WO1983003676A1 - Analysis of kerogens - Google Patents
Analysis of kerogens Download PDFInfo
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- WO1983003676A1 WO1983003676A1 PCT/GB1983/000114 GB8300114W WO8303676A1 WO 1983003676 A1 WO1983003676 A1 WO 1983003676A1 GB 8300114 W GB8300114 W GB 8300114W WO 8303676 A1 WO8303676 A1 WO 8303676A1
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- WO
- WIPO (PCT)
- Prior art keywords
- pyrolysis
- kerogen
- vapour
- oil
- gas
- Prior art date
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- 238000004458 analytical method Methods 0.000 title abstract description 20
- 238000000197 pyrolysis Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 62
- 238000000034 method Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 32
- -1 C12 alkane Chemical class 0.000 claims abstract description 27
- 150000001335 aliphatic alkanes Chemical class 0.000 claims abstract description 14
- 229910052500 inorganic mineral Inorganic materials 0.000 claims abstract description 11
- 239000011707 mineral Substances 0.000 claims abstract description 11
- 238000001722 flash pyrolysis Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 7
- 238000005173 quadrupole mass spectroscopy Methods 0.000 claims abstract description 3
- 238000004817 gas chromatography Methods 0.000 claims description 3
- 238000000113 differential scanning calorimetry Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 238000005979 thermal decomposition reaction Methods 0.000 claims description 2
- 239000007789 gas Substances 0.000 description 46
- 239000011435 rock Substances 0.000 description 8
- 238000010586 diagram Methods 0.000 description 7
- 230000015572 biosynthetic process Effects 0.000 description 5
- 229910052799 carbon Inorganic materials 0.000 description 5
- 238000005755 formation reaction Methods 0.000 description 5
- 239000000203 mixture Substances 0.000 description 5
- 239000005416 organic matter Substances 0.000 description 5
- 239000002243 precursor Substances 0.000 description 4
- UHOVQNZJYSORNB-UHFFFAOYSA-N Benzene Chemical compound C1=CC=CC=C1 UHOVQNZJYSORNB-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N Carbon Chemical compound [C] OKTJSMMVPCPJKN-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 3
- 230000015556 catabolic process Effects 0.000 description 3
- 238000010438 heat treatment Methods 0.000 description 3
- 229930195733 hydrocarbon Natural products 0.000 description 3
- 150000002430 hydrocarbons Chemical class 0.000 description 3
- 229910052760 oxygen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 3
- UFWIBTONFRDIAS-UHFFFAOYSA-N Naphthalene Chemical compound C1=CC=CC2=CC=CC=C21 UFWIBTONFRDIAS-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 239000012159 carrier gas Substances 0.000 description 2
- 238000006243 chemical reaction Methods 0.000 description 2
- 238000007796 conventional method Methods 0.000 description 2
- 230000002349 favourable effect Effects 0.000 description 2
- 239000006194 liquid suspension Substances 0.000 description 2
- VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N methane Chemical compound C VNWKTOKETHGBQD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- 239000002245 particle Substances 0.000 description 2
- 239000003208 petroleum Substances 0.000 description 2
- YNPNZTXNASCQKK-UHFFFAOYSA-N phenanthrene Chemical compound C1=CC=C2C3=CC=CC=C3C=CC2=C1 YNPNZTXNASCQKK-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 2
- BVKZGUZCCUSVTD-UHFFFAOYSA-L Carbonate Chemical compound [O-]C([O-])=O BVKZGUZCCUSVTD-UHFFFAOYSA-L 0.000 description 1
- MYMOFIZGZYHOMD-UHFFFAOYSA-N Dioxygen Chemical compound O=O MYMOFIZGZYHOMD-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 230000005526 G1 to G0 transition Effects 0.000 description 1
- UFHFLCQGNIYNRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Hydrogen Chemical compound [H][H] UFHFLCQGNIYNRP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 235000015076 Shorea robusta Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 244000166071 Shorea robusta Species 0.000 description 1
- UCKMPCXJQFINFW-UHFFFAOYSA-N Sulphide Chemical compound [S-2] UCKMPCXJQFINFW-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- HCHKCACWOHOZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N Zinc Chemical compound [Zn] HCHKCACWOHOZIP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 125000003118 aryl group Chemical group 0.000 description 1
- 230000001580 bacterial effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 150000001720 carbohydrates Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 235000014633 carbohydrates Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000011203 carbon fibre reinforced carbon Substances 0.000 description 1
- 150000004649 carbonic acid derivatives Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000009833 condensation Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000005494 condensation Effects 0.000 description 1
- 239000000470 constituent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 238000005336 cracking Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000001514 detection method Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005553 drilling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000000605 extraction Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000002803 fossil fuel Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011521 glass Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000001307 helium Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052734 helium Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- SWQJXJOGLNCZEY-UHFFFAOYSA-N helium atom Chemical compound [He] SWQJXJOGLNCZEY-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000001257 hydrogen Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052739 hydrogen Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
- 230000002452 interceptive effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 150000002632 lipids Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 238000004949 mass spectrometry Methods 0.000 description 1
