Identification of High-Quality Transverse Transport Layer Based on Adobe Photoshop Quantification (PSQ) of Reservoir Bitumen: A Case Study of the Lower Cambrian in Bachu-Keping Area, Tarim Basin, China

Abstract

The Lower Paleozoic carbonate reservoir in the Tarim Basin is a hotspot area for deep oil and gas exploration in China. Although the Lower Cambrian of the Bachu Uplift has not encountered industrial oil flow, rich bitumen has been found there. As the most direct trace of petroleum migration, the effective identification of bitumen is the key to studying the hydrocarbon transportation path. In this study, the Adobe Photoshop quantification (PSQ) method is used to identify the bitumen content in the Xiaoerblak Formation in Well Shutan 1, and, combined with the bitumen characteristics of the Shihuiyao section, a high-quality petroleum transverse transport layer is determined. The results indicate the following: (1) In Well Shutan 1, bitumen is mainly concentrated in the middle and upper parts of the Xiaoerblak Formation with high porosity and high permeability. (2) The shale of the Yuertus Formation in the Shihuiyao section has low hydrocarbon generation potential. However, the overlying Xiaoerblak Formation has developed multistage bituminous veins and bitumen-encapsulated gravels, which is the result of multiple instances of horizontal hydrocarbon migration. (3) After combining the bitumen characteristics of Well Shutan 1 and the Shihuiyao section, it is confirmed that there are high-quality lateral transport conductors in the middle and upper parts of the Xiaoerblak Formation, and the Subsalt Cambrian dolomite reservoir has great exploration potential.