Oil and Gas Exploration, Applications and Development

Dear Colleagues,

Currently, global oil and gas exploration continues to make breakthroughs in ultra-deep complex formations, with tight sandstone and volcanic rock reservoirs emerging as important replacement areas for deep oil and gas reserve augmentation and production. Traditional diagenetic theory suggests that the extreme geological environment of ultra-deep formations, characterized by high temperature and pressure, strong compaction, and strong cementation, leads to overall tightening of the reservoirs, with effective pores essentially disappearing, making it difficult to form high-quality reservoir bodies. However, exploration practices in key exploration areas such as the Tarim Basin have continuously confirmed that ultra-deep tight sandstone and volcanic rock reservoirs widely develop sweet spots with excellent physical properties. Selective dissolution and transformation by multi-stage diagenetic fluids are the core mechanisms for breaking through reservoir tightening, reshaping pore-fracture systems, and controlling the differential development of sweet spots.

Currently, there are still many gaps in our understanding of diagenetic fluid tracing, fluid differentiation and evolution, and fluid–rock coupling mechanisms under ultra-deep extreme temperature and pressure conditions. The post-formation fluid modification laws of volcanic reservoirs and the deep dissolution dynamics mechanisms have not yet formed a comprehensive theoretical system, which restricts the fine evaluation and efficient exploration of ultra-deep reservoirs. These issues are currently frontier hotspots and key scientific challenges in the field of oil and gas geology.

This Special Issue focuses on the core issues of sweet spot genesis in ultra-deep tight sandstone and volcanic reservoirs, with an emphasis on collecting original research results such as diagenetic fluid evolution, multi-stage dissolution and transformation, and diagenesis-controlled reservoir mechanisms. At the same time, the topic pays close attention to the application of cutting-edge technologies such as microfluidic dynamic simulation and in situ microscopic characterization, as well as their applications in hydrocarbon accumulation and reservoir evaluation, efficient oil and gas reservoir development, and enhanced recovery of deep hydrocarbon reservoirs. Relying on novel experimental methods, it reveals the microscopic dynamic processes of fluid dissolution under high-temperature and high-pressure conditions, compensating for the limitations of traditional reservoir characterization methods.

This Special Issue aims to gather innovative achievements in deep reservoir geology, diagenetic geochemistry, and cutting-edge experimental technologies from both domestic and international sources, improve the theoretical system of ultra-deep fluid-controlled reservoirs, and construct a new model for the development of sweet spot reservoirs while promoting the application of relevant theories and technologies in hydrocarbon accumulation and reservoir evaluation, efficient oil and gas reservoir development, and enhanced recovery of deep hydrocarbon reservoirs. It provides theoretical support and technical reference for the optimization of target areas for ultra-deep oil and gas exploration and precise reservoir prediction. We welcome experts and scholars from both domestic and international backgrounds to actively submit their contributions.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Energies.

Dr. Wentong He
Dr. Jian Yi
Dr. Yu Song
Guest Editors

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• oil and gas exploration
• enhanced oil recovery (EOR) technologies
• oil and gas production
• ultra-deep reservoirs
• tight sandstone
• volcanic rock reservoirs
• reservoir sweet spots
• diagenetic fluids
• selective dissolution
• fluid–rock coupling
• microfluidic simulation