Marine Mineral Resource Mining

A special issue of Journal of Marine Science and Engineering (ISSN 2077-1312). This special issue belongs to the section "Geological Oceanography".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (15 August 2019) | Viewed by 13794

Special Issue Editor

1. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, ND, USA
2. Key Laboratory of Continental Shale Hydrocarbon Accumulation and Efficient Development, Institute of Unconventional Oil and Gas, Northeast Petroleum University, Daqing, China
Interests: materials characterization, petroleum system evaluation, organic geochemistry; force spectroscopy; analytical methods in rock characterization; application of 3D printing in geosciences; rock mechanics; ML/AI methods
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solid organic matter in sedimentary rocks produces petroleum and bitumen when undergoes thermal maturation. Solid OM is a ‘geomacromolecule’, representing a mixture of various organisms with distinct biogenic origins: terrestrial, marine, lacustrine or mixed also known as kerogen type. Solid OM can be very heterogeneous regarding chemical composition in a single particle. Programmed pyrolysis is a common method to reveal bulk geochemical characteristics of the dominant organic matter while detailed organic petrography is required to reveal biogenic origin of contributing macerals. Despite advantages of pyrolysis, it misses the heterogeneity of chemical compositions in the individual OM which varies with maturity. Therefore, other analytical techniques such as Raman, GC-MS and infrared spectroscopy, are necessary to elevate our understanding from individual organic particle in smaller scale. This becomes more important in shale plays where source and reservoir are adjacent to reveal migration pathways. The focus of this special issue is to compare various analytical techniques on different source rocks that can provide insight to petroleum system evaluation of unconventional shale plays. This special issue is aiming to signify the potential of alternative methods to the conventional (pseudo) Van Krevelen diagram, by revealing the underlying chemical changes in source rocks during thermal advance.

Dr. Mehdi Ostadhassan
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

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Keywords

  • Kerogen 
  • Solid Bitumen 
  • Infrared Spectroscopy 
  • Raman Spectroscopy 
  • Programmed Pyrolysis 
  • Organic Petrography 
  • Source Rock 
  • Unconventional Shale Plays 
  • Petroleum System

