Depositional facies of gas shale and its impact on shale reservoir of the Permian Shanxi Formation, Northern Ordos Basin

Abstract

Purpose

Based on core description, gas logging and laboratory analysis, this paper aims to study the controlling effect of the types of shale sedimentary microfacies in coal formations over shale reservoirs using the example of Shanxi formation in Northern Ordos Basin.

Design/methodology/approach

According to core observation, the authors selected typical samples of rock types for thin section analysis to determine the micro features and compositions of rocks.

Findings

By using core observation, we found that fine lithology in Shanxi formation included major shale, carbonaceous shale, partially carbonaceous shale, partially silty shale and silty shale with colors of gray, dark gray, black and/or gray. Shanxi Formation shale are deposited in plant-rich and plant-poor swamps, interdistributary depressions of delta plains, interfluvial depressions of meandering rivers as well as microfacies environment of natural levees and the distal crevasse splay.

Originality/value

Currently, the research on the shale gas in Shanxi Formation in the Ordos Basin is still in its infancy. There is yet no research on the fine-grained partition of the sedimentary facies in coal accumulation environment of Shanxi formation and the controlling effect of sedimentary microfacies over shale reservoirs.

Citation

Guo, W., Liu, H. and Lan, C. (2016), "Depositional facies of gas shale and its impact on shale reservoir of the Permian Shanxi Formation, Northern Ordos Basin", World Journal of Engineering, Vol. 13 No. 4, pp. 326-335. https://doi.org/10.1108/WJE-06-2016-031