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Differences between the Cenozoic and pre-Cenozoic strata and structures in the middlesouth South Yellow Sea are analyzed using high-resolution airborne gravity data combined with data from offshore wells, seismic exploration and the regional geological background, using forward and inverse methods. We discuss why hydrocarbon exploration has so far failed in the South Yellow Sea, and put forward alternative future exploration plans. The results show that there are thick Cenozoic strata over Jurassic-Cretaceous continental strata in the southern basin of the South Yellow Sea, contrasted with thick Mid-Paleozoic marine strata preserved in the middle uplift area. In the mid-southern South Yellow Sea, airborne Bouguer gravity anomalies are fragmentized with scattered local anomalies. Many tensile normal faults and minor fault blocks occur in the Cenozoic strata. In contrast, reverse faults and nappe structures are found in pre-Cenozoic strata. The essential reasons for the lack of a breakthrough in hydrocarbon exploration are the complexity of geological structures, hydrocarbon accumulation environments, seismic-geologic conditions, and the difficulty of interpreting and understanding these features, rather than an imbalance of exploration framework. Hydrocarbon exploration should be targeted at Mid-Cenozoic continental strata, especially of Paleogene age, in the middle to southern parts of the South Yellow Sea. Special attention should be paid to the favorable structural belts SYI1, SYI2, SYI3 and SYI4 in the southern basin of the South Yellow Sea, where detailed seismic exploration or drilling should be carried out. Attention should also be given to Mid-Paleozoic marine strata in the middle uplift area of the South Yellow Sea. Key strategies that could lead to a hydrocarbon exploration breakthrough are improving exploration resolution, conducting detailed studies of fine structures, and accurately locating minor structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this study, mineralogical, geochemical, and isotopic data are presented for the Sylhet Trap at the southern flank of the eastern Shillong Plateau, northeastern India, to determine the magma genesis in relation to the Kerguelen plume mantle source. Sylhet Trap rocks are porphyritic tholeiite and have diverse chemical compositions from picro-basalt, basalt, andesite to dacite, but mostly are within the subalkaline field. Major and trace element data were used to identify two distinct magma fractionation trends, a low and medium K series, characterized by relatively flat MORB-like (analogous to Rajmahal Traps (II)) and enriched OIB chondrite-normalized Rare Earth Element (REE) patterns. Initial Sr/Sr, Nd/Nd, and Pb/Pb isotope compositions were widely varied, ranging from 0.70435-0.71357, 0.51196-0.51266, and 17.92-19.72, respectively, when compared with basalts from the West Bengal, the Rajmahal Traps and the Kerguelen plume. Correlations among isotopic and trace element ratios of the Sylhet Traps provide evidence for the involvement of (1) HIMU-like mantle component, (2) the Kerguelen plume-like component, and (3) EMII-like crustal component. Magma from the Sylhet Traps was originated from a melting that derived directly from the heterogeneous Kerguelen mantle plume (components 1 and 2), which strongly suggests the presence of the Kerguelen plume-head in the Bengal basin. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mesozoic sediments are source rocks for nearly half the world's hydrocarbon reserves. Hence, there is great interest in the oil industry to know the trap and sub-trappean sediment thickness and their extent in the trap covered regions of Jamnagar study area. The microbial prospecting method is applied in the Jamnagar sub-basin, Gujarat for evaluating the prospects for hydrocarbon exploration by investigating the anomalous abundance of n-pentane- and n-hexane-oxidizing bacteria of this area. A total of 150 near-surface soil samples were collected in Jamnagar sub-basin, Gujarat for the evaluation of hydrocarbon resource potential of the basin. In this study, bacterial counts for n-pentane-utilizing bacteria range between 1.09 × 10 and 9.89 × 10 cfu/g and n-hexane-utilizing bacteria range between 1.09 × 10 and 9.29 × 10 cfu/g. The adsorbed hydrocarbon gases consisting of ethane plus hydrocarbons (ΣC) of 1-977 ppb and n-pentane ( nC) of 1-23 ppb. The integrated geomicrobial and adsorbed soil gas studies showed the anomalous hydrocarbon zones nearby Khandera, Haripur, and Laloi areas which could probably aid to assess the true potential of the basin. Integrated geophysical studies have shown that Jamnagar sub-basin of Saurashtra has significant sediment thickness below the Deccan Traps and can be considered for future hydrocarbon exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Permian Kaipaileicike (开派雷兹克) volcanic rocks approximately 0-200 m thick are drilled in the Tahe (塔河) field. The distribution of volcanic rocks and their potential to form hydrocarbon reservoirs are discussed based on the integrated interpretation of log and 3D seismic data. The volcanic rocks, mainly consisting of dacites and basalts, are sandwiched between the Lower Triassic and Lower Carboniferous and bounded by top and bottom unconformities. The dacites accumulated in a mound shape around volcanic craters, whereas the basalts are deposited in tabular or trough-fill geometries. Permian volcanic craters mainly located at the northwest corner of the Tahe field are identified from volcanic rock thickening, occurrence of volcanic breccias, structural arch of the top Permian, seismic attribute anomalies, and fault (piercing conduit) reflections. Along the northwest wing of a Carboniferous salt dome, a stratigraphic trap is formed by a northeast updip pinch-out of Permian volcanic rock. Oil indications within the trap are found in numerous wells. The reservoir volcanic rocks are mainly of the fracture-pore pattern and covered by the caprock of a Lower Triassic mudstone. The hydrocarbon reservoir, which can potentially be a medium-sized oil pool, is connected to Cambrian-Ordovician source rocks through normal faults along the salt dome boundary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rajahmundry Traps has been under geo-scientific investigations for over half a century; yet sketchy information is available on morphology and internal architecture of lavas. This study bridges this gap by describing the morphology of lava pile of Duddukuru area following Hawaiian scheme that relates a lava-type with a particular emplacement style. The lowest flow (Flow 1) at Duddukuru, overlying an infra-trappean bed is a thick pahoehoe sheet lobe with intermittent basal hummocky, P-type pahoehoe lobes representing slow, sub-aerial emplacement of lava parcels. Some of them also have cherty intercalations and morphology suggestive of possible interaction of lava with water or water-laden sediments. Hummocky lobes were over-ridden by subaerial emplacement of voluminous sheet lava, which developed multi-tier columnar joints probably due to inundation of lava-surface by water. Inter-trappean sediments were deposited above Flow 1 in the ensuing period of volcanic quiescence. The eruptive history of Duddukuru ended with sub-aerial outpouring of two consecutive a'a flows (Flows 2 and 3) separated by a thin red bole horizon. As pahoehoe lavas are known to travel long distances due to emplacement through thermally efficient mechanism of endogenous inflation and insulated melt transport whereas a'a lavas, in contrast, are cooling-limited flows which rarely attain lengths covered by pahoehoe lavas; it is probable that the pahoehoe and a'a flows of Duddukuru have not traveled comparable distances. A'a flows of Rajahmundry Traps traveling from far-off vents are, therefore, more unlikely despite temporal and chemical similarity of this lava-pile with upper parts of Western Deccan Basalt Group. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the development of trap intrusions in the sedimentary cover of the Siberian Platform. It states that the most complete data for the wide development of trap intrusions was obtained as a result of oil and gas prospecting in the Siberian Platform. It says that three samples were collected from the holes of Kt-1, Gf-4 and SV-1 and the data were obtained using the 40Ar/39Ar method. It reveals that new data for the intrusive traps of the Siberian Platform shows evidence of the occurrence of trap magmatism in the different blocks of the sedimentary cover.

