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Exploration and Development of Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources: Latest Advances and Prospects: 3rd Edition

A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "H: Geo-Energy".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 September 2025 | Viewed by 1644

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Shu Tao

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Guest Editor
Department of Energy and Environment, School of Energy Resources, China University of Geosciences, Beijing 100083, China
Interests: exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas resources such as coalbed methane, shale gas, shale oil, oil shale, and tight sandstone gas
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Wei Ju

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Guest Editor
School of Resources and Geosciences, China University of Mining and Technology, Xuzhou 221116, China
Interests: reservoir geomechanics; unconventional oil and gas geology; basin analysis
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Dr. Shida Chen

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Guest Editor
School of Energy, China University of Geosciences (Beijing), Beijing 10083, China
Interests: unconventional resource exploration and exploitation, especially for resource of deep coalbed methane
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Zhengguang Zhang

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
General Prospecting Institute of China National Administration of Coal Geology, Beijing, China
Interests: coalbed methane geology; coal body structure; hydrogeochemistry; favorable area optimization; well site deployment; in-situ stress; reservoir stimulation technology; dynamic permeability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jiang Han

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
School of Vehicle And Energy, Yanshan University, Qinhuangdao 066004, China
Interests: unconventional resource exploration and exploitation; nanofluidics and nanorobotics for enhanced oil and gas recovery
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Fossil fuels are important to both the global and Chinese economies, and “unconventional” oil and gas resources—resources that cannot be produced, transported, or refined using traditional techniques—are expected to play a larger role in helping the U.S. and China meet future energy needs. With rising energy prices, unconventional oil and gas resources have received renewed domestic attention in recent years. The efficient exploration and development of unconventional oil and gas needs the support of a series of geological and engineering studies, including those focused on exploration, evaluation, drilling, completion, and production. The aim of this Special Issue is to introduce the latest progress in unconventional oil and gas geology and engineering, especially for reservoir evaluation, geological enrichment factors, enrichment model, permeability integrated evaluation, and mechanism analysis.

You may choose our Joint Special Issue in Applied Sciences.

Prof. Dr. Shu Tao
Dr. Wei Ju
Dr. Shida Chen
Dr. Zhengguang Zhang
Dr. Jiang Han
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • unconventional oil and gas
  • exploration and development
  • reservoir evaluation
  • seepage mechanism
  • hydrocarbon enrichment model
  • reservoir petrophysics