- 238000005259 measurement Methods 0.000 description 1
- 230000000813 microbial effect Effects 0.000 description 1
- 238000003801 milling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 239000003345 natural gas Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000011368 organic material Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000003960 organic solvent Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000001301 oxygen Substances 0.000 description 1
- 102000004169 proteins and genes Human genes 0.000 description 1
- 108090000623 proteins and genes Proteins 0.000 description 1
- 238000005070 sampling Methods 0.000 description 1
- 150000004760 silicates Chemical class 0.000 description 1
- 229920002545 silicone oil Polymers 0.000 description 1
- 239000007787 solid Substances 0.000 description 1
- 239000000126 substance Substances 0.000 description 1
- 235000013311 vegetables Nutrition 0.000 description 1
- 239000004079 vitrinite Substances 0.000 description 1
- XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N water Substances O XLYOFNOQVPJJNP-UHFFFAOYSA-N 0.000 description 1
- 239000011701 zinc Substances 0.000 description 1
- 229910052725 zinc Inorganic materials 0.000 description 1
Classifications
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N33/00—Investigating or analysing materials by specific methods not covered by groups G01N1/00 - G01N31/00
- G01N33/26—Oils; Viscous liquids; Paints; Inks
- G01N33/28—Oils, i.e. hydrocarbon liquids
- G01N33/2829—Mixtures of fuels
-
- G—PHYSICS
- G01—MEASURING; TESTING
- G01N—INVESTIGATING OR ANALYSING MATERIALS BY DETERMINING THEIR CHEMICAL OR PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
- G01N31/00—Investigating or analysing non-biological materials by the use of the chemical methods specified in the subgroup; Apparatus specially adapted for such methods
- G01N31/12—Investigating or analysing non-biological materials by the use of the chemical methods specified in the subgroup; Apparatus specially adapted for such methods using combustion
Definitions
- This invention relates to the analysis of kerogen and to the use of the analysis results in the exploration for fossil fuels, particularly oil, and/or natural gas.
- Kerogen is the name given to the organic material insoluble in common organic solvents which is found finely dispersed in sedimentary deposits often in combination with soluble organic matter which will generally form a minor amount of the total organic content of the deposit: see for example Durand et al Revue De L'lnstitut Francais De Petrole XXVII 6 866 (1972). Kerogen is formed by catagenesis of once living matter over a period of several million years. In this respect Mclver (7th World Petrol Cong. Proc 1967) has pointed out that kerogen is not simple unaltered detritus but is formed from varying mixtures of simple organic precursors.
- Mclver also points out that carbohydrates, proteins, lipids etc., at or near the sediment-water interface in the recent environment, are attacked and altered in varying degree by the microbial population. Some of the products of this attack then probably undergo condensation or polymerisation to form kerogen which is substantially resistant to bacterial attack.
- Different organic precursors generate kerogens of different composition.
- the Van Krevelen diagram characterises kerogens of different types. Briefly the diagram is a plot of H/C ratio of the kerogen vs. its O/C ratio. Kerogens having a common organic precursor type, eg marine origin, vegetable origin, lie on the same line in the diagram, the diagram having different lines for kerogens from different organic precursor types. All lines converge towards the origin (pure carbon).
- Kerogen is broken down by diagenesis over a period of millions of years and the position of a particular kerogen on its line (ie the value of its H/C ratio as compared to its O/C ratio) depends on the diagenetic history of the kerogen, ie the depth at which it is buried and the temperature to which it has been subjected.
- the lines of the diagram may thus be regarded as evolution paths for the kerogens.
- Oil and/or gas will have been generated by such kerogens in an equilibrium reaction (thus leaving some of the original kerogen) and will tend to migrate from the kerogen deposits to more favourable geological locations. Consequently kerogen which has been oil or gas producing will be found in the vicinity of the oil and/or gas reservoir and in fact Tissot et al (The American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin 58 500 (1974) ) have pointed out that the chemical and physical study of the insoluble organic matter, or kerogen, is a way to characterise the various types of organic matter and thus to evaluate the oil and gas potential of the formations.
- a method of exploring for oil thus consists of sampling shale from the subsurface, to see whether it has an organic richness commensurate with commercial oil and/or gas formation and analysing the kerogen to see whether or not it has been oil producing, thus assessing the likelihood of finding gas or oil in the vicinity.
- the methods commonly used for analysing the kerogen include esr studies and measurement of the vitrinite reflectance. These methods are however time consuming and may take two days or so to yield results. The length of time taken for this analysis is a disadvantage when one considers the cost of exploration per unit time since a long delay in providing the results may result in fruitless and expensive exploration operations.
- Espitalie et al (Revue De L'lnstitut Francais Du Pet role XXXII 23-43 (1977) have described a method of analysing kerogen in which the kerogen is pyrolysed and the pyrolysis vapour is analysed by mass spectrometry to define a "hydrogen index" and an "oxygen index" for the kerogen which equate to its H/C and O/C values respectively on the Van Krevelen diagram, thus giving a measure of whether the kerogen has been oil and/or gas producing.