The trap efficiency of a catcher in wind erosion measurements plays a significant role, and in many cases suspension trap efficiencies at high wind velocities are still unknown. The sediment trap efficiency generally changes with particles size and with wind speed. In this study, the efficiency of Vaseline Slide (VS) and Modified Wilson and Cooke (MWAC) catchers were determined with different sand particle sizes (<50, <75, 50–75, 200–400, and 400–500 μm) at a fixed wind speed (13.3 ms−1) and with different soil textures at different wind velocities (10.3, 12.3, and 14.3 ms−1) in the wind tunnel of the International Center for Eremology (ICE), Ghent University, Belgium. The traps were placed at different heights (4, 6.5, 13, 20, 120, and 192 cm for VS and 1.5, 3, 5, 8, 11, and 30 cm for MWAC) to catch saltating and suspended sediments in a 12-m long, 1.2-m wide and 3.2-m high working section of the wind tunnel. In the sand particle experiments, the efficiency of the VS catcher was 92% for particles smaller than 50 μm and decreased with increasing particles size, falling to 2.2% for 400–500 μm particle size at 13.4 ms−1. However, the MWAC’s efficiency was 0% for particles smaller than 50 μm and increased with increasing particle size to 69.5% at 400–500 μm. In the experiments with different soil textures, the efficiency of each catcher significantly changed with soil and with wind speed. It also considerably varied with the catchers: for instance, for sand (S), the MWAC efficiency was very high (67.4, 113.4, and 90.5% at 10.3, 12.3, and 14.4 ms−1, respectively) while the efficiency of VS was relatively very low (5.2, 4.4, and 1.9% at 10.3, 12.3, and 14.4 ms−1, respectively). Results indicated that the efficiency depends critically on the particle size, type of catcher, and wind speed, and these could be helpful to increase the robustness of wind erosion measurements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose a decision-making approach for optimizing the profitability of hydrocarbon reservoirs. The proposed approach addresses the overwhelming complexity of the overall optimization problem by suggesting an oilfield operations hierarchy that entails different time scales. We discuss system identification, optimization, and control that are appropriate at various levels of the hierarchy and capitalize on the abilities of permanently instrumented and remotely actuated fields. Optimization is performed in real-time and is based on feedback. We provide details on real-time identification of hybrid models and their use at the scheduling and supervisory control levels. Case studies using field-calibrated simulation data demonstrate the applicability and value of the proposed approach. Directions for future development are given. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract We study counter-current imbibition, where a strongly wetting phase (water) displaces non-wetting phase spontaneously under the influence of capillary forces such that the non-wetting phase moves in the opposite direction to the water. We use an approximate analytical approach to derive an expression for saturation profile when the viscosity of the non-wetting phase is non-negligible. This makes the approach applicable to water flooding in hydrocarbon reservoirs, or the displacement of non-aqueous phase liquid (NAPL) by water. We find the recovery of non-wetting phase as a function of time for one-dimensional flow. We compare our predictions with experimental results in the literature. Our formulation reproduces experimental data accurately and is superior to previously proposed empirical models. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reports that the Kela-2 gas field is located in the center of Kelasu structural belt in Kuqa Depression. Fact that this trap is one of a series of traps in the folded belts which are distributed in a string of pearls in the dual structure; Statement that the primary gasbearing layers are sandstone of Lower Cretaceous K&sub1;bs while the secondary layers are dolomite member and glutenite member of Lower Tertiary E&sub1-2;km and sandstone of Lower Cretaceous K&sub1;b; Reference to the fact that the main component of natural gas is methane whose content is higher than 97%; Characterization by dry gas whose source rock is Jurassic coal measure; Formation of the Kela-2 structural trap during the Xiyu period, becoming a reservoir in the late time; Formation of late and the thick seal rock of Lower Tertiary gipsmantle in the reservoir as the avail reason why the giant Kela-2 gas field has been well kept; Conclusion that the abnormal high pressure of the Kela-2 gas field results from the strong structural compression in the northern part during the Xiyu period.

