Origin and Distribution of Hydrogen Sulfide in Oil‐Bearing Basins, China

Abstract:The concentration of hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) varies greatly in the oil‐bearing basins of China, from zero to 90%. At present, oil and gas reservoirs with high H2S concentration have been discovered in three basins, viz. the Bohai Bay Basin, Sichuan Basin and the Tarim Basin, whereas natural gas with low H2S concentration has been found in the Ordos Basin, the Songliao Basin and the Junggar Basin. Studies suggest that in China H2S origin types are very complex. In the carbonate reservoir of the Sichuan Basin, the Ordos Basin and the Tarim Basin, as well as the carbonate‐dominated reservoir in the Luojia area of the Jiyang depression in the Bohai Bay Basin, Wumaying areas of the Huanghua depression, and Zhaolanzhuang areas of the Jizhong depression, the H2S is of Thermochemical Sulfate Reduction (TSR) origin. The H2S is of Bacterial Sulphate Reduction (BSR) origin deduced from the waterflooding operation in the Changheng Oilfield (placanticline oil fields) in the Songliao Basin. H2S originates from thermal decomposition of sulfur‐bearing crude oil in the heavy oil area in the Junggar Basin and in the Liaohe heavy oil steam pilot area in the western depression of the Bohai Bay Basin. The origin types are most complex, including TSR and thermal decomposition of sulfcompounds among other combinations of causes. Various methods have been tried to identify the origin mechanism and to predict the distribution of H2S. The origin identification methods for H2S mainly comprise sulfur and carbon isotopes, reservoir petrology, particular biomarkers, and petroleum geology integrated technologies; using a combination of these applications can allow the accurate identification of the origins of H2S. The prediction technologies for primary and secondary origin of H2S have been set up separately.