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Related Special Issue

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 1804 KiB  
Article
Evaluation Method of Gas Production in Shale Gas Reservoirs in Jiaoshiban Block, Fuling Gas Field
by Haitao Rao, Wenrui Shi and Shuoliang Wang
Energies 2025, 18(14), 3817; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18143817 - 17 Jul 2025
Viewed by 167
Abstract
The gas-production potential of shale gas is a comprehensive evaluation metric that assesses the reservoir quality, gas-content properties, and gas-production capacity. Currently, the evaluation of gas-production potential is generally conducted through qualitative comparisons of relevant parameters, which can lead to multiple solutions and [...] Read more.
The gas-production potential of shale gas is a comprehensive evaluation metric that assesses the reservoir quality, gas-content properties, and gas-production capacity. Currently, the evaluation of gas-production potential is generally conducted through qualitative comparisons of relevant parameters, which can lead to multiple solutions and make it difficult to establish a comprehensive evaluation index. This paper introduces a gas-production potential evaluation method based on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). It uses judgment matrices to analyze key parameters such as gas content, brittleness index, total organic carbon content, the length of high-quality gas-layer horizontal sections, porosity, gas saturation, formation pressure, and formation density. By integrating fuzzy mathematics, a mathematical model for gas-production potential is established, and corresponding gas-production levels are defined. The model categorizes gas-production potential into four levels: when the gas-production index exceeds 0.65, it is classified as a super-high-production well; when the gas-production index is between 0.45 and 0.65, it is classified as a high-production well; when the gas-production index is between 0.35 and 0.45, it is classified as a medium-production well; and when the gas-production index is below 0.35, it is classified as a low-production well. Field applications have shown that this model can accurately predict the gas-production potential of shale gas wells, showing a strong correlation with the unobstructed flow rate of gas wells, and demonstrating broad applicability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploration and Development of Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources: Latest Advances and Prospects: 3rd Edition)
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36 pages, 23546 KiB  
Article
Tight Sandstone Gas Reservoir Types and Formation Mechanisms in the Second Member of the Xujiahe Formation in the Anyue Area, Sichuan Basin
by Lin Jiang, Xuezhen Sun, Dongxia Chen, Wenzhi Lei, Hanxuan Yang, Yani Deng, Zhenhua Wang, Chenghai Li, Tian Liu, Chao Geng, Tian Gao and Zhipeng Ou
Energies 2025, 18(12), 3009; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18123009 - 6 Jun 2025
Viewed by 458
Abstract
With the advancement of oil and gas exploration and development, tight sandstone gas has become a major current exploration field. However, the effective development of tight sandstone gas faces significant challenges due to the strong heterogeneity of tight sandstone reservoirs, diverse reservoir types, [...] Read more.
With the advancement of oil and gas exploration and development, tight sandstone gas has become a major current exploration field. However, the effective development of tight sandstone gas faces significant challenges due to the strong heterogeneity of tight sandstone reservoirs, diverse reservoir types, complex pore structures, and unclear understanding of reservoir formation mechanisms, which brings great difficulties. Clarifying the types and formation mechanisms of tight sandstone reservoirs is vital for guiding oil and gas exploration and development. This study investigates the characteristics, types, and formation mechanisms of tight sandstone gas reservoirs in the Xujiahe Formation (T3X2) of the Anyue area using core observation, cast thin-section identification, scanning electron microscopy, high pressure mercury intrusion, nuclear magnetic resonance, and other experimental methods. It defines the physical property lower limit of T3X2 reservoirs in Anyue, classifies reservoir types, elaborates on the basic characteristics of each type, and analyzes their genetic mechanisms. The results show that T3X2 reservoirs in the Anyue area can be divided into four types. Sedimentary, diagenetic, and tectonic processes are identified as the primary factors controlling reservoir quality, governing the formation mechanisms of different reservoir types. Based on these findings, a reservoir formation mechanism model for T3X2 reservoirs in the Anyue area is established, providing an important basis for subsequent oil and gas exploration and development in the region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploration and Development of Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources: Latest Advances and Prospects: 3rd Edition)
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19 pages, 7278 KiB  
Article
Enrichment Geological Conditions and Resource Evaluation Methods for the Gas in Thinly Interbedded Coal Measures: A Case Study of the Chengzihe Formation in the Jixi Basin
by Jiangpeng Guo, Shu Tao, Caiqin Bi, Yi Cui, Bin Yu and Yijie Wen
Energies 2025, 18(10), 2584; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18102584 - 16 May 2025
Viewed by 286
Abstract
The Cretaceous Chengzihe Formation in the Jixi Basin hosts abundant coal measure gas resources. Analyzing the geological conditions for gas enrichment and evaluating its resource potential are essential for advancing unconventional gas exploration. However, studies on the geological conditions controlling the enrichment of [...] Read more.
The Cretaceous Chengzihe Formation in the Jixi Basin hosts abundant coal measure gas resources. Analyzing the geological conditions for gas enrichment and evaluating its resource potential are essential for advancing unconventional gas exploration. However, studies on the geological conditions controlling the enrichment of thinly interbedded coal measure reservoirs in the Chengzihe Formation and corresponding assessment methods remain lacking. Based on the analysis of source–reservoir–seal characteristics of the thinly interbedded coal measure gas system in the Jixi Basin, integrated with resource assessment and reservoir formation controls, this study systematically reveals the enrichment patterns and accumulation mechanisms. The results show that the accumulation of thinly interbedded coal measure gas depends on three key geological factors: the gas-generating capacity of high-quality source rocks, the widespread distribution and stacking of thinly interbedded reservoirs, and the sealing capacity of cap rocks. In addition, enrichment is influenced by multiple factors, including tectonic evolution history, magmatic intrusion, sedimentary microfacies, and hydrogeological processes. Among these, the development of sedimentary microfacies (interdistributary bay and peat swamp) plays a decisive role in controlling the spatial distribution and physical properties of the reservoirs, while other factors further shape gas enrichment through synergistic interactions. Finally, using the volumetric method, the estimated gas resources of thinly interbedded coal measure gas in the Chengzihe Formation are 1226.73 × 108 m3, with the upper member showing significant potential of 688.98 × 108 m3. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploration and Development of Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources: Latest Advances and Prospects: 3rd Edition)
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17 pages, 3398 KiB  
Article
Multilayer Gas-Bearing System and Productivity Characteristics in Carboniferous–Permian Tight Sandstones: Taking the Daning–Jixian Block, Eastern Ordos Basin, as an Example
by Ming Chen, Bo Wang, Haonian Tian, Junyi Sun, Lei Liu, Xing Liang, Benliang Chen, Baoshi Yu and Zhuo Zhang
Energies 2025, 18(9), 2398; https://doi.org/10.3390/en18092398 - 7 May 2025
Viewed by 397
Abstract
The Carboniferous–Permian strata in the Daning–Jixian Block, located on the eastern edge of the Ordos Basin, host multiple sets of tight gas reservoirs. However, systematic research on the characteristics and gas production differences of multilayer tight sandstone gas-bearing systems remains limited. Based on [...] Read more.
The Carboniferous–Permian strata in the Daning–Jixian Block, located on the eastern edge of the Ordos Basin, host multiple sets of tight gas reservoirs. However, systematic research on the characteristics and gas production differences of multilayer tight sandstone gas-bearing systems remains limited. Based on geochemical signatures, reservoir pressure coefficients, and sequence stratigraphy, the tight sandstone gas systems are subdivided into upper and lower systems, separated by regionally extensive Taiyuan Formation limestone. The upper system is further partitioned into four subsystems. Depositional variability from the Benxi Formation to the He 8 Member has generated diverse litho-mineralogical characteristics. The Shan 1 and He 8 Members, deposited in low-energy delta-front subaqueous distributary channels with gentle topography, exhibit lower quartz content (predominantly feldspar lithic sandstone and lithic quartz sand-stone) and elevated lithic fragments, matrix, and clay minerals (particularly chlorite). These factors increase displacement and median pressures, resulting in inferior reservoir quality. By comparing and evaluating the gas production effects under different extraction methods, targeted optimization recommendations are provided to offer both theoretical support and practical guidance for the efficient development of this block. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Exploration and Development of Unconventional Oil and Gas Resources: Latest Advances and Prospects: 3rd Edition)
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