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Oil cracking gas plays an important role in the resources of natural gas in the basins with high and over mature marine source rocks in China. The prediction of the oil cracking gas resources becomes necessary and urgent in the gas exploration in these basins. A marine crude oil sample was pyrolyzed using sealed gold tubes system. The pyrolysates including gas, liquid and solid were quantitatively analyzed. Based on the pyrolysis data and kinetic calculation, the yield correlativity among gas, liquid and solid products was regressed with high correlative coefficients to establish a prediction model suitable for the resource estimation of oil cracking gas. The verification formula for this model was also established on the principle of mass conservation. The affecting factors and the application preconditions of this prediction model were discussed. This model would enlighten and provide some new ideas for the resource assessment of natural gas in the high and over mature marine carbonate source rock areas in China. It is expected to be valuable in gas exploration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reef and oolitic gas reservoirs in the Permian Changxing and Triassic Feixianguan formations have been discovered in both the Luojiazhai-Puguang and Longgang areas of the Sichuan Basin, but the accumulation scale, abundance and distribution patterns differ greatly. In fact, the two areas have more differences than they have similarities. Similarities include: (1) the lithology, properties and types of porosity of the reef and oolitic reservoirs are primarily consistent in the two areas; (2) well-developed regional caprocks that seal the fluid system; and (3) accumulation process histories, with liquid hydrocarbon charging at an early stage, cracking into gas at a high to over-mature stage, adjustment of gas reservoirs at an uplifting stage, and final reservoir generation at a late stage. Differences include: (1) gas accumulations in the Luojiazhai-Puguang area that are dominated by oil-type cracked gas, with multiple and sufficient gas sources, contrasting with gas accumulations in the Longgang area that are dominated by coal-sourced gas with insufficient gas sources; (2) heterogeneity and horizontal diversity of reservoirs in the Longgang area that are stronger than in the Luojiazhai-Puguang area; and (3) the development of deep and large faults in the Luojiazhai-Puguang area that link source, reservoir and migration pathways, contrasting with poorly developed faults in Longgang area, where laterally variable fractures are the major migration pathway. Because of these differences, abundant large-scale structurally-controlled gas accumulations are developed in the Luojiazhai-Puguang area, whereas lithology plays a more important role in gas accumulation in the Longgang area where accumulations are smaller-scale and have lower gas-bearing abundance. We suggest that future exploration for reef and oolitic gas accumulations should be strengthened in NE Sichuan and NW Sichuan Jiulongshan. In particular, the transitional zone between Longgang and Kaijiang-Liangping Bay has the best potential for new discoveries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]