Effects of petroleum retention and migration within the Triassic Chang 7 Member of the Ordos Basin, China

The effects of petroleum retention within and expulsion from five intervals within the Triassic Chang 7 Member in the Ordos Basin in China have been demonstrated by deciphering a large suite of petrologic, organic petrographic, and organic geochemical analyses on 106 core samples. Organic properties and lithological heterogeneities control the amount and chemical composition of retained petroleum. Enrichment of aliphatic hydrocarbons in the silty, organic-lean intervals versus enrichment of aromatic fluids in the clayey, organic-rich units are probably caused by compositional fractionation occurred during primary and short-distance secondary migration. Migration of excess petroleum from organic-rich units to those organic-lean counterparts was further corroborated by the negative expulsion efficiencies calculated using a mass-balance model in the organic-lean intervals. Capillary pressure difference induced by the contrast in pore throat size of the clayey, organic-rich versus the silty, organic-lean intervals is postulated to be the major driver for the migration. A significant implication of this study is that the hydrocarbons in the first and fourth intervals constitute potential petroleum exploitation targets, given (i) improved oil quality caused by enriched aliphatic compounds versus viscous aromatic and polar compounds, (ii) lower organic matter sorption affinities, (iii) relatively high contents of brittle minerals in these two intervals. Despite its high content of retained hydrocarbons, the organic-rich fifth interval is not the best target, which is mainly due to the high sorption affinity of the organic matter structure, thereby causing low oil mobility and producibility. •The organic richness and lithological compositions control the amount and chemical composition of retained petroleum.•Primary migration leads to the fractionation of hydrocarbon compositions in organic-lean and organic-rich intervals.•Intervals with high oil saturation and negative expulsion efficiencies are potential petroleum exploitation targets.