Genetic Quantitative Techniques Combined with Continuous Electromagnetic Profiling to Identify Subtle Oil and Gas Reservoirs

Subtle reservoir exploration could not be commonly carried out by costly conventional methods especially when subtle reservoirs are becoming smaller in surfaces and reserves. The epochal genetic quantitative techniques were proved to be suitable for the subtle reservoir prospecting, but the anomaly grade classification method did not match the quantitative data qualitative dividing. And the combination of genetic quantitative techniques and geophysical exploration methods to the prospecting application for subtle reservoirs still need more studies. For the questions, 194 topsoil samples and 237.05 km continuous electromagnetic profiling (CEMP) lines were arranged in typical subtle reservoirs in the Suganhu Basin. The realtime-PCR technique was used to get methanotrophic, propanotrophic functional gene pmoA and prmA quantitative data. The results showed that the classification method using cumulative probability distribution curves with regression analyses could be used to classify the genetic quantitative anomalies by the equation of y = a(z). The genetic quantitative anomalies and source strata thickness showed positive correlation along the section lines in the east of study areas. Integrated studies between genetic quantitative anomalies and CEMP results in the stereoscopic direction indicated three promising areas in the Suganhu Basin. This research is expected to be extended to the same type of reservoirs prospecting work.