Organic and mineral matter changes due to oil generation, saturation and expulsion processes based on artificial maturation experiments

Hydrous pyrolysis experiments were conducted on immature organic-rich rock with type-I kerogen to evaluate petroleum generation, saturation and expulsion processes. The experiments were carried out under isothermal conditions at ten different temperatures (280° through 360°C) for nine different time spans between 18 and 144h. Rock samples recovered from the experiments were analyzed for total organic carbon (TOC–weight%), Rock-Eval pyrolysis, vitrinite reflectance (Ro%), spectral fluorescence and visual characterization of organic matter under the microscopy. TOC, S2 and HI tend to decrease with increasing temperature and duration of the experiments as expected. The Ro% values reach up to 1.14% in the most severe experiment (i.e. 360°C/96h). The Ro% is believed to be suppressed due to hydrogen incorporation from bitumen. The bitumen production was observed with the increase of transformation index (TI) and two types of bitumen were differentiated by fluorescence color. The bitumen with yellow fluorescence was mainly composed of saturate and aromatic hydrocarbons that were probably generated earlier than the bitumen with brown fluorescence which is rich in NSO compounds. The greatest bitumen saturation occurs at TI around of 41% to 45%, when the S1 reaches its highest values. The decrease of bitumen saturation and consequent oil expulsion is marked by a reduction in S1 values and fluorescence color. This phenomenon occurs simultaneously with the development of fractures and voids in the mineral matrix which reduces the oil retention capability and facilitates the expulsion process. These observations enhanced the understanding of oil generation and saturation processes, as well as primary migration, expulsion and type of generated bitumen.

[1]  M. Lewan,et al.  Role of water in hydrocarbon generation from Type-I kerogen in Mahogany oil shale of the Green River Formation , 2011 .

[2]  F. A. D. Silva,et al.  Organic facies of the Oligocene lacustrine system in the Cenozoic Taubaté basin, Southern Brazil , 2010 .

[3]  Herbert Abraham,et al.  Asphalts and Allied Substances, Their Occurrence, Modes of Production, Uses in the Arts and Methods of Testing , 2010 .

[4]  J. M. Filho,et al.  Fácies orgânica: conceitos, métodos e estudos de casos na indústria do petróleo , 2008 .

[5]  C. Largeau,et al.  Kerogen origin, evolution and structure , 2007 .

[6]  M. Lewan,et al.  The influence of extractable organic matter on vitrinite reflectance suppression: A survey of kerogen and coal types , 2007 .

[7]  R. Tyson.  Calibration of hydrogen indices with microscopy: A review, reanalysis and new results using the fluorescence scale , 2006 .

[8]  J. J. Pis,et al.  Evaluation of the combustion behaviour of perhydrous coals by thermal analysis , 2005 .

[9]  Antônio Donizette de Oliveira,et al.  NOVO MÉTODO DE PREPARAÇÃO PALINOLÓGICA PARA AUMENTAR A RECUPERAÇÃO DE DINOFLAGELADOS , 2004 .

[10]  F. Behar,et al.  Rock-Eval 6 Technology: Performances and Developments , 2001 .

[11]  A. Carr.  SUPPRESSION AND RETARDATION OF VITRINITE REFLECTANCE, PART 2. DERIVATION AND TESTING OF A KINETIC MODEL FOR SUPPRESSION , 2000 .

[12]  A. Carr.  SUPPRESSION AND RETARDATION OF VITRINITE REFLECTANCE, PART 1. FORMATION AND SIGNIFICANCE FOR HYDROCARBON GENERATION , 2000 .

[13]  A. Petrov,et al.  Advances in Organic Geochemistry. , 1999 .

[14]  M. Lewan.  Experiments on the role of water in petroleum formation , 1997 .

[15]  J. Hunt,et al.  Petroleum Geochemistry and Geology , 1995 .

[16]  S. Derenne,et al.  Closed pyrolyses of the isoprenoid algaenan of Botryococcus braunii, L race: Geochemical implications for derived kerogens , 1995 .

