As part of its effort to attain energy self-sufficiency, China reportedly put its Mujiaping and Laowengchang fractured-vuggy gas cluster into operation on November 8, 2023. Situated in Changning County of Yibin City, southwest China’s Sichuan Province, it’s the largest fracture-vuggy carbonated reservoir in the country, according to ECNS.
This gas storage cluster has a storage capacity of a whopping 5.97 billion cubic metres and a working gas capacity of around 3.15 billion cubic metres. Once completed, it is anticipated to achieve a maximum daily gas extraction capacity of over 50 million cubic meters. This will rank it as the fourth-largest in the country.
The project is operated by PetroChina Southwest Oil and Gas Field, a subsidiary of PetroChina, the world’s largest oil company.
The ECNS report has labelled this project as a significant landmark in Sichuan Province. It has been called a pivotal achievement in the country’s effort to reinforce its commitment to energy protection.
The project is anticipated to take China’s key technology related to convoluted fractured reservoir carbonate storage to the next level. In addition to its contribution to the country’s energy production, it is expected to solidify China’s capabilities in the natural gas storage and distribution sector. That will align with the country’s objectives of diversifying energy sources.
According to ROGTEC, “a fractured reservoir is a subsurface rock divided by subvertical open fractures making up a single flow network.” These reservoirs act as a primary source of crude oils, natural gas, hydrocarbons, and water. However, recovering energy sources from these reservoirs is a highly complex process. It requires knowledge of mass, fluid flow, mass, and energy transport processes.
Considering the challenges fractured reservoirs pose, ensuring high-end monitoring of such structures using services such as DScover™ by Silixa stands as a strategic imperative. The successful initiation of the operation of China’s largest fractured reservoir gas cluster also emphasises the significance of ongoing monitoring technologies.
Regular monitoring is critical to enable optimised production. It’s essential not only for efficient production, well placement, and completion design, but also for ensuring the long-term integrity and stability of fractured-vuggy reservoirs. Regular monitoring and surveillance are also critical to ensure operational excellence and environmental sustainability.
Sohela is an electrical engineer and a self-professed writer with a keen interest in all things tech. When she’s not writing killer content pieces, you’ll find her enjoying tempting foods in her favourite restaurants.