- We have conducted studies on kerogen samples which have been taken from the vicinity of oil and/or gas fields and which from the conventional analysis methods discussed above are known to have been oil and/or gas producing.
- kerogens which are known not have been oil and/or gas producing.
- the studies have involved pyrolysing the various kerogen samples and analysing the gaseous pyrolysis product for its alkane composition.
- the pyrolysis vapour from the oil and/ or gas producing kerogens displays an enhanced concentration of C 12 alkane.
- a method for the identification of oil and/or gas producing kerogens comprising pyrolysing a kerogen to produce a pyrolysis vapour, and analysing the pyrolysis vapour for its C 12 alkane content to determine whether or not the kerogen has been oil and/or gas producing.
- the invention also provides a method of exploring for oil and/or gas comprising taking a mineral sample from a subterranean location, pyrolysing any kerogen present in the sample to produce a pyrolysis vapour, and analysing the pyrolysis vapour for its C 12 alkane content to determine whether or not the kerogen has been oil and/or gas producing. The analysis information is then used to determine the likelihood of the presence of oil and/or gas in the vicinity of the location from which the sample was taken.
- the C 12 component of the pyrolysis vapour which is enhanced in kerogens which has been oil and/or gas producing is the C 12 n-alkane but we do not rule out the possibility that one or more branched C 12 alkanes constitute all or part of the C 12 fraction.
- One preferred method of determining whether or not the C 12 alkane component of the pyrolysis vapour is sufficiently enhanced for the kerogen to have been oil and/or gas producing is to determine the weight ratio of the C 12 alkane content of the vapour relative to the C 13 alkane content thereof.
- the C 12 alkane content of the pyrolysis vapour from kerogens which are known to be oil and/or gas producing and which are derived from a subterranean mineral samples also taken from substantially the same geographical location as the kerogens known no to be oil and/or gas producing, will be at least 1.5 and more usually at least 5 times the C 12 alkane content of the non-oil and/or non gas producing kerogens.
- the analysis results obtained on a kerogen sample by the method of the invention should be considered in terms of the organic content of the mineral sample to assess the chances of commercially viable quantities of oil and/or gas having been produced from the kerogen. If a favourable result is obtained, then full scale exploration using the conventional expensive exploration methods may commence to determine the location of the oil and/or gas. We are unable to explain with any certainty the reason as to why oil and/or gas producing kerogens give rise to a pyrolysis vapour with an enhanced C 12 alkane concentration.
- the pyrolysis is preferably a flash pyrolysis, in order to prevent the thermal reformation of active organic molecules formed during pyrolysis from interfering with the accuracy of the results obtained from the analysis.
- aromatic molecules such as benzene, naphthalene and phenanthrene may react with alkane radicals to produce substituted aromatics, thus possibly reducing the amount of alkanes which may subsequently be detected during the analysis.
- This problem is overcome by preferably maintaining the temperature of the kerogen at a maximum, pyrolysis temperature for no more than about 200 ⁇ s.
- the flash pyrolysis is preferably conducted by heating the kerogen to its pyrolysis temperature for a period of 10 ⁇ s, holding the pyrolysis temperature of the kerogen for 90 ⁇ s, and then removing the source of pyrolysis heating. Flashpyrolysis is most preferably effected at the optimum temperature for generation of the gaseous pyrolysis product. This optimum temperature may be determined using Differential Scanning Calorimetry which is a process for determining the temperature, at which thermal decomposition occurs when the sample is heated. Generally the pyrolysis temperature will be in the range of 500-650oC.
- the preferred method of analysing the gaseous pyrolysis product is by gas chromatography .
- the column of the chromatograph may be a glass tube (eg 25m long with an internal diameter of 0.1 mm and 0.1 mm thick walls) and having its walls internally coated with a silicone oil stationary phase of several molecular layers thickness.
- the oven temperature of the chromatograph will initally be in the region of 50°C and programme temperature control will be used to raise this temperature by 10°C per minute so that all products are eluted from the column.
- Helium is a suitable carrier gas.
- the chromatograph used by us is a Girdel Series 32. Gas chroraotography allows the use of small kerogen samples.
- Such samples can then be analysed using a fine bore pyrolysis tube surrounded by an electrical heating coil and located in a stream of carrier gas for passing the gaseous pyrolysis product on to the column.
- a CDS 190-Pyroprobe is suitable.
- the analysis result may be provided by a conventional recorder associated with the detection system of the gas chromatograph. More preferably however a gc-ms technique is employed, preferably using quadrapole mass spectrometry, and a computer programmed to display the relative amounts of the alkanes, and their identity, from the chromatographic column.
- the amount of C 12 alkane present in the pyrolysis vapour may be determined by assessment of the area under the peak for this fraction. In assessing areas under peaks, eg when comparing amounts of C 12 and C 13 alkanes in the pyrolysis vapour, it is necessary to take account of the fact that the base line of the chromatogram is not linear, this being due to asphaltenes and napthenes which are present in the pyrolysis vapour. Techniques for determining the relative areas of peaks in chromatograms with non-linear base lines are of course well established. A suitable quadropole mass spectrometer for use in conjunction with the gas chromatograph is the Nermag R10-10B.
