由于某些稠油油藏没有明显的泥岩盖层，导致有学者提出了顶水油藏这个概念，但该概念违背了 科学原理，容易使油藏工程领域产生混乱。为了纠正这一认识，分析了盖层的封堵机理，认为盖层不一 定非得是泥岩，物性较差的岩石也可做盖层。顶水油藏并非没有盖层，只是没有泥岩做盖层而已，其有 物性盖层封堵油气，并且油藏中的油水正常分布。因此，建议今后不要再使用顶水油藏这个概念。

Because shale cap rocks can be clearly found for some heavy oil reservoirs, the top-water reservoir concept was proposed to explain the phenomena. The concept of top-water reservoir is lack of scientific principle, which is easy to make reservoir engineering misunderstood. In order to correct the concept, a study was made to analyze the sealing mechanism of cap rocks, which concludes that cap rocks are not necessarily shale rocks, and all rocks with poor physical properties can be cap rocks. Top-water reservoirs are not without cap rocks, they are only with no shale cap rocks, but they have physical property cap rocks to seal oil and gas. The oil and water distribution in this kind of reservoirs is still normal. In order to prevent misunderstanding reservoir engineering, the top-water reservoir concept should not be used any more.