What is Your Problem Related to?
Conventional Oil-Gas Resource
Exploration and Appraisal
Development and Production
Un-Conventional Oil-Gas Resource
Appraisal, Development and Production
Conventional Resources - Exploration
Conventional Resources – Exploration
The value of Exploration Geochemistry during Conventional Oil & Gas Exploration comes from addressing questions such as:
- Is there a working petroleum system?
- Is there a source rock (SR), what are the SR characteristics and maturity – Input SR parameters for basin models; Calibration of results from basin models; Integration with geological models.
- Are there hydrocarbon indicators for petroleum charge and processes of petroleum expulsion, migration and accumulation?
- What is the likely fluid type* (oil, gas) of possible accumulation(s)?
- Is there a commercial hydrocarbon accumulation?
- What are the Risks for processes that could alter or deteriorate reservoir fluid properties and value of the asset, e.g., biodegradation, thermochemical sulfate reduction (TSR) and H2S?
Drilling a discovery exploration well marks a transition to appraisal stage.
Conventional Resources – Appraisal
Exploration Geochemistry could address some of the main questions during conventional Oil & Gas Appraisal:
- What is the fluid type* (oil, gas) and fluid properties of the accumulation(s)?
- Are there additional reservoirs and traps?
- What is the reservoir connectivity (static conditions)?
- Are there any indications of post-accumulation in-reservoir alteration processes (e.g., biodegradation, water washing, leakage, charge mixing, compositional grading, tar/solid bitumen, potential for wax/asphaltene problems) that could impact the fluid properties and value of the asset?
Conventional Resources – Development & Production
Reservoir and Production geochemistry refers to applications of geochemistry to development and production.
Some of the main applications of reservoir and production geochemistry include:
- Reservoir compartmentalization
- Reservoir surveillance – e.g., origin of fluid leakage in well equipment, time-lapse geochemistry to monitor and predict changes in reservoir behavior such as reservoir barrier breakdown, water breakthrough, wax-asphaltene problems.
- Production allocation of commingled reservoirs
Un-Conventional Resources – Appraisal, Development & Production
Un-Conventional Resources – Appraisal, Development & Production
The applications of geochemistry during these stages are a creative combination of exploration, reservoir and production geochemistry techniques integrated with basin modeling results. For example:
- Source rock and oil/gas characterization to evaluate the resource and STOIIP.
- Identify sweet spots and guide geo-steering of the wells.
- Differentiate regions of oil vs gas dominant production.
- Rock frackability and chemostratigraphic correlations.
- Fractured zones detection.
- Origin of non-hydrocarbon gases such as H2S and CO2.
- Need to use biocides for completion fluids to prevent souring.
- Origin of produced waters.
- Scale, wax, asphaltene deposits in well and production equipment.
- Environmental issues.