- the analysis may be performed on kerogen which has been extracted from mineral components of the sample.
- a suitable extraction method is given by Mclver (loc cit), in which method the mineral component is first crushed, mixed with 1M aqueous HCL to dissolve out carbonates present in the component; thai mixed with 11M aqueous HF to dissolve out the silicates, and is finally subjected to zinc/HCL reduction to remove the sulphide and so leave kerogen as the sole remaining solid constituent.
- the kerogen is pyrolysed from rock or shale samples directly, thus greatly simplifying the analysis procedure. It is an advantage of the present invention that direct pyrolysis of rock or shale samples containing kerogen does not generally affect the accuracy of the analysis results.
- Rock or shale samples are first crushed, and then milled in a high speed rotary mill in a liquid suspension of 0.05M aqueous HCI, to produce particles that will pass through a 120 British Standard mesh.
- the particles are then dried in a vacuum oven at 30°C.
- the samples are milled to ensure their surface area is sufficiently high to allow a rapid release of pyrolysis vapour when the samples are subjected to flash pyrolysis, and we have found that this release is enhanced if a small quantity of HCI is used in the liquid suspension during milling to break ddwn the carbonate in the samples.
- the invention is illustrated by reference to Figs 1-4 of the accompanying drawings.
- Fig 1 shows the chromatogram of the pyrolysis vapour (maximum pyrolysis temperature 610°C) obtained from a rock sample containing kerogen known, from conventional methods, to have been oil and/or gas producing.
- Fig 2 shows a chromatogram for a pyrolysis vapour generated under the same conditions but for a rock sample containing kerogen known not to have been oil and/or gas producing.
- the various peaks in the chromatograms of Figs 1 and 2 are annotated to show the various alkane peaks.
- Figs 3 and 4 respectively show the ratios of the areas under the peaks shown in the chromatograms of Figs 1 and 2.
- the amount of C 12 alkane present in the pyrolysis vapour is substantially greater than the C 13 alkane amount.
- the reverse is true for the non-oil and/or gas producing kerogen, as will be seen from Fig 4.
- the advantage of the present invention is that it provides a rapid method for the analysis of kerogen to determine whether or not it has been oil and/or gas producing. With the use of gc-ms techniques as discussed above results are available within seconds of commencing the analysis run. This has obvious advantages when one considers the time and expense which may be wasted continuing the exploration of oil whilst waiting for a kerogen analysis by conventional methods.
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Abstract
A method of analysing kerogen which consists of pyrolysing the kerogen, and analysing the pyrolysis vapour produced for its C12 alkane content and optionally its C13 alkane content. The analysis can be used to identify oil and/or gas producing kerogens by measuring the weight ratio of C12 alkane to C13 alkane in the vapour, or by comparing the C12 alkane content of the vapour with that of pyrolysis vapours from non-oil and/or non-gas producing kerogens. The pyrolysis vapour is produced by flash pyrolysis, and is analysed by gas chromatography-quadrapole mass spectrometry. The method may be used to explore for oil and/or gas reserves, by pyrolysing mineral samples taken from various subterranean locations, and analysing any pyrolysis vapours produced therefrom.
Description
Analysis of Kerogens This invention relates to the analysis of kerogen and to the use of the analysis results in the exploration for fossil fuels, particularly oil, and/or natural gas.
Kerogen is the name given to the organic material insoluble in common organic solvents which is found finely dispersed in sedimentary deposits often in combination with soluble organic matter which will generally form a minor amount of the total organic content of the deposit: see for example Durand et al Revue De L'lnstitut Francais De Petrole XXVII 6 866 (1972). Kerogen is formed by catagenesis of once living matter over a period of several million years. In this respect Mclver (7th World Petrol Cong. Proc 1967) has pointed out that kerogen is not simple unaltered detritus but is formed from varying mixtures of simple organic precursors. Mclver also points out that carbohydrates, proteins, lipids etc., at or near the sediment-water interface in the recent environment, are attacked and altered in varying degree by the microbial population. Some of the products of this attack then probably undergo condensation or polymerisation to form kerogen which is substantially resistant to bacterial attack. Different organic precursors generate kerogens of different composition. The Van Krevelen diagram characterises kerogens of different types. Briefly the diagram is a plot of H/C ratio of the kerogen vs. its O/C ratio. Kerogens having a common organic precursor type, eg marine origin, vegetable origin, lie on the same line in the diagram, the diagram having different lines for kerogens from different organic precursor types. All lines converge towards the origin (pure carbon).
Kerogen is broken down by diagenesis over a period of millions of years and the position of a particular kerogen on its line (ie the value of its H/C ratio as compared to its O/C ratio) depends on the diagenetic history of the kerogen, ie the depth at which it is buried and the temperature to which it has been subjected. The lines of the diagram may thus be regarded as evolution paths for the kerogens.
