Driving Forces of Natural Gas Flow and Gas–Water Distribution Patterns in Tight Gas Reservoirs: A Case Study of NX Gas Field in the Offshore Xihu Depression, East China

The driving forces behind gas flow and migration, as well as the associated gas–water distribution patterns in tight gas reservoirs, are not only closely related to the formation mechanisms of “sweet spots”, but also serve as crucial geological foundations for the development of efficient modes and optimal well placement. In this work, three methods, namely, critical gas column height driven by buoyancy, critical pore throat radius driven by buoyancy, and gas–water distribution attitude, were used to quantitatively evaluate the critical conditions for buoyancy and overpressure to get gas flowing in the tight sandstone gas field. In light of the geological background, the driving forces of gas flow/migration and gas–water distribution patterns were comprehensively analyzed. On this basis of the origins of overpressure driving gas flow/migration were identified by using multiple empirical methods, the evolution of overpressure and characteristics of gas–water distribution driven by overpressure were studied by using PetroMod_2014 simulation software. The results show that the four main gas-bearing layers in the NX tight sandstone gas reservoir differ widely in gas flow/migration dynamics and gas–water distribution patterns. Gas accumulation in the H3b layer is influenced by both buoyancy and overpressure. Subsequently, buoyancy leads to the differentiation of gas from water based on density and the formation of edge water. Furthermore, the distribution area of the gas reservoir is determined by the presence of an anticline trap. In contrast, in H3a, H4b and H5a gas layers, buoyancy is not sufficient to overcome the capillary force to make the gas migrate during and after accumulation, and the driving force of gas flow is the overpressure formed by fluid volume expansion during hydrocarbon generation of Pinghu Formation source rocks. Because buoyancy is not the driving force of natural gas flow, H3a, H4b and H5a layers have gas and water in the same layer and produced together, and no boundary and bottom water, where the anticlinal trap does not control the distribution of gas and water, and gas source faults control the boundary of the gas reservoir. These understandings not only significantly expand the gas-bearing target of H3a, H4b and H5a gas layers delineated in the buoyancy driving pattern but also provide an important geological basis for the formulation of an efficient development plan by class and grade for the NX tight sandstone gas field.