Geochemistry & Petroleum Systems

Course Introduction:

Learning Objectives

Introduction to the discipline

What is Petroleum Geochemistry?

What is Petroleum Systems Analysis?

Some common and not so common applications of geochemistry and petroleum systems in the E&P industry

Source rocks:

Learning Objectives

Understanding why and how source rocks occur

Source rock types and how they reflect their depositional environment

How source rocks evolve with increasing burial

Predicting hydrocarbon type and volumes based on source rock type and maturity

Principle geochemical methods of characterizing source rocks (Rock-Eval, Organic Petrology, Extraction)

Using wireline logs for source rock analysis

Petroleum:

Learning Objectives

How petroleum is formed

How petroleum is characterized

Controls on petroleum composition prior to and after it enters the reservoir

How petroleum can be grouped into genetic families and correlated to their source rocks

Petroleum Systems Analysis & Basin Modelling

Learning Objectives

Introduction to the petroleum system concept and approaches to petroleum systems analysis.

Understand the fundamentals of petroleum systems modelling/basin modelling.

Introduction to general concepts and specific parameters relevant for thermal history modelling.

Organic Petrology & Maturity

Learning Objectives

Understand what organic petrology is

Understand what maturity is

Appreciate the multiple applications of the field

Know why thermal maturity studies are important – e.g. calibrate models, map maturity spatially, input risk to basins/prospects for charge determinations

Understand the methods of the various thermal history tools

Acknowledge the potential pitfalls of thermal history data and be able to identify data quality issues

Reservoir geochemistry

Learning Objectives

Reasons for differences in fluid compositions

How reservoirs are filled and mix 

Shell, BP models

Paragenetic history/Fluid inclusions as means of determining reservoir filling history

Compositional grading – methods and examples

Reservoir connectivity and compartmentalization – methods and examples

Estimating fluid residence times

Effects of in-reservoir alteration on petroleum - biodegradation theory and examples, water washing, phase separation, tar mats, fluid contacts

Fluid properties prediction

Non-hydrocarbon gases introduction

Solids problems; e.g., wax, asphaltenes, soaps, hydrates 

Production Monitoring and Allocation

Complementary inorganic geochemical methods

Well site gas – fundamentals and applications

Learning objectives

Understand the origin of the gases collected during the drilling processes

Awareness of wellsite gas data: how it is collected on a rig and measured

Understand how the data is reported by service companies

Explain the origin and significance of wellsite gases and what corrections are required to maximize the geological signal.

Awareness of how to use gas data to spot pay zones

Understand what cause changes in associated and non-associated gas composition’s

Example of how to correct wellsite gas data and calibrate it to PVT data

Appreciate where it can go wrong:

Reservoir vs non-reservoir zones

Impact of coring

Drilling induced effects

Linkage to Pore Pressure

Examples & some recommendations on set up