[17]  R. Tyson.  Sedimentary Organic Matter , 1995 .

[18]  M. Lewan,et al.  Feasibility Study of Material-Balance Assessment of Petroleum from the New Albany Shale in the Illinois Basin , 1995 .

[19]  P. Mukhopadhyay.  Vitrinite Reflectance as Maturity Parameter: Petrographic and Molecular Characterization and Its Applications to Basin Modeling , 1994 .

[20]  F. Laggoun‐Défarge,et al.  Petrographic and Geochemical Anomalies Detected in Spanish Jurassic Jet , 1994 .

[21]  M. Lewan.  Assessing Natural Oil Expulsion from Source Rocks by Laboratory Pyrolysis: Chapter 11: Part III. Processes , 1994 .

[22]  B. Alpern,et al.  Detection and evaluation of hydrocarbons in source rocks by fluorescence microscopy , 1993 .

[23]  M. Bordenave.  Applied Petroleum Geochemistry , 1993 .

[24]  S. Macko,et al.  Organic geochemistry : principles and applications , 1993 .

[25]  M. Lewan.  Laboratory Simulation of Petroleum Formation , 1993 .

[26]  L. Magoon,et al.  The Petroleum System: From Source to Trap , 1994 .

[27]  L. Martinez,et al.  A new calibration procedure for fluorescence measurements of sedimentary organic matter , 1991 .

[28]  M. Lewan.  [3]6 Primary Oil Migration and Expulsion as Determined by Hydrous Pyrolysis , 1991 .

[29]  M. Lewan,et al.  Reflectance of vitrinite-like macerals as a thermal maturity index for Cambrian-Ordovician Alum Shale, southern Scandinavia , 1990 .

[30]  C. Riccomini.  O Rift Continental do Sudeste do Brasil , 1990 .

[31]  H. Jacob.  Classification, structure, genesis and practical importance of natural solid oil bitumen (“migrabitumen”) , 1989 .

[32]  D. Welte,et al.  Petroleum Formation and Occurrence , 1989 .

[33]  P. Robert.  Organic Metamorphism and Geothermal History: Microscopic Study of Organic Matter and Thermal Evolution of Sedimentary Basins , 1987 .

[34]  M. Lewan.  Petrographic study of primary petroleum migration in the Woodford Shale and related rock units , 1987 .

[35]  J. Espitalie.  Use of Tmax as a maturation index for different types of organic matter: comparison with vitrinite reflectance , 1986 .

[36]  S. Talukdar,et al.  Generation and migration of hydrocarbons in the Maracaibo basin, Venezuela: An integrated basin study , 1985 .

[37]  J. Curiale.  Origin of solid bitumens, with emphasis on biological marker results , 1986 .

[38]  J. Espitalie,et al.  La pyrolyse Rock-Eval et ses applications. Première partie. , 1985 .

[39]  M. Lewan.  Evaluation of petroleum generation by hydrous phrolysis experimentation , 1985, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series A, Mathematical and Physical Sciences.

[40]  Leigh C. Price and Charles E. Bark.  SUPPRESSION OF VITRINITE REFLECTANCE IN AMORPHOUS RICH KEROGEN --A MAJOR UNRECOGNIZED PROBLEM , 1985 .

[41]  W. Kalkreuth.  Rank and Petrographic Composition of Selected Jurassic - Lower Cretaceous Coals of British Columbia, Canada , 1982 .

[42]  J. Brooks,et al.  Organic maturation studies and fossil fuel exploration , 1981 .

[43]  A. Cook,et al.  Influence of alginite on the reflectance of vitrinite from Joadja, NSW, and some other coals and oil shales containing alginite , 1980 .

[44]  M. Lewan,et al.  Generation of Oil-Like Pyrolyzates from Organic-Rich Shales , 1979, Science.

[45]  James N. Kremer,et al.  Applications and Limitations , 1978 .

[46]  Herbert. Abraham.  Historical review and natural raw materials , 1960 .