The key parameter of shale oil resource evaluation: Oil content

The United States has become the world's largest oil producer of shale oil. China has abundant shale oil resources, but its resource potential has not yet been exploited. The core of the evaluation is the selection of parameters and their reliability. By combining the parameters of the shale oil resource evaluation, we investigated the key parameters in the evaluation model and reviewed the research results. The adsorption and retention of heavy hydrocarbons, loss of light hydrocarbons, and original oil saturation are key in the evaluation of shale oil resources. The adsorption and retention of heavy hydrocarbons can be determined by the pyrolysis, FID curve, and hydrocarbon generation kinetics of shale before and after extraction. The loss of light hydrocarbons mainly occurs in coring (change in temperature and pressure), sample treatment, which can be evaluated using the GC spectrum, rock pyrolysis, crude oil volume coefficient, mass balance, component hydrocarbon generation kinetics, and other methods. The original oil saturation evaluation includes indirect, direct, logging, and simulation methods. The most reliable parameters can be obtained by using the sealed or pressure-maintained coring immediately after thawing (without crushing), and the recovery of light hydrocarbon loss is critical for the resource evaluation of medium to high mature shale. Therefore, the experimental determination of shale oil content and the study of the influencing factors of the parameters should be strengthened.(c) 2022 The Authors. Publishing services by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of KeAi Communications Co. Ltd. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/ 4.0/).

Automated summary

This article investigates the key parameters in the evaluation of shale oil resources, including the adsorption and retention of heavy hydrocarbons, loss of light hydrocarbons, and original oil saturation. Experimental determination and study of the influencing factors of these parameters can improve the reliability of shale oil resource evaluation.