It has long been known that kerogens of particular composition generate oil and/or gas upon breakdown. The first stage appears to be thermal breakdown of the kerogen, gradually at first, then more rapidly to produce hydrocarbons. This is the principal phase of oil
formation as designated by Vassoyevich et al (Ihternat. Geology Rev. 1970 121276-1296). At greater depth increased cracking of carbon-carbon bonds occurs and generates light hydrocarbons from kerogen and from previous oil as well. This is the phase of condensate and gas formation.
Commercially viable quantities of oil and/or gas are most likely to be generated from shales that contain rich deposits of organic carbon, ie amounts greater than 2-3% total organic carbon content although Mclver 7th World Petroleum Conference Proc 1967 has pointed out that any shale or fine-grained rock that contains organic matter of any kind is a potential source of hydrocarbons. If the amount of organic matter contained by the shale or rock is a few tenths of a percent, then the rock or shale is a potential source of commercial quantities of oil and gas. Moreover, limits have been defined on the Van Krevelen diagram for the H/C and O/C rations of kerogens which will have been producers of oil and/or gas. Oil and/or gas will have been generated by such kerogens in an equilibrium reaction (thus leaving some of the original kerogen) and will tend to migrate from the kerogen deposits to more favourable geological locations. Consequently kerogen which has been oil or gas producing will be found in the vicinity of the oil and/or gas reservoir and in fact Tissot et al (The American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin 58 500 (1974) ) have pointed out that the chemical and physical study of the insoluble organic matter, or kerogen, is a way to characterise the various types of organic matter and thus to evaluate the oil and gas potential of the formations.
A method of exploring for oil thus consists of sampling shale from the subsurface, to see whether it has an organic richness commensurate with commercial oil and/or gas formation and analysing the kerogen to see whether or not it has been oil producing, thus assessing the likelihood of finding gas or oil in the vicinity.
The methods commonly used for analysing the kerogen, which has generally been previously extracted from the shale sample, include esr studies and measurement of the vitrinite reflectance. These methods are however time consuming and may take two days or so to yield results. The length of time taken for this analysis is a disadvantage when one considers the cost of exploration per unit time since a long delay in
providing the results may result in fruitless and expensive exploration operations.
Espitalie et al (Revue De L'lnstitut Francais Du Pet role XXXII 23-43 (1977) have described a method of analysing kerogen in which the kerogen is pyrolysed and the pyrolysis vapour is analysed by mass spectrometry to define a "hydrogen index" and an "oxygen index" for the kerogen which equate to its H/C and O/C values respectively on the Van Krevelen diagram, thus giving a measure of whether the kerogen has been oil and/or gas producing. We have conducted studies on kerogen samples which have been taken from the vicinity of oil and/or gas fields and which from the conventional analysis methods discussed above are known to have been oil and/or gas producing. The results have been compared with those obtained for kerogens which are known not have been oil and/or gas producing. The studies have involved pyrolysing the various kerogen samples and analysing the gaseous pyrolysis product for its alkane composition. We have found that the pyrolysis vapour from the oil and/ or gas producing kerogens displays an enhanced concentration of C12 alkane. According to the present invention there is provided a method for the identification of oil and/or gas producing kerogens comprising pyrolysing a kerogen to produce a pyrolysis vapour, and analysing the pyrolysis vapour for its C12 alkane content to determine whether or not the kerogen has been oil and/or gas producing. The invention also provides a method of exploring for oil and/or gas comprising taking a mineral sample from a subterranean location, pyrolysing any kerogen present in the sample to produce a pyrolysis vapour, and analysing the pyrolysis vapour for its C12 alkane content to determine whether or not the kerogen has been oil and/or gas producing. The analysis information is then used to determine the likelihood of the presence of oil and/or gas in the vicinity of the location from which the sample was taken.
We believe that the C12 component of the pyrolysis vapour which is enhanced in kerogens which has been oil and/or gas producing is the C12 n-alkane but we do not rule out the possibility that one or more branched C12 alkanes constitute all or part of the C12 fraction. Other alkanes in the pyrolysis vapour, which may range up to C24 or more, are we believe n-alkanes.
One preferred method of determining whether or not the C12 alkane component of the pyrolysis vapour is sufficiently enhanced for the kerogen to have been oil and/or gas producing is to determine the weight ratio of the C12 alkane content of the vapour relative to the C13 alkane content thereof. In kerogen samples which are known, from other methods, to have been oil and/or gas producing, we have found this ratio to be greater than 1, whereas in kerogens known not to have been oil and/or gas producing the ratio is less than 1. Determination of the C12 : C13 weight ratio in the pyrolysis vapour thus provides a method of determining whether the kerogen has been oil and/or gas producing.
