A Study on Heterogeneity Characteristics and Permeability Behavior of Porous Media Using Multifractal Dimension Analysis: A Case Study of Tight Conglomerate Reservoirs in the Baikouquan Formation, Mahu Sag

A Study on Heterogeneity Characteristics and Permeability Behavior of Porous Media Using Multifractal Dimension Analysis: A Case Study of Tight Conglomerate Reservoirs in the Baikouquan Formation, Mahu Sag | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article A Study on Heterogeneity Characteristics and Permeability Behavior of Porous Media Using Multifractal Dimension Analysis: A Case Study of Tight Conglomerate Reservoirs in the Baikouquan Formation, Mahu Sag Han yunhao, Zhang Jigang, Luo Gang, Yu Xike, Yang liu, Tan Long, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9107591/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The tight conglomerate reservoirs in the Junggar Basin exhibit complex pore–throat structures and strong heterogeneity, which significantly affect reservoir seepage behavior and hydrocarbon recovery efficiency. However, the main controlling factors of their heterogeneity remain unclear, and systematic quantitative characterization is lacking. To address this, this study focuses on the Triassic Baikouquan Formation (T 1 b 1 ) tight conglomerate reservoirs in the Maxi slope area. Using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, mercury intrusion, petrographic thin-section image analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), combined with grayscale image-based multifractal dimension calculations and finite element numerical simulation, the heterogeneity characteristics and seepage capacity of the reservoirs were systematically investigated. The results indicate significant heterogeneity differences among various lithologies of the target layer, with the intensity decreasing in the order: conglomeratic sandstone > sandy conglomerate > conglomerate. Among different pore types, intragranular dissolved pores exhibit the highest heterogeneity, followed by intergranular pores and microfractures. Clay minerals also exert varying influences on heterogeneity, decreasing in effect in the order: chlorite > illite–smectite mixed layer > illite > chlorite–smectite mixed layer > kaolinite. In contrast, displacement efficiency shows an inverse relationship with heterogeneity, with conglomerate exhibiting the highest efficiency (69.49%), followed by sandy conglomerate (65.32%) and conglomeratic sandstone (61.72%). Further analysis shows feldspar negatively correlates with heterogeneity and enhances storage and seepage, while clay positively correlates with heterogeneity and generally restricts permeability. The effects of different clay minerals on permeability and heterogeneity vary and cannot be simply classified as flow-inhibiting or heterogeneity-enhancing. Tight conglomerate reservoir Multifractal theory Heterogeneity Seepage Influencing factors Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 20 Apr, 2026 Reviews received at journal 12 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 01 Apr, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 30 Mar, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 30 Mar, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 29 Mar, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 14 Mar, 2026 First submitted to journal 12 Mar, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9107591","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":614427866,"identity":"19881320-d87c-4b17-8c4d-f53f2d0737e1","order_by":0,"name":"Han yunhao","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"PetroChina Xinjiang Oilfield Company","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Han","middleName":"","lastName":"yunhao","suffix":""},{"id":614427867,"identity":"2a375aa8-e9e1-4ce7-9ebf-c827e880e6b5","order_by":1,"name":"Zhang Jigang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"PetroChina Xinjiang Oilfield 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Journals","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Tight conglomerate reservoir, Multifractal theory, Heterogeneity, Seepage, Influencing factors","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9107591/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9107591/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003eThe tight conglomerate reservoirs in the Junggar Basin exhibit complex pore\u0026ndash;throat structures and strong heterogeneity, which significantly affect reservoir seepage behavior and hydrocarbon recovery efficiency. However, the main controlling factors of their heterogeneity remain unclear, and systematic quantitative characterization is lacking. To address this, this study focuses on the Triassic Baikouquan Formation (T\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003eb\u003csub\u003e1\u003c/sub\u003e) tight conglomerate reservoirs in the Maxi slope area. Using X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis, mercury intrusion, petrographic thin-section image analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM), combined with grayscale image-based multifractal dimension calculations and finite element numerical simulation, the heterogeneity characteristics and seepage capacity of the reservoirs were systematically investigated. The results indicate significant heterogeneity differences among various lithologies of the target layer, with the intensity decreasing in the order: conglomeratic sandstone\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;sandy conglomerate\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;conglomerate. Among different pore types, intragranular dissolved pores exhibit the highest heterogeneity, followed by intergranular pores and microfractures. Clay minerals also exert varying influences on heterogeneity, decreasing in effect in the order: chlorite\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;illite\u0026ndash;smectite mixed layer\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;illite\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;chlorite\u0026ndash;smectite mixed layer\u0026thinsp;\u0026gt;\u0026thinsp;kaolinite. In contrast, displacement efficiency shows an inverse relationship with heterogeneity, with conglomerate exhibiting the highest efficiency (69.49%), followed by sandy conglomerate (65.32%) and conglomeratic sandstone (61.72%). Further analysis shows feldspar negatively correlates with heterogeneity and enhances storage and seepage, while clay positively correlates with heterogeneity and generally restricts permeability. 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