Journal of Petroleum Geology最新文献

This study investigates the charge history of the Oligocene – Lower Miocene Asmari Formation reservoir at three oilfields (Karanj, Paranj and Parsi) in the southern Dezful Embayment, SW Iran, from microthermometric analyses of hydrocarbon-bearing fluid inclusions. The Asmari Formation reservoir was sampled in seven wells at depths of between 1671.5 and 3248.5 m; samples from three of the wells were found to be suitable for fluid inclusion analyses. The samples were analyzed using an integrated workflow including petrography, fluorescence spectroscopy, Raman microspectroscopy and microthermometry. Abundant oil inclusions with a range of fluorescence colours from near-yellow to near-blue were observed. Based on the fluid inclusion petrography, fluorescence and microthermometry data, two episodes of oil charging into the reservoir were identified: 7 to 3.5 Ma, and 3.5 to 2 Ma, respectively. Fluid inclusions in general homogenized at temperatures between 112 and 398°C and with salinities of 14 to 23 wt.% NaCl equivalent. Based on the burial history, the Albian Kazhdumi and Paleogene Pabdeh Formation source rocks in the study area have not reached the gas generation window. The abundant fluid inclusions containing gas-liquid phase observed in the Asmari samples studied are therefore inferred to have been derived from secondary oil-to-gas cracking which resulted from Late Pliocene uplift.

The Albian Mauddud Formation is a prolific reservoir in Kuwait and nearby countries such as Iraq and Iran but has received far less attention than the under- and overlying units (the Aptian Shu'aiba and Cenomanian Mishrif Formations). Detailed reservoir characterization studies of the formation are required to support field development and improved / enhanced oil recovery (EOR) programmes. In this study, 26 wells penetrating the Mauddud Formation within the Greater Burgan area of Kuwait (Burgan and neighbouring fields) were investigated, integrating the logging of 910 ft of core with petrographic investigations of 113 stained and impregnated thin sections. In the Greater Burgan area, the Mauddud Formation can be divided into a lower Clastic Member and an upper Carbonate Member which is the main focus of this paper. The primary objective of the study was to present a new characterization of this thin, heterogeneous carbonate reservoir by integrating facies analysis and sequence stratigraphy with a detailed petrographic investigation. A second objective was to identify the relative importance of depositional characteristics and diagenesis on the distribution of reservoir properties.

Sandstones in the Clastic Member of the Mauddud Formation were deposited on a delta which passed laterally to the north and east into a carbonate platform. During subsequent regional flooding, increased carbonate production resulted in the development of a larger-scale carbonate platform covering the entire study area. The Burgan field area was part of the proximal zone of this carbonate platform. A number of depositional environments were identified by integrating core and thin section data. These range from outer platform to mid- and inner platform, the latter including both high- and low-energy settings (shoal, shoreline; and lagoonal respectively). Mud-supported textures characteristic of low-energy inner-platform and mid- to outer-platform settings are volumetrically dominant in the Mauddud Carbonate Member.

Sequence stratigraphic analysis suggests that the Mauddud Carbonate Member is part of a major regressive phase (or highstand systems tract) of a third-order sequence, with the regional-scale K110 MFS positioned close to the transition with the underlying Clastic Member. Two 4^th order transgressive – regressive (TR) cycles or sequences, M1 and M2, were identified within the Carbonate Member. The top-Mauddud surface corresponds to a sequence boundary with long-lasting subaerial exposure during the latest Albian and is characterized by both micro- and macroscopic karst features (calcite dissolution vugs and recrystallization in thin sections; and cavities in cores). This study demonstrates that the Burgan field area experienced significant uplift, with increased differential erosion and/or non-deposition of the upper M2 TR cycle towards the southwest.

Eogenetic marine and meteoric calcite cements partially fill macropores close to t

The Bongor Basin in southern Chad is an inverted rift basin located on Precambrian crystalline basement which is linked regionally to the Mesozoic – Cenozoic Western and Central African Rift System. Pay zones present in nearby rift basins (e.g. Upper Cretaceous and Paleogene reservoirs overlying Lower Cretaceous source rocks) are absent from the Bongor Basin, having been removed during latest Cretaceous – Paleogene inversion-related uplift and erosion. This study characterizes the petroleum system of the Bongor Basin through systematic analyses of source rocks, reservoirs and cap rocks.

Geochemical analyses of core plug samples of dark mudstones indicate that source rock intervals are present in Lower Cretaceous lacustrine shales of the Mimosa and upper Prosopis Formations. In addition, these mudstones are confirmed as a regional seal. Reservoir units include both Lower Cretaceous sandstones and Precambrian basement rocks, and mature source rocks may also act as a potential reservoir for shale oil. Dominant structural styles are large-scale inversion anticlines in the Lower Cretaceous succession whilst underlying “buried hill” -type basement plays may also be important. Accumulations of heavy to light oils and gas have been discovered in Lower Cretaceous sandstones and basement reservoirs.

