BEng (Hons) Petroleum Engineering

Course: Introduction To Petroleum Engineering Instructor Dr. Tarek Darwich

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering

Course Outlines:
What is Petroleum Engineering? The Life Cycle of Oil and Gas projects, Origin, formation and accumulation of Petroleum, Oil & Gas Exploration, Appraisal of Oil & Gas Discoveries, Development of Oil & Gas Discoveries, Producing Oil & Gas Fields, Transportation of Oil & Gas, The Petroleum Industry & the Environment, Petroleum Economics.
Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering

What is the Petroleum System?

The essential elements of a petroleum system are:
Source Rock Reservoir Rock Seal Rock Overburden Rock

Petroleum System have two processes:

Trap formation Genersation, migration and accumulation of hydrocarbons.

These processes are very inefficient. It was estimated in some basins that ration between hydrocarbon accumulations in reservoirs and the amount of petroleum generated is usually less than 15%.

Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