Oil and gas assessment of the Kuqa Depression of Tarim Basin in western China by simple fluid flow models of primary and secondary migrations of hydrocarbons

The complicated mechanisms governing hydrocarbon expulsion (primary migration) have not as yet been fully understood, though understanding these mechanisms is paramount in basin modeling. This paper presents (a) a simple oil-expulsion model based on the principles of sedimentary compaction and the flow difference between oil and water, and (b) a simple gas-expulsion model via mass balance. These two models do not consider more factors or mechanisms than some existing models, but we verify that the predicated expelled amount is proper by using it as input data for secondary migration and confirming that the modeled volume of accumulated hydrocarbons is close to that determined by exploration. The hydrocarbon migration–accumulation (secondary migration) history is the most important component in basin modeling, but it is also one of the most challenging to achieve. In general, a sectional 2-D simulator cannot predict the amount of hydrocarbon accumulated, whereas a 3-D simulator takes considerable computing time. This paper presents a simplified pseudo 3-D model based on the principles of buoyancy drive and Darcy's Law in combination with the effects of faulting and lithology on migration pathways. Comparing with the existing four models currently in use (multi-phase Darcy flow, flowpath, hybrid method combining the former two approaches together, and invasion percolation), the proposed model is mainly targeted at calculating the quantities and locations of petroleum accumulations for oil and gas assessment, and so the factors taken into account and the functions needed to be executed in software are less than in other models. Application of the aforementioned three models in the Kuqa Depression of the Tarim Basin in western China shows that the simplified pseudo 3-D model is very efficient and less computationally extensive, and the predicted quantities and locations of petroleum accumulations approach those determined by exploration, showing these models could form a useful prospecting method.