Recently, the Haixi Prefecture Natural Resources Bureau of Qinghai Province, together with the Xi’an Geological Survey Center of the China Geological Survey, the Oil and Gas Resources Survey Center and the Institute of Geomechanics of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences, held a symposium on the energy resource survey of the Qaidam Basin to discuss the comprehensive survey of various energy resources such as helium, oil and gas, and natural gas in the Qaidam Basin, and study the next direction of attack.
It is reported that the granites rich in uranium and thorium and the locally enriched sandstone-type uranium deposits widely distributed around the edge and basement of the Qaidam Basin are effective helium source rocks. The developed fault system in the basin provides an efficient migration channel for helium-rich natural gas. The moderate-sized hydrocarbon natural gas and active groundwater promote the migration and enrichment of deep helium. The widely distributed gypsum-salt rock caprock in the region constitutes a good sealing condition.
In recent years, the Haixi Prefecture Natural Resources Bureau has attached great importance to the exploration of helium resources. In cooperation with the Xi’an Geological Survey Center of the China Geological Survey, the Institute of Geomechanics of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences and other units, according to the overall deployment of the new round of strategic actions for prospecting breakthroughs, it has insisted on science and technology empowerment and innovatively proposed that the helium-rich natural gas in the Qaidam Basin follows the law of “weak source accumulation, heterogeneous sources and same storage, multi-source enrichment, and dynamic balance”. The northern margin and eastern part of the Qaidam Basin are selected as key breakthrough areas to carry out helium resource surveys. Through testing and analysis, researchers discovered high-grade helium resources for the first time in natural gas on the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin and in the Carboniferous oil and gas in the east, and the helium content reached the industrial utilization standard. At the same time, the bureau expanded the scope of helium resource surveys on the basis of existing surveys, and speculated that the area from Mangya to Yuka on the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin has helium resource prospects, and there are water-soluble helium resource types in some local areas, which is expected to further expand the helium resource reserves on the northern margin of the Qaidam Basin.
“The Qaidam Basin has very favorable geological background and helium ‘source-transport-accumulation’ conditions. Helium is continuously enriched during the dynamic equilibrium of natural gas reservoirs, and eventually helium-rich natural gas reservoirs are formed. It is expected to form a new helium resource base and realize large-scale production. It has important demonstration and reference significance for my country’s helium exploration work.” A relevant person in charge of the Haixi Prefecture Natural Resources Bureau said that in the next step, the bureau will continue to work with the Xi’an Geological Survey Center of the China Geological Survey and the Institute of Geomechanics of the Chinese Academy of Geological Sciences to fully implement the strategic cooperation agreement between the Qinghai Provincial Government and the China Geological Survey, and actively promote geological surveys and research on oil and gas resources in the Qaidam Basin, especially increase the exploration of helium resources, find out the resource base as soon as possible, strengthen the evaluation and application of exploration results, promote the industrialization of results, and drive the economic development of the whole prefecture.
Post time: Nov-06-2024
