</sup> tonnes of proved oils have been found in the cratonic region of the Tarim Basin. The source rocks for these oils remain unresolved although the source rocks are marine facies within the Cambrian and Ordovician strata with total thickness over 5 km. So far, there is no systematic classification of these oils on the basis of source facies. In this study, a practical approach was presented to select effective and sensitive biomarker parameters for source facies and maturity assessments for the studied oils on the basis of biomarker classification by hierarchical cluster analysis (HCA). Twenty-one terpanes and steranes in oils from both the Tabei (Northern Tarim) and Tazhong (Central Tarim) uplifts were classified into three groups using HCA on the basis of terpane and sterane concentrations. The result of biomarker grouping mainly reflects the differences in thermal stabilities among biomarkers for the 45 Tabei oils, providing a general thermal stability sequence for terpanes and steranes that helps the selection of effective maturity parameters. However, biomarker grouping suggests that both source facies and thermal stability have major influences on relative biomarker concentrations for the 75 Tazhong oils. The Tabei oils are mainly derived from a single source with relatively homogeneous facies while the Tazhong oils are derived from multiple sources or a single source with more heterogeneous facies. Based on the HCA results, twelve terpane and sterane ratios were selected as source facies parameters for the Tabei and Tazhong oils. These studied oils were consequently classified into four families by HCA and principle component analysis (PCA) integrating the twelve selected facies parameters of terpanes and steranes along with Pr/<em>n</em>-C<sub>17</sub> and Ph/<em>n</em>-C<sub>18</sub> ratios. Family 1 and 2 oils are mainly in the Tabei uplift while Family 3 and 4 oils are almost in the Tazhong uplift. Family 1 and 2 oils are derived from source rocks located at the northern, central and southern areas of the Northern Depression and the Tabei Uplift with marine mudstone facies. Family 3 and 4 oils are derived from source rocks located mainly at the southern area of the Northern Depression and the Tazhong Uplift with carbonate and evaporite facies. This study provides a practical approach to trace oil origins for oil and condensate reservoirs in the Tarim Basin and elsewhere.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":19756,"journal":{"name":"Petroleum Research","volume":"9 4","pages":"Pages 565-585"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2024-06-05","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"141410793","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}