The Great Baobab field, the largest discovery in the Bongor Basin with about 1.5 billion barrels of oil in-place, is located in the Northern Slope, a structural unit near the northern margin of the basin. Reservoirs are Lower Cretaceous syn-rift sandstones and weathered and fractured zones in the crystalline basement. The field currently produces about 32,000 barrels of oil per day.

The Carpathian Foredeep to the north and NE of the Carpathian orogenic belt in SE Poland and NW Ukraine is divided into internal and external sectors. In the narrow internal foredeep, Lower and Middle Miocene shales, sandstones and interbedded evaporites are tightly folded. By contrast the external foredeep is characterized by the presence of a thick, unfolded Middle Miocene molasse succession. This ranges in thickness from a few hundred metres in the north of the external foredeep to >5000 m in the south, near the Carpathian thrust front. Middle Miocene sandstones in the external foredeep form a major reservoir for biogenic gas at fields in Poland and Ukraine.

The Middle Miocene molasse succession in the external Carpathian Foredeep also contains organic-rich intervals which have source rock potential. For this paper, core samples (n = 670) of Badenian and Sarmatian mudstones from 43 boreholes in the Polish sector of the external foredeep were analysed to investigate their organic geochemistry and hydrocarbon potential. Results show that the samples analysed in general have low to fair (but locally high) total organic carbon (TOC) contents which range up 4.6 wt.% although the average is only 0.7 wt.%. Rock-Eval (S₁+S₂) values are poor to fair and the hydrogen index is also low with a mean value of less than 100 mg/g TOC. The samples analysed are dominated by gas-prone Type III kerogen and this is consistent with previous studies of time-equivalent samples from the Ukrainian part of the external foredeep. The organic matter is in general thermally immature and is interpreted to have been deposited in anoxic and/or sub-oxic conditions. However in the Polish part of the external foredeep, thermal maturities may locally reach the initial phase of the oil window where the Middle Miocene source rocks have been buried deeply beneath the Carpathian thrust front.

The burial history and thermal evolution of the Middle Miocene succession were reconstructed by means of 1-D modelling at nine boreholes located in both the Polish and Ukrainian parts of the external Carpathian foredeep. The modelling indicated that Middle Miocene source rocks have only entered the initial phase of the oil window locally where they are buried beneath the flysch nappes of the Carpathian foldbelt. At these locations the generation of thermogenic gas may have begun at depths of more than 3 km. However, Middle Miocene source rocks are still immature at depths of >4000 m in some boreholes in the Ukrainian part of the study area. The absence of accumulations of thermogenic natural gas is consistent with the observed low levels of source rock maturity.

An analysis of variations in the tectonic subsidence of the Bremer sub-basin (offshore SW Australia) since 160 Ma using the GALO numerical basin modelling programme has made it possible both to refine previous models and to estimate the intensity of stretching and thermal activation of the lithosphere. The new model explains the rapid subsidence of the sub-basin and the deposition of the synrift Bremer 1 unit during the initial rift phase in the Late Jurassic (160 to 130 Ma). This phase of extension was accompanied by high heat flows, typical of the axial zones of continental rifts, and lithospheric stretching with a β-factor of about 1.4. Between 130 and 43 Ma, the abnormally low depositional rate and the shallow water depths suggest moderate thermal activation of the mantle and the absence of extension-driven subsidence. However during the Eocene (43 to 37 Ma), the modelling suggests that another phase of intense stretching of the sub-basin lithosphere took place with β = 1.7, explaining both the subsidence and an abrupt increase in water depth from about 50–200 m to nearer 2000 m.

The high heat flows during the initial stage of rifting and thermal activation during Cenozoic extension contributed to the early generation of hydrocarbons by source rocks in the Bremer 1 unit at the base of sedimentary cover. At the present day, these source rocks are overmature. At the same time, the modelling suggests that generation of light and heavy oil in the overlying Bremer 2 and 3 units has occurred. Source rock intervals in the upper half of the Bremer 3 unit and in the overlying successions are early mature or immature and may have generated minor volumes of hydrocarbons.

The South Caspian Basin has been one of the world's most prolific petroleum provinces since the 19th Century. However, despite the large number of discovered petroleum accumulations, the source rock sequence has not been penetrated by the drill in the offshore basin and is therefore poorly defined. In this paper, geochemistry together with broad estimates of in-place volumes of petroleum fluids, onshore outcrop data and basin modelling have been used to place constraints on the source rock description.

