Lithologic Reservoirs ›› 2026, Vol. 38 ›› Issue (2): 1-11.doi: 10.12108/yxyqc.20260201

• PETROLEUM EXPLORATION • Previous Articles     Next Articles

New method for resource evaluation of Devonian oil shale in Appalachian Basin, North America

MA Feng1(), HU Fei2(), XUE Luo1, CHEN Ruiyin3, LIU Zhaojun2, LEI Ming1, ZHENG Xi1   

  1. 1 Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development-Northwest （NWGI）， PetroChina， Lanzhou 730020， China
    2 College of Earth Sciences， Jilin University， Changchun 130061， China
    3 Research Institute of Petroleum Exploration & Development， Beijing 100083， China
  • Received:2025-07-04 Revised:2025-08-21 Online:2026-03-01 Published:2025-10-31

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Abstract:

For the evaluation of oil shale resources in basins with medium-low exploration levels, traditional volumetric methods and geological parameter analogy methods have limitations. An indirect parameter volumetric method is more suitable for resource evaluation of Appalachian Basin in North America. Based on the good positive correlation between total organic carbon content (TOC) of shale and its oil content, the threshold value and oil content range of oil shale were determined, and the correction coefficient was calculated. The correction coefficient was further applied to obtain the thickness, area, and pyrolysis hydrocarbon quantity (S2) of oil shale, thereby the oil resource of oil shale was estimated. The results show that: （1） Oil shale resources in Appalachian Basin of North America are primarily distributed in the western Ohio area. The main formation of Ohio area is the Upper Devonian Ohio shale, which can be further divided into three submembers from bottom to top: Huron, Chagrin, and Cleveland. The lithology is predominantly deep gray to black shale, with thin interbeds of siltstone.（2） TOC of Ohio shale in the study area is 1%-12%, with oil content ranging from 0.33% to 9.31%. The oil content of oil shale ranges from 3.50% to 9.31%, S2 is 35.2-95.7 mg/g and correction coefficient is 0.647. （3） Multiplying the mud shale thickness by the correction coefficient obtain the oil shale thickness of 10-80 m in the study area. Convert TOC contour lines into oil content contour lines, and the area delineated by an oil content of 3.50% is the oil shale area, which is 46,120 km2. （4） Using the indirect parameter volumetric method, the estimated oil resource of surface dry distillation and in-situ transformation oil shale in the study area are 202×108 t and 173×108 t, respectively, with corresponding recoverable resources of 86×108 t and 39×108 t, respectively.

Key words: oil shale, resource evaluation, correction coefficient, recoverable resource, indirect parameter volumetric method, Devonian, Ohio area, Appalachian Basin

CLC Number: 

  • TE122.115

Fig. 1

Regional location of Appalachian Basin (a) and stratigraphic column of Devonian in Ohio area (b), North America"

Fig. 2

Stratigraphic profiles of Middle-Upper Devonian from eastern Ohio to western Pennsylvania in Appalachian Basin"

Fig. 3

Distribution of Ro in Upper Devonian Ohio shale of Appalachian Basin"

Fig. 4

Cores and micrographs of Ohio oil shale of Upper Devonianin in Appalachian Basin"

Fig. 5

Resource evaluation process of indirect parameter volumetric method"

Fig. 6

Correlation of w with TOC and S2 of Piceance Basin in Green River area, USA"

Table 1

Criteria for determining the value of technical recoverability coefficient of oil shale under different extraction methods"

影响因素 技术可采系数的取值标准/%
开采方式 厚度/
m		 倾角/
(°)		 地质类型 基
数		 基础储量 探明资源量 控制
资源量		 推断
资源量		 预测
资源量
露天开采 — — 简单 95.0 95.0 76.0 66.5 57.0 47.5
— — 中等 90.0 90.0 72.0 63.0 54.0 45.0
— — 复杂 85.0 85.0 68.0 59.5 51.0 42.5
地下开采 0.7~1.3 < 25 简单 75.0 75.0 60.0 52.5 45.0 37.5
中等 70.0 70.0 56.0 49.0 42.0 35.0
复杂 65.0 65.0 52.0 45.5 39.0 32.5
25~45 简单 70.0 70.0 56.0 49.0 42.0 35.0
中等 65.0 65.0 52.0 45.5 39.0 32.5
复杂 60.0 60.0 48.0 42.0 36.0 30.0
> 45 简单 65.0 65.0 52.0 45.5 39.0 32.5
中等 60.0 60.0 48.0 42.0 36.0 30.0
复杂 55.0 55.0 44.0 38.5 33.0 27.5
1.3~3.5 < 25 简单 70.0 70.0 56.0 49.0 42.0 35.0
中等 65.0 65.0 52.0 45.5 39.0 32.5
复杂 60.0 60.0 48.0 42.0 36.0 30.0
25~45 简单 65.0 65.0 52.0 45.5 39.0 32.5
中等 60.0 60.0 48.0 42.0 36.0 30.0
复杂 55.0 55.0 44.0 38.5 33.0 27.5
> 45 简单 60.0 60.0 48.0 42.0 36.0 30.0
中等 55.0 55.0 44.0 38.5 33.0 27.5
复杂 50.0 50.0 40.0 35.0 30.0 25.0
> 3.5 < 25 简单 65.0 65.0 52.0 45.5 39.0 32.5
中等 60.0 60.0 48.0 42.0 36.0 30.0
复杂 55.0 55.0 44.0 38.5 33.0 27.5
25~45 简单 60.0 60.0 48.0 42.0 36.0 30.0
中等 55.0 55.0 44.0 38.5 33.0 27.5
复杂 50.0 50.0 40.0 35.0 30.0 25.0
> 45 简单 55.0 55.0 44.0 38.5 33.0 27.5
中等 50.0 50.0 40.0 35.0 30.0 25.0
复杂 45.0 45.0 36.0 31.5 27.0 22.5