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

17 pages, 4149 KiB  
Article
Transformation Mechanism of a Fault and Its Associated Microstructures in Low-Porosity Rocks: A Case Study of the Tanan Depression in the Hailar-Tamtsag Basin
by Ru Jia, Bo Liu, Xiaofei Fu, Lei Gong and Zhida Liu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2019, 7(9), 286; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse7090286 - 24 Aug 2019
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 3476
Abstract
Faults have complex internal structures, which can be divided into the fault core and the damaged zone. During the fault formation process, the damaged zone will develop a large number of fractures cross cutting the adjacent host rocks, where the size and density [...] Read more.
Faults have complex internal structures, which can be divided into the fault core and the damaged zone. During the fault formation process, the damaged zone will develop a large number of fractures cross cutting the adjacent host rocks, where the size and density of fractures would decrease as a function of distance from the fault core. Statistics show that compared with the host rocks, the rock’s secondary porosity may significantly get improved until it is 5%–10% higher than the host rock’s, and the permeability could be increased from zero to six orders of magnitude higher where fractures are developed. Based on the distribution of the fault core and damaged zone, we established an idealized geologic model to analyze the influence of the fault associated microstructures on the fluid flow efficiency. The results demonstrated that the reservoir property will be effectively improved when the fractures are developed to a certain magnitude, which will provide an advantageous conduit for fluid flow. The physical properties of wells are significantly different between the reservoirs transformed by the fractures and the reservoirs that have not been affected. The reservoir unit near faults has been modified by the associated fractures improving the reservoir quality. In addition, the portions of the reservoir farther from the fault core are less influenced and retain their initial poor characteristics. In order to evaluate the enhanced reservoir properties caused by faults and associated fractures, we performed statistical analysis of valid porosity ratio of the Nantun reservoirs as a function of the distance from 49 wells to faults in the research area. The results of this study demonstrated that connected fractures enhance the properties of the reservoirs and there is a distinct range that separates oil producing wells and water producing ones. This phenomenon verifies that faults are important and must be considered carefully during the exploration and production for hydrocarbon to provide higher quality reservoirs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Mineral Resource Mining)
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17 pages, 7055 KiB  
Article
Mechanical Tests and Numerical Simulations for Mining Seafloor Massive Sulfides
by Yu Dai, Feiyue Ma, Xiang Zhu, He Liu, Zhonghua Huang and Ya Xie
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2019, 7(8), 252; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse7080252 - 01 Aug 2019
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 3920
Abstract
With the decrease of primary resources in recent years, deep seabed mineral resources, especially the massive sulfides, are of extensive research significance. In this paper, firstly, the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) test and triaxial compressive strength (TCS) test on the seafloor massive sulfides [...] Read more.
With the decrease of primary resources in recent years, deep seabed mineral resources, especially the massive sulfides, are of extensive research significance. In this paper, firstly, the uniaxial compressive strength (UCS) test and triaxial compressive strength (TCS) test on the seafloor massive sulfides (SMS) samples from three different segments are conducted to obtain the key mechanical properties, including the cohesive force, internal friction angle, compressive strength, elastic modulus and Poisson’s ratio. Then, by leveraging the PFC3D code, the uniaxial and triaxial numerical simulations of SMS are performed. During this process, the micro properties in the simulation are altered through a calibration process until they match the macro properties of the SMS samples measured in the laboratory tests. Finally, the micro properties are applied to simulate the cutting process of single cutting pick and two adjacent cutting picks; meanwhile, the cutting force in the fragmentation process of SMS is monitored and collected. This research can provide some guidance for the mining simulation of SMS and effectively predicting the maximum force on the cutting pick. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Mineral Resource Mining)
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17 pages, 14618 KiB  
Article
Development of Upwelling during the Sedimentary Period of the Organic-Rich Shales in the Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations of the Upper Yangtze Region and Its Impact on Organic Matter Enrichment
by Shao-Ze Zhao, Yong Li, Hua-Jun Min, Tong Wang, Zhou Nie, Zhan-Zhao Zhao, Jia-Zhen Qi, Jin-Cheng Wang and Jia-Peng Wu
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2019, 7(4), 99; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse7040099 - 11 Apr 2019
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 3286
Abstract
This study uses logging data, mineral component content, total organic carbon (TOC) content, and microscopic characteristics of the organic-rich shales in the Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations, as well as data reported by other researchers, to demonstrate that upwelling has played an important role [...] Read more.
This study uses logging data, mineral component content, total organic carbon (TOC) content, and microscopic characteristics of the organic-rich shales in the Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations, as well as data reported by other researchers, to demonstrate that upwelling has played an important role in the organic matter enrichment. The results show that (1) the organic-rich shales of Well N211 in the Upper Yangtze region are located in the Wufeng Formation and the lower Longmaxi Formation, with a burial depth between 2308–2357 m. (2) The organic-rich shales are enriched in biogenic silica. (3) Based on paleogeographic location and characteristics of organisms, this study determines that upwelling occurred during the deposition of the organic-rich shales in the Wufeng and Longmaxi Formations, promoting the enrichment of organic matter in the shales. (4) The upwelling intensity gradually increased from the sedimentary period of the organic-rich shales in the mid-lower Wufeng Formation to the sedimentary period of the Guanyinqiao Member, and then decreased gradually from the sedimentary period of the Guanyinqiao Member to the sedimentary period of the organic-rich shales in the Longmaxi Formation, and leads to the different enrichment of organic matter in the vertical direction. The different developments of upwelling led to the coexistence of both high and low TOC contents in the Guanyinqiao Member along the vertical direction. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Mineral Resource Mining)
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13 pages, 4624 KiB  
Article
Application of the Fractal Method to the Characterization of Organic Heterogeneities in Shales and Exploration Evaluation of Shale Oil
by Bo Liu, Liangwen Yao, Xiaofei Fu, Bo He and Longhui Bai
J. Mar. Sci. Eng. 2019, 7(4), 88; https://doi.org/10.3390/jmse7040088 - 28 Mar 2019
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2408
Abstract
The first member of the Qingshankou Formation, in the Gulong Sag in the northern part of the Songliao Basin, has become an important target for unconventional hydrocarbon exploration. The organic-rich shale within this formation not only provides favorable hydrocarbon source rocks for conventional [...] Read more.
The first member of the Qingshankou Formation, in the Gulong Sag in the northern part of the Songliao Basin, has become an important target for unconventional hydrocarbon exploration. The organic-rich shale within this formation not only provides favorable hydrocarbon source rocks for conventional reservoirs, but also has excellent potential for shale oil exploration due to its thickness, abundant organic matter, the overall mature oil generation state, high hydrocarbon retention, and commonly existing overpressure. Geochemical analyses of the total organic carbon content (TOC) and rock pyrolysis evaluation (Rock-Eval) have allowed for the quantitative evaluation of the organic matter in the shale. However, the organic matter exhibits a highly heterogeneous spatial distribution and its magnitude varies even at the millimeter scale. In addition, quantification of the TOC distribution is significant to the evaluation of shale reservoirs and the estimation of shale oil resources. In this study, well log data was calibrated using the measured TOC of core samples collected from 11 boreholes in the study area; the continuous TOC distribution within the target zone was obtained using the △logR method; the organic heterogeneity of the shale was characterized using multiple fractal models, including the box-counting dimension (Bd), the power law, and the Hurst exponent models. According to the fractal dimension (D) calculation, the vertical distribution of the TOC was extremely homogeneous. The power law calculation indicates that the vertical distribution of the TOC in the first member of the Qingshankou Formation is multi-fractal and highly heterogeneous. The Hurst exponent varies between 0.23 and 0.49. The lower values indicate higher continuity and enrichment of organic matter, while the higher values suggest a more heterogeneous organic matter distribution. Using the average TOC, coefficient of variation (CV), Bd, D, inflection point, and the Hurst exponent as independent variables, the interpolation prediction method was used to evaluate the exploration potential of the study area. The results indicate that the areas containing boreholes B, C, D, F, and I in the western part of the Gulong Sag are the most promising potential exploration areas. In conclusion, the findings of this study are of significant value in predicting favorable exploration zones for unconventional reservoirs. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Marine Mineral Resource Mining)
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