Geochemical evaluation of produced petroleum from the Middle Permian Lucaogou reservoirs Junggar Basin and its implication for the unconventional shale oil play

The shale of the Middle Permian Lucaogou Formation in the Jimusaer Sag has become one of the most important prospects for unconventional shale oil production in China. The Lucaogou Formation develops two sweet spots, the upper (P2l22) and lower (P2l12) sweet spots, which are not more than 150 m apart. Interestingly, oils produced from the lower sweet spots have higher densities and viscosities than those in the upper sweet spots. Meanwhile, these high-viscosity oils have brought technical challenges to shale oil production. In this paper, geochemical data from 78 source rock solvent extracts and 17 oil samples from various depths were employed to elucidate unconventional petroleum systems and the reason for high viscosities. The source rocks of the Lucaogou Formation are good to excellent, primarily type II and II-III kerogens, and are now in the early-peak oil window. Oils produced from the P2l12 interval are characterized by abundant polar compounds, which are derived from the P2l12 and P2l11 intervals source rocks with relatively high marine sources contribution. Oils in the P2l22 interval are generated from the P2l22 interval source rocks with relatively high terrigenous-marine sources contribution. Terpane biomarker ratios indicate all oil samples are derived from lacustrine source rocks. The distributions of terpanes and steranes in these samples are similar, with high quantities of C29 steranes and low amounts of diasteranes. Migration from sources to reservoirs in the Lucaogou shale oil systems is short-distance given thermal maturity considerations. All oil samples have experienced slight biodegradation (PM level 1–2) at most. The sources and thermal maturities are the primary reasons for the high viscosities of the crude oils produced from the P2l12 interval. This research also indicates the Lucaogou shale petroleum system could be divided into two subsystems, and the production of different unconventional petroleum subsystems requires different strategies.