Optimization of shale gas reservoir evaluation and assessment of shale gas resources in the Oriente Basin in Ecuador

The petroleum geological features of hydrocarbon source rocks in the Oriente Basin in Ecuador are studied in detail to determine the potential of shale gas resources in the basin. The favorable shale gas layer in the vertical direction is optimized by combining logging identification and comprehensive geological analysis. The thickness in this layer is obtained by logging interpretation in the basin. The favorable shale gas accumulation area is selected by referring to thickness and depth data. Furthermore, the shale gas resource amount of the layer in the favorable area is calculated using the analogy method. Results show that among the five potential hydrocarbon source rocks, the lower Napo Formation is the most likely shale gas layer. The west and northwest zones, which are in the deep-sea slope and shelf sedimentary environments, respectively, are the favorable areas for shale gas accumulation. The favorable sedimentary environment formed thick black shale that is rich in organic matter. The black shale generated hydrocarbon, which migrated laterally to the eastern shallow water shelf to form numerous oil fields. The result of the shale gas resource in the two favorable areas, as calculated by the analogy method, is 55,500 x 10(8) m(3). This finding shows the high exploration and development potential of shale gas in the basin.