Diamondoids, the most thermally stable group of hydrocarbons, have been measured in a suite of liquid petroleum samples from Pliocene fluvio-deltaic sandstone reservoirs at the Shah Deniz gas-condensate field and the Azeri-Chirag-Gunashli oil field, offshore Azerbaijan. Samples from both fields exhibit elevated concentrations of diamondoids and C₂₉ steranes, indicating a mixture of thermally cracked and non-cracked petroleum. We use diamondoid concentrations to estimate that 4.8 B brl of oil may have been cracked to 12 Tcf of gas below the Shah Deniz reservoirs. Source rock properties from the outcropping Oligocene – Miocene Maikop and Diatom Formations have been used to model source rock maturation. The results indicate that pre-cracking volumes of petroleum could be explained reasonably by the presence of source rock intervals in the offshore that are of similar richness but increased thickness compared to measured onshore outcrops.

Relatively high diamondoid concentrations in Shah Deniz condensate (up to 160 ppm 3- + 4-methyldiamantanes) are in agreement with gas isotope compositions (δ¹³C₁ – δ¹³C₃) with respect to thermal maturity. Both parameters indicate the presence of source rock that is at a high level of thermal maturity at a vitrinite reflectance equivalent (VRE) of ca. 1.5–2.0% R_o. Given the low geothermal gradients in the South Caspian Basin (16 – 17°C/km at Shah Deniz) and the relatively high temperatures required for maturation due to rapid, relatively recent burial and heating, the source rock must be buried to depths in excess of 13 km in the Shah Deniz drainage area. In the absence of any evidence of a working Mesozoic petroleum system in the South Caspian Basin, this depth of burial highlights the significant thickness of Paleogene sediments in the offshore basin. Of prolific petroleum-producing basins, only in the deep-water Gulf of Mexico are actively-generating source rocks buried to similar depths.

Tight oil-bearing sandstones in the Chang 4+5, 6 and 7 Members of the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin, north-central China, in general consist of fine-grained, moderately- to poorly-sorted lithic arkoses (average Q₅₃F₃₀R₁₇) deposited in a fluvial-dominated lacustrine-deltaic environment. Diagenetic modifications to the sandstones include compaction and cementation by calcite, dolomite, ankerite, quartz, chlorite, kaolinite and illite, as well as partial dissolution of feldspars and minor rock fragments. Porosity ranges up to ~7% of the rock volume and was reduced more by cementation than by compaction. Fractures (tectonic macrofractures and diagenetic microfractures) provide important oil migration pathways and enhance the sandstones' storage potential. The pore network is heterogeneous due to processes related to deposition and diagenesis, and there are considerable spatial variations in porosity and pore connectivity. The pore system includes both macropores and micropores, and pore network variations depend on the type and distribution of authigenic cements.

An analysis of the diagenetic and porosity characteristics of core samples of the Yanchang Formation sandstones from wells in the Youfangzhuang oilfield resulted in the recognition of six petrofacies (A-F) whose characteristics allow reservoir quality to be predicted. Fluid performance analysis for selected sandstone samples using nuclear magnetic resonance combined with helium porosity and air permeability shows that high permeability and large pore throats together result in high movable fluid saturation potential, and that effective pore spaces and throats are beneficial for hydrocarbon storage and flow. Relatively higher porosity and permeability tend to occur in petrofacies B sandstones containing abundant pore-lining chlorite with lesser kaolinite and minor carbonate cements, and in petrofacies C sandstones with abundant pore-filling kaolinite cement but little chlorite and carbonate cements. These petrofacies represent the best reservoir-quality intervals.

A reservoir quality prediction model is proposed combined with the petrofacies classification framework. This model will assist future development of tight sandstone reservoirs both in the Upper Triassic Yanchang Formation in the Ordos Basin and elsewhere.

Eocene extension and magmatism in Central Iran was followed by late Eocene – early Oligocene uplift, erosion, volcanism and the deposition of the continental and evaporitic sediments of the Lower Red Formation. During the late Oligocene – early Miocene, an extensional (or transtensional) phase occurred with the deposition of the limestones and marls of the Qom Formation, followed by the evaporitic deposits or mudstones of the basal part of the Upper Red Formation. Since the late Miocene, compression has resulted in regional shortening and uplift, with the deposition of the thick, clastic-dominated upper part of the Upper Red Formation and the overlying conglomeratic unit.

Between 1951 and 2016, a total of 45 exploration, appraisal and development wells were drilled across the western part of the Central Iran Basin where the Alborz, Sarajeh and Aran fields are hydrocarbon discoveries. Traps at these fields are NW-SE oriented detachment folds formed during the late Miocene – Pliocene. Porous and fractured limestones in the Qom e-member are the principal reservoir units, and are capped by evaporites or mudstones in the basal part of the Upper Red Formation. Organic-rich mudstones in the Qom e- and c-members together with shales in the Jurassic Shemshak Formation are potential source rocks.

