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Abstract: Based on analysis of the characteristics of unconventional hydrocarbon resources, this paper assesses the potential for unconventional hydrocarbons in China, summarizes the key technical progress in exploration and development, and discusses the prospects and developing strategies of unconventional hydrocarbons. The resources of unconventional oil and gas in China are abundant. The recoverable tight gas ranges from 8.8×1012 m3 to 12.1×1012 m3, the recoverable shale gas is from 15×1012 m3 to 25×1012 m3, the recoverable coalbed methane 10.9×1012 m3, the recoverable tight oil from 13×108 t to 14×108 t, and the recoverable shale oil 160×108 t. There is also some resource potential for oil sand. Such key techniques as the full-digital seismic exploration, low permeability and low resistivity reservoirs identification have been developed and their applications in oil and gas fields have achieved good results. Tight gas and tight oil are the most realistic resources to develop in China and the development and utilization of coalbed methane and shale gas are at a pioneer stage. In the next ten or twenty years, the production of unconventional hydrocarbon in China will increase considerably and play a major role in national hydrocarbon resources. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Natural gas exploration and discovery of hydrocarbons in the Xujiahe Formation in the Sichuan Basin are mainly concentrated in the Xu-2, 4 and 6 Members. The discovered gas reservoirs are characterized by a low filling degree, high water saturation in lower intervals, low levels of produced reserves and a limited number of gas-bearing reservoirs. The Xu-1, 3 and 5 Members are identified as source rocks. Based on the study of natural gas accumulations and several gas production wells in the Xu-1, 3 and 5 Members, this paper proposes that large scale sand bodies are developed in the Xu-1, 3 and 5 Members in the northwest, southwest and central parts of the Sichuan Basin. In each member, the favorable gas bearing area is about 5 000-11 000 km2, the reservoir rocks have good continuity with single layer extensions of up to 15-20 km. It is believed that these sand bodies have favorable conditions for gas accumulation within source kitchens to form lithologic or structural-lithologic gas reservoirs and have better accumulation potential and higher gas-bearing abundance than that of the Xu-2, 4 and 6 Members. Exploration practices have revealed that economic gas reserves may be generated. It is suggested that more efforts be made to study the gas accumulation conditions in the Xu-1, 3 and 5 Members (especially the Xu-3 and Xu-5 Members) and more exploration work be conducted in these strata. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: With Sichuan Basin as focus, this paper introduces the depositional environment, geochemical and reservoir characteristics, gas concentration and prospective resource potential of three different types of shale in China: marine shale, marine-terrigenous shale and terrigenous shale. Marine shale features high organic abundance (TOC: 1.0%–5.5%), high-over maturity (R o: 2%–5%), rich accumulation of shale gas (gas concentration: 1.17–6.02 m3/t) and mainly continental shelf deposition, mainly distributed in the Paleozoic in the Yangtze area, Southern China, the Paleozoic in Northern China Platform and the Cambrian-Ordovician in Tarim Basin; Marine-terrigenous coalbed carbonaceous shale has high organic abundance (TOC: 2.6%–5.4%) and medium maturity (R o: 1.1%–2.5%); terrigenous shale in the Mesozoic and Cenozoic has high organic abundance (TOC: 0.5%–22.0%) and mid-low maturity (R o: 0.6–1.5%). The study on shale reservoirs in the Lower Paleozoic in Sichuan Basin discoveried nanometer-sized pores for the first time, and Cambrian and Silurian marine shale developed lots of micro- and nanometer-sized pores (100–200 nm), which is quite similar to the conditions in North America. Through comprehensive evaluation, it is thought that several shale gas intervals in Sichuan Basin are the practical targets for shale gas exploration and development, and that the Weiyuan-Changning area in the Mid-South of Sichuan Basin, which is characterized by high thermal evolution degree (R o: 2.0%–4.0%), high porosity (3.0%–4.8%), high gas concentration (2.82–3.28 m3/t), high brittle mineral content (40%–80%) and proper burial depth (1500–4500 m), is the core area for shale gas exploration and development, the daily gas production for Well Wei 201 is 1×104–2×104 m3. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]