Table 2

Comparison of main processes for producing shale oil by oil shale dry distillation in countries over the world"

炉型 抚顺发生式炉 爱沙尼亚发生式炉 Kiviter炉 Petrosix炉 Galoter炉 Taciuk炉
国家 中国 爱沙尼亚 爰沙尼亚 巴西 爱沙尼亚 澳大利亚
地点 抚顺 Kivioli Kivioli SaoMateus Narva Stuart
公司 抚顺矿务局 ViruKeemia ViruKeemia Petrobras NarvaPower SPP/CPM
油页岩处理量/(t·d-1) 100 100 1 000 1 500~6 000 3 000 6 000
页岩块径/mm 10~75 10~100 10~125 6~50 0~25 0~16
型式 垂直圆筒 垂直圆筒 垂直圆筒 垂直圆筒 水平圆筒 水平圆筒
过程 页岩热解
半焦气化		 页岩热解
半焦气化		 页岩热解
半焦冷却		 页岩热解
半焦冷却		 页岩热解
半焦燃烧		 页岩热解
半焦燃烧
热载体 低热载体 低热载体 低热载体 高热值气 页岩灰 页岩灰
热源 干馏气及
半焦潜热		 干馏气及
半焦潜热		 干馏气及
半焦显热		 干馏气及
半焦显热		 半焦潜热 半焦潜热
铝甄油收系数/% 65 68 75~80 85~90 85~90 85~90
产品 燃料油 燃料油 燃料油 燃料油 燃料油 轻燃料油
低热值气 化工品 化工品 轻油硫黄 化工品 低硫轻油
页岩灰 低热值气 低热值气 高热值气 高热值气 高热值气
— 页岩灰 页岩半焦 页岩半焦 页岩灰 页岩灰

Table 3

Value standards for transformation coefficient of in-situ development resources of oil shale"

厚度/m 倾角/
(°)		 地质
类型		 资源转化系数的取值标准/%
基数 基础
储量		 探明
资源量		 控制
资源量		 推断
资源量		 预测
资源量
< 60 < 20 简单 60.0 60.0 48.0 42.0 36.0 30.0
中等 55.0 55.0 44.0 38.5 33.0 27.5
复杂 50.0 50.0 40.0 35.0 30.0 25.0
20~45 简单 50.0 50.0 40.0 35.0 30.0 25.0
中等 45.0 45.0 36.0 31.5 27.0 22.5
复杂 40.0 40.0 32.0 28.0 24.0 20.0
> 45 简单 40.0 40.0 32.0 28.0 24.0 20.0
中等 35.0 35.0 28.0 24.5 21.0 17.5
复杂 30.0 30.0 24.0 21.0 18.0 15.0
60~150 < 20 简单 75.0 75.0 60.0 52.5 45.0 37.5
中等 70.0 70.0 56.0 49.0 42.0 35.0
复杂 65.0 65.0 52.0 45.5 39.0 32.5
20~45 简单 70.0 70.0 56.0 49.0 42.0 35.0
中等 65.0 65.0 52.0 45.5 39.0 32.5
复杂 60.0 60.0 48.0 42.0 36.0 30.0
> 45 简单 65.0 65.0 52.0 45.5 39.0 32.5
中等 60.0 60.0 48.0 42.0 36.0 30.0
复杂 55.0 55.0 44.0 38.5 33.0 27.5
> 150 < 20 简单 90.0 90.0 72.0 63.0 54.0 45.0
中等 85.0 85.0 68.0 59.5 51.0 42.5
复杂 80.0 80.0 64.0 56.0 48.0 40.0
20~45 简单 80.0 80.0 64.0 56.0 48.0 40.0
中等 75.0 75.0 60.0 52.5 45.0 37.5
复杂 70.0 70.0 56.0 49.0 42.0 35.0
> 45 简单 70.0 70.0 56.0 49.0 42.0 35.0
中等 65.0 65.0 52.0 45.5 39.0 32.5
复杂 60.0 60.0 48.0 42.0 36.0 30.0

Fig. 7

Thickness contour of Upper Devonian Ohio shale in Appalachian Basin"

Fig. 8

Contour of w of Upper Devonian Ohio oil shale in Appalachian Basin"

Fig. 9

Contour of H of Upper Devonian Ohio oil shale in Appalachian Basin"

Fig. 10

Contour of S2 of Upper Devonian Ohio oil shale in Appalachian Basin"

Fig. 11

Resource abundance contour of surface dry distillation of Upper Devonian Ohio oil shale in Appalachian Basin"

Fig. 12

Resource abundance contour of in-situ development of Upper Devonian Ohio oil shale in Appalachian Basin"

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