Exploration and production practice of oil sands in Fengcheng oilfield of Junggar Basin, China

Oil sands are characterized by shallow burial and extremely high viscosity, whose exploration technologies and production methods are quite different from that of conventional oil and gas. Oil sands with the largest reserve scale and best quality in China are developed in Fengcheng area of Junggar Basin. This paper presents the forming conditions and enrichment rules of oil sands in Fengcheng area. The dividing standards for effective thickness of oil sands are established with exploration technologies like high-density drilling, whole well section coring and the method of weight percentage of bitumen. The geologic reserves of oil sands are calculated with the method of weight percentage of bitumen. Open-pit mining practices and SAGD double horizontal well development tests are carried out, and good effects are obtained in SAGD production. At present, Fengcheng oil sands have been developed on a large scale with SAGD technology.