By taking mineral samples, known to contain non-oil and/or non-gas producing kerogens, from a series of subterranean locations at substantially the same geographical location (eg by drilling down through geological strata from a single well-head), and pyrolysing and analysing the kerogen in each sample under the same conditions, we have found that the C12 alkane content of the pyrolysis vapour from the kerogen in each sample remains fairly constant. Furthermore we have found that the C12 alkane content of the pyrolysis vapour from kerogens which are known to be oil and/or gas producing and which are derived from a subterranean mineral samples also taken from substantially the same geographical location as the kerogens known no to be oil and/or gas producing, will be at least 1.5 and more usually at least 5 times the C12 alkane content of the non-oil and/or non gas producing kerogens. Consequently given a knowledge of the C12 alkane levels normally found in the pyrolysis vapours of non-oil and/or non-gas producing kerogens it is possible readily to tell whether the C12 alkane fraction of the pyrolysis vapour of a particular kerogen being sampled from a subterranean location at substantially the same geographical location is sufficiently enhanced for the kerogen to have been oil and/or gas producing.
The analysis results obtained on a kerogen sample by the method of the invention should be considered in terms of the organic content of the mineral sample to assess the chances of commercially viable quantities of oil and/or gas having been produced from the kerogen. If a favourable result is obtained, then full scale exploration using the conventional expensive exploration methods may commence to determine the location of the oil and/or gas.
We are unable to explain with any certainty the reason as to why oil and/or gas producing kerogens give rise to a pyrolysis vapour with an enhanced C12 alkane concentration. It is however known that as.pointed out above, the breakdown of kerogen to form oil and/or gas is an equilibrium reaction so that a sample of kerogen which has produced oil and/or gas will contain remaining kerogen with the potential for oil and/or gas formation. We believe that the pyrolysis produces from this latter type of kerogen a vapour of similar composition to oil, which is also rich in C12 alkanes and it is for this reason that our analysis method will indicate whether or not a particular kerogen sample has or has not been a producer of oil and/or gas.
The pyrolysis is preferably a flash pyrolysis, in order to prevent the thermal reformation of active organic molecules formed during pyrolysis from interfering with the accuracy of the results obtained from the analysis. For example, at the high temperatures required for the pyrolysis of kerogen, aromatic molecules such as benzene, naphthalene and phenanthrene may react with alkane radicals to produce substituted aromatics, thus possibly reducing the amount of alkanes which may subsequently be detected during the analysis. This problem is overcome by preferably maintaining the temperature of the kerogen at a maximum, pyrolysis temperature for no more than about 200 μs. We have found that the minimum period of time the kerogen must be maintained at its pyrolysis temperature to ensure sufficient pyrolysis vapour is generated, is about 90 μs. Accordingly, the flash pyrolysis is preferably conducted by heating the kerogen to its pyrolysis temperature for a period of 10 μs, holding the pyrolysis temperature of the kerogen for 90 μs, and then removing the source of pyrolysis heating. Flashpyrolysis is most preferably effected at the optimum temperature for generation of the gaseous pyrolysis product. This optimum temperature may be determined using Differential Scanning Calorimetry which is a process for determining the temperature, at which thermal decomposition occurs when the sample is heated. Generally the pyrolysis temperature will be in the range of 500-650ºC.
The preferred method of analysing the gaseous pyrolysis product is by gas chromatography .
The column of the chromatograph may be a glass tube (eg 25m long with an internal diameter of 0.1 mm and 0.1 mm thick walls) and having its walls internally coated with a silicone oil stationary phase of several molecular layers thickness. Preferably the oven temperature of the chromatograph will initally be in the region of 50°C and programme temperature control will be used to raise this temperature by 10°C per minute so that all products are eluted from the column. Helium is a suitable carrier gas.
The chromatograph used by us is a Girdel Series 32. Gas chroraotography allows the use of small kerogen samples.
Such samples can then be analysed using a fine bore pyrolysis tube surrounded by an electrical heating coil and located in a stream of carrier gas for passing the gaseous pyrolysis product on to the column. A CDS 190-Pyroprobe is suitable. The analysis result may be provided by a conventional recorder associated with the detection system of the gas chromatograph. More preferably however a gc-ms technique is employed, preferably using quadrapole mass spectrometry, and a computer programmed to display the relative amounts of the alkanes, and their identity, from the chromatographic column.
In any analysis of the chromatographic results, the amount of C12 alkane present in the pyrolysis vapour may be determined by assessment of the area under the peak for this fraction. In assessing areas under peaks, eg when comparing amounts of C12 and C13 alkanes in the pyrolysis vapour, it is necessary to take account of the fact that the base line of the chromatogram is not linear, this being due to asphaltenes and napthenes which are present in the pyrolysis vapour. Techniques for determining the relative areas of peaks in chromatograms with non-linear base lines are of course well established. A suitable quadropole mass spectrometer for use in conjunction with the gas chromatograph is the Nermag R10-10B.