Reports that the Kuqa depression bears not only plenty of natural gas, but also a large amount of condensate and small quantity of crude oil. Confirmation in this paper that, based on the geochemical correlation between the Jurassic and Triassic terrestrial hydrocarbon source rock, the natural gas in Kuqa depression belongs to coal-type gas and the main gas source rock is attributed to the middle to lower Jurassic coal series formation, while the main oil source rock is the upper Triassic lacustrine mudstone; Indication by the authors that Kuqa depression was slowly subsided in Mesozoic, but rapidly went down in Late Tertiary, which made the Jurassic and Triassic source rock suddenly deep-buried and rapidly evolved to high and over-mature phase since 5 Ma; Statement that the Triassic source rock is postponed to the Early Miocene during 23-12 Ma when entering the oil-generating peak, while the Jurassic is suspended to the latest 5 Ma, especially since 2.5 Ma to the dry gas-generating period, which is one of the characteristics of the source rock thermal evolution in Kuqa depression; Presentation in this paper of a two-stage trapping and late gas trapping model in Kuqa depression whose characteristics are: The main oil and gas reservoirs have different sources; Formation of the oil reservoir is early while the gas reservoir is formed lately; Reference to the fact that, during the early stage, it, mainly as oil, takes long distance lateral migration, while in the later stage, it, mainly as gas, takes the vertical migration and also has lateral migration; Formation of the trap formed in different time on the south and north sides of the depression and evolution into a distributional pattern with oil in the south part and gas in the north, also oil on the outer ring and gas on the inner ring; Reference in this paper to the fact that late trapping of the natural gas in Kuqa depression is favorable for the preservation of large gas fields.

Studies the controlling factors of coal-formed great-medium gas fields in China. Definition of coal-formed gas; Coal-formed gas generating center and its surrounding area; Low gas potential areas; Large-medium traps with late pool-forming period; Traps related to the paleo-uplifts in coal-formed gas generating area; Effective fracture trap related to coal measures.

Presents a study to evaluate the geological uncertainty and economic analysis in a rapid simulation of hydrocarbon exploration. How the offshore Nova Scotia Shelf Basin was selected for demonstrating the methodology; Consideration of the approximation method by Manly which has been applied to hydrocarbon discovery process modeling; Approximation of the expected value and the standard deviation of the total discovery volume for a given exploratory effort.

In this work, a nanoporous template with a controllable channel diameter was used to simulate the oil storage ability of shale pore throats. On the basis of the wetting behaviours at the nanoscale solid-liquid interfaces, the seepage of oil in nano-channels of different diameters was examined to accurately and systematically determine the effect of the pore diameter on the oil storage capacity. The results indicated that the lower threshold for oil storage was a pore throat of 20 nm, under certain conditions. This proposed pore size threshold provides novel, evidence-based criteria for estimating the geological reserves, recoverable reserves and economically recoverable reserves of shale oil. This new understanding of shale oil processes could revolutionize the related industries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]