An overview of 80 years of exploration efforts in the western part of the Central Iran Basin suggests that the main reasons for the general lack of success include drilling-associated problems, poor reservoir characteristics, lack of hydrocarbon charge, and underestimating the thickness of the overburden on top of the Qom reservoir.

An analysis of multi-channel seismic reflection data integrating reflection tomography, pre-stack depth migration, AVO analysis, seismic modelling and seismic attribute analysis was used to investigate the Miocene – Quaternary stratigraphy of the Gulf of İzmir, western Anatolia. In this area, the east-west oriented Gediz graben intersects with the NE-SW oriented Bakırçay Graben. A velocity-depth model together with pre-stack depth migration allowed two seismic stratigraphic units (SSU1 and SSU2) to be distinguished. These units can be correlated with the stratigraphic succession at the offshore Foça-1 well and correspond to the Upper Miocene to Recent Bozköy, Ularca and Bayramiç Formations with a combined thickness of 1.75 km. The units rest on acoustic basement (SSU3) which has a basin-and-ridge morphology, and which corresponds to the Lower-Middle Miocene Yuntdağ Volcanics. A number of lateral velocity variations were identified. In particular, a ~90 m wide and ~500 m long lenticular-shaped low-velocity zone with an interval velocity of 1.68 km/s was identified in the Quaternary Bayramiç Formation. The structure is bounded by negative reflections whose amplitude increases with offset at the top and by strong positive reflections whose amplitude increases with offset at the base, interpreted as possible bright and flat spots respectively. These amplitude events point to the presence of gas-saturated sediments within the study area. The lenticular structure is bounded by strike-slip faults on either side, and by a Miocene – Pliocene unconformity surface below and by shales of the Bayramiç Formations above. It is therefore interpreted as a possible structural – stratigraphic trap. The strike-slip faults may allow the migration of hydrocarbons from source rocks located at greater depths. The presence of a low-velocity zone above the lenticular structure reaching up to seafloor may indicate the upward leakage of hydrocarbons from the trap. These observations will contribute to future hydrocarbon exploration activities in the study area.

Appraisal of the volumes of fluid in a carbonate reservoir will typically require a reliable predictive model. This can be achieved by combining studies of well-exposed carbonate successions with 3D models in order to obtain reliable quantitative data. In this paper, we present a detailed outcrop study and a 3D porosity model of a well-exposed Oligocene carbonate ramp (Salento Peninsula, southern Italy) to investigate the nature of small-scale facies and porosity heterogeneities. Porosity and permeability in the ramp carbonates appear to be controlled by the original mineralogy of skeletal components and by depositional textures. The aims of the study were therefore to identify the factors controlling porosity development in an undeformed carbonate ramp; to model the scale-dependent heterogeneities characteristic of the facies associations; and finally to produce a 3D model of the porosity distribution.

The upper Chattian Porto Badisco Calcarenite which crops out along the coast of the Salento Peninsula consists of six lithofacies ranging from inner ramp deposits to fine-grained outer ramp calcarenites. The lithofacies are: inner ramp small benthic foraminiferal wackestone-packstones associated with (i) sea grass meadows (SG) and (ii) coral mounds (CM) consisting of coral bioconstructions with a floatstone/packstone matrix; middle ramp (iii) large rotaliid packstones to wackestone-packstones (LR), (iv) rhodolith floatstone-rudstones (RF), and (v) large lepidocyclinid packstones (LL); and (vi) outer ramp fine-grained bioclastic calcarenites (FC). A total of 38 samples collected from six stratigraphic sections (A, B, D, J, E, LO), measured in the Porto Badisco ravine, were investigated to discriminate the types of porosity. Effective and total porosity was measured using a helium pycnometer. The 3D porosity modelling was performed using PETREL™ 2016 software (Schlumberger).

Four main types of porosity were recognized in the carbonates: interparticle, intraparticle, vuggy and mouldic. Primary porosity (inter- and intraparticle) is limited to middle ramp lithofacies (LL and LR) and outer ramp lithofacies (FC), whereas secondary porosity (vuggy and mouldic) was present in both inner ramp lithofacies (CM and SG) and middle ramp red algal lithofacies (RF).

In the Porto Badisco carbonates, stratigraphic complexity and the distribution of primary porosity are controlled by lateral and vertical variations in depositional facies. Significant secondary porosity was produced by the dissolution of aragonitic and high-magnesium calcite components, which are dominant in the sea-grass and coral mound facies of the inner ramp and in the rhodolith floatstone-rudstones of the middle ramp.

3D models were developed for both effective and total porosity distribution. The porosity models show a clear correlation with facies heterogeneities. However of the two models, the effective porosity model shows the best correlation with the 3D facies mo