The analysis may be performed on kerogen which has been extracted from mineral components of the sample. A suitable extraction method is given by Mclver (loc cit), in which method the mineral component is first crushed, mixed with 1M aqueous HCL to dissolve out carbonates present in the component; thai mixed with 11M aqueous HF to dissolve out the silicates, and is finally subjected to zinc/HCL reduction to remove the sulphide and so leave kerogen as the sole remaining solid
constituent. preferably, however, the kerogen is pyrolysed from rock or shale samples directly, thus greatly simplifying the analysis procedure. It is an advantage of the present invention that direct pyrolysis of rock or shale samples containing kerogen does not generally affect the accuracy of the analysis results. Rock or shale samples are first crushed, and then milled in a high speed rotary mill in a liquid suspension of 0.05M aqueous HCI, to produce particles that will pass through a 120 British Standard mesh. The particles are then dried in a vacuum oven at 30°C. The samples are milled to ensure their surface area is sufficiently high to allow a rapid release of pyrolysis vapour when the samples are subjected to flash pyrolysis, and we have found that this release is enhanced if a small quantity of HCI is used in the liquid suspension during milling to break ddwn the carbonate in the samples. The invention is illustrated by reference to Figs 1-4 of the accompanying drawings. Fig 1 shows the chromatogram of the pyrolysis vapour (maximum pyrolysis temperature 610°C) obtained from a rock sample containing kerogen known, from conventional methods, to have been oil and/or gas producing. Fig 2 shows a chromatogram for a pyrolysis vapour generated under the same conditions but for a rock sample containing kerogen known not to have been oil and/or gas producing. The various peaks in the chromatograms of Figs 1 and 2 are annotated to show the various alkane peaks. Figs 3 and 4 respectively show the ratios of the areas under the peaks shown in the chromatograms of Figs 1 and 2. It will be seen from Fig 3 that the amount of C12 alkane present in the pyrolysis vapour (as represented by the area under the C12 alkane peak) is substantially greater than the C13 alkane amount. The reverse is true for the non-oil and/or gas producing kerogen, as will be seen from Fig 4. The advantage of the present invention is that it provides a rapid method for the analysis of kerogen to determine whether or not it has been oil and/or gas producing. With the use of gc-ms techniques as discussed above results are available within seconds of commencing the analysis run. This has obvious advantages when one considers the time and expense which may be wasted continuing the exploration of oil whilst waiting for a kerogen analysis by conventional methods.
Claims
Claims
1. A method for the identification of oil and/or gas producing kerogens comprising pyrolysing a kerogen to produce a pyrolysis vapour and analysing said vapour to determine whether or not the kerogen has been oil and/or gas producing, characterised in that the pyrolysis vapour is analysed for its C12 alkane content.
2. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the C12 alkane content of the pyrolysis vapour is subsequently compared with the C12 alkane content of a second pyrolysis vapour, produced by a non-oil and/or non-gas producing kerogen, to determine their weight ratio.
3. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the pyrolysis vapour is also analysed for its C13 alkane content, and the C12 alkane content of the pyrolysis vapour is subsequently compared with the C13 alkane content of the pyrolysis vapour to determine their weight ratio. km A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the pyrolysis vapour is produced by flash pyrolysis.
5. A method according to claim 4 characterised in that the maximum temperature of the kerogen during the flash pyrolysis is maintained for between 90 and 200 micro-seconds.
6. A method according to claim 5 characterised in that the maximum temperature is the temperature at which thermal decomposition of the pyrolysis vapour, as determined by Differential Scanning Calorimetry, occurs.
7. A method according to claim 1 characterised in that the pyrolysis vapour is analysed by gas chromatography.
8. A method according to claim 7 characterised in that the pyrolysis vapour is analysed by gas chromatography - quadrapole mass spectrometry.
9. A method of exploring for oil and/or gas comprising taking a mineral sample from a subterranean location, pyrolysing any kerogen present in said sample to produce a pyrolysis vapour, and analysing said vapour to determine whether or not the kerogen has been oil and/or gas producing, characterised in the pyrolysis gas is analysed for its C12 alkane content.
10. A method according to claim 9 characterised in that the C12 alkane content of the pyrolysis gas, produced from any kerogen present in the mineral sample, is subsequently compared with the C12 alkane content of
a second pyrolysis vapour, produced by a non-oil and/or non-gas producing kerogen from a mineral sample taken from a second subterranean location at substantially the same geographical location, to determine their weight ratio.
11. A method according to claim 9 characterised in that the pyrolysis gas, produced from any kerogen present in the mineral sample, is also analysed for its C13 alkane content, and the C12 alkane content of the pyrolysis vapour is subsequently compared with the C13 alkane content of the pyrolysis vapour to determine their weight ratio.
