TSR-altered oil with high-abundance thiaadamantanes of a deep-buried Cambrian gas condensate reservoir in Tarim Basin

Abstract The first exploratory well, the ZS1C well, with 158,545 m 3 daily gas production was discovered in 6861–6944 m deep strata of the Cambrian gypsolyte layer of the Tarim Basin, China in 2014. The discovery opens a new target for the Cambrian-reservoired oil and gas exploration, and directly leads to large-scale oil and gas exploration of the deep-reservoired Cambrian oil and gas fields in the Basin. Comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography/time-of-flight mass spectrometry and a comprehensive two-dimensional gas chromatography–flame ionization detector revealed the presence of abundant adamantane compounds, 2-thiaadamantanes and 2-thiadiamantanes, and a large amount of sulfur-containing compounds in the condensate oil. The formation of organic sulfur-containing compounds, such as 2-thiaadamantanes, is an indication of sulfur incorporation from the gypsum in the stratum into oil and gas in the course of TSR. This reservoir has apparently suffered severe TSR alteration because (1) High content of H 2 S, (2) H 2 S sulfur isotopes, (3) CO 2 carbon isotopes, and others abundant data to support this findings. Similar sulfur isotopic composition of H 2 S, oil condensate and the gypsum in the Cambrian strata indicate that the produced condensate is experienced TSR alteration. Therefore, the deep-accumulated Cambrian oil reservoir has experienced severe TSR alteration, and accumulated natural gas and condensate contains high sulfur content.