Carbon isotope composition characteristics of light hydrocarbon gas from typical kerogen cracking and its application for gas source identification: A case study of the Sichuan Basin

The natural gas resources in the Sichuan Basin are abundant and exhibit various phenomena, for example, mixed sources, mixed maturities and overlapping combinations, resulting in great difficulties in identifying natural gas sources. In this study, several groups of thermal simulation experiments were conducted on various types of kerogens using closed and/or semi‐open systems to investigate the characteristics of the carbon isotope compositions of light hydrocarbon gases derived from different typical kerogens. The results showed that the carbon isotope compositions and variation trends of methane and ethane are controlled by the kerogen type, thermal simulation system and thermal evolution degree. The carbon isotope compositions of light hydrocarbon gases derived from different types of kerogens exhibit some differences with increased thermal evolution degree. When the thermal simulation temperature increases from 320 to 550°C, the methane carbon isotope of typically marine source rocks, mainly type I and type II 1 kerogens, is slightly higher than or equivalent to that of ethane. However, the ethane carbon isotope of terrestrial source rocks, primarily types II 2 and III kerogens, is significantly heavier than methane. By comparison, the evolution trend of carbon isotope compositions of actual natural gas is well consistent with that of light hydrocarbon gases cracked from thermal simulation experiments with increased thermal evolution degree. These findings are of great importance to identify the source rock of actual natural gas with high thermal maturities, as well as to determine the sources of deep shale gas in the southern Sichuan Basin, the Yuanba gas field and the Puguang gas field. Finally, a fitting method of carbon isotope values of methane and ethane of light hydrocarbon gases can be used to more finely differentiate the sources of natural gas in complex areas with mixed sources, mixed maturities and overlapping combinations.