Practical Application of Reservoir Geochemistry in Petroleum Exploration: Case Study from a Paleozoic Carbonate Reservoir in the Tarim Basin (Northwestern China)

Reservoir geochemistry has a practical application in petroleum exploration. A typical Paleozoic carbonate oilfield was selected from the Tabei Uplift of the Tarim Basin (northwestern China) to exhibit the method, application, and exploration implications of reservoir geochemistry. Oil–oil correlation indicates that all oils analyzed in this study belong to one single oil group. The overall oil migration direction traced by selected organic molecular markers is from the southern to the northern regions of the Halahatang region. The source kitchen for current oil accumulations in the carbonate reservoir is predicted to locate to the south of this oilfield, most likely between the Awati and Manjiaer depressions. Based on the characteristics of hydrocarbon-bearing inclusions and the histograms of the homogenization temperatures (Th) and ice-melting temperatures of associated aqueous inclusions, the oil charging temperatures were obtained. The stratigraphic-burial and geothermal histories for representative i...