Applications Claiming Priority (2)
Application Number | Priority Date | Filing Date | Title |
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GB8211358 | 1982-04-20 | ||
GB8211358820420 | 1982-04-20 |
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WO1983003676A1 true WO1983003676A1 (en) | 1983-10-27 |
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Family Applications (1)
Application Number | Title | Priority Date | Filing Date |
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PCT/GB1983/000114 WO1983003676A1 (en) | 1982-04-20 | 1983-04-19 | Analysis of kerogens |
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WO (1) | WO1983003676A1 (en) |
Cited By (8)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4629702A (en) * | 1984-10-04 | 1986-12-16 | Mobil Oil Corporation | Method for classifying the sedimentary kerogen for oil source |
GB2223184A (en) * | 1988-09-13 | 1990-04-04 | Dow Chemical Co | Multidimensional chromatographic system |
US5240604A (en) * | 1988-09-13 | 1993-08-31 | The Dow Chemical Company | Multidimensional chromatographic system |
WO2010057943A2 (en) * | 2008-11-20 | 2010-05-27 | Basf Se | Analysis system for fuel analysis |
US8352228B2 (en) | 2008-12-23 | 2013-01-08 | Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company | Method for predicting petroleum expulsion |
US9552462B2 (en) | 2008-12-23 | 2017-01-24 | Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company | Method for predicting composition of petroleum |
CN108896592A (en) * | 2018-08-27 | 2018-11-27 | 中国石油天然气股份有限公司 | Shale oil ground in-situ heats kerogenic test method and device in upgrading processes |
US10627407B2 (en) | 2015-03-12 | 2020-04-21 | Mars, Incorporated | Ultra high resolution mass spectrometry and methods of using the same |
Families Citing this family (1)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
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RU2485495C2 (en) * | 2011-07-20 | 2013-06-20 | Открытое акционерное общество "Сургутнефтегаз" | Method to determine kerogen content in rocks and its parameters |
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DE1175464B (en) * | 1959-04-08 | 1964-08-06 | Oemv Ag | Method for differential thermal analysis of soil samples |
US3305317A (en) * | 1963-04-19 | 1967-02-21 | Mobil Oil Corp | Method for prospecting for petroleum |
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FR2260799A1 (en) * | 1974-02-08 | 1975-09-05 | Inst Francais Du Petrole | Rapid determination of hydrocarbons in small geological samples - by heating and measuring the amt of hydrocarbons evolved |
FR2269081A2 (en) * | 1974-04-23 | 1975-11-21 | Inst Francais Du Petrole | Petroleum production potential - rapid determination from analysis of pyrolysis products |
US4106908A (en) * | 1977-04-12 | 1978-08-15 | Labofina S.A. | Method for the determination of the organic carbon content in mineral-containing materials |
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1983
- 1983-04-19 EP EP19830901216 patent/EP0105891A1/en not_active Withdrawn
- 1983-04-19 WO PCT/GB1983/000114 patent/WO1983003676A1/en not_active Application Discontinuation
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DE1175464B (en) * | 1959-04-08 | 1964-08-06 | Oemv Ag | Method for differential thermal analysis of soil samples |
US3305317A (en) * | 1963-04-19 | 1967-02-21 | Mobil Oil Corp | Method for prospecting for petroleum |
US3480396A (en) * | 1965-12-01 | 1969-11-25 | Mobil Oil Corp | Geochemical exploration |
FR2260799A1 (en) * | 1974-02-08 | 1975-09-05 | Inst Francais Du Petrole | Rapid determination of hydrocarbons in small geological samples - by heating and measuring the amt of hydrocarbons evolved |
FR2269081A2 (en) * | 1974-04-23 | 1975-11-21 | Inst Francais Du Petrole | Petroleum production potential - rapid determination from analysis of pyrolysis products |
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Cited By (11)
Publication number | Priority date | Publication date | Assignee | Title |
---|---|---|---|---|
US4629702A (en) * | 1984-10-04 | 1986-12-16 | Mobil Oil Corporation | Method for classifying the sedimentary kerogen for oil source |
GB2223184A (en) * | 1988-09-13 | 1990-04-04 | Dow Chemical Co | Multidimensional chromatographic system |
GB2223184B (en) * | 1988-09-13 | 1992-07-15 | Dow Chemical Co | A multidimensional chromatographic system |
US5240604A (en) * | 1988-09-13 | 1993-08-31 | The Dow Chemical Company | Multidimensional chromatographic system |
WO2010057943A2 (en) * | 2008-11-20 | 2010-05-27 | Basf Se | Analysis system for fuel analysis |
WO2010057943A3 (en) * | 2008-11-20 | 2010-10-21 | Basf Se | Analysis system for fuel analysis |
US8352228B2 (en) | 2008-12-23 | 2013-01-08 | Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company | Method for predicting petroleum expulsion |
US9552462B2 (en) | 2008-12-23 | 2017-01-24 | Exxonmobil Upstream Research Company | Method for predicting composition of petroleum |
US10627407B2 (en) | 2015-03-12 | 2020-04-21 | Mars, Incorporated | Ultra high resolution mass spectrometry and methods of using the same |
CN108896592A (en) * | 2018-08-27 | 2018-11-27 | 中国石油天然气股份有限公司 | Shale oil ground in-situ heats kerogenic test method and device in upgrading processes |
CN108896592B (en) * | 2018-08-27 | 2021-01-01 | 中国石油天然气股份有限公司 | Method and device for testing kerogen in shale oil underground in-situ heating modification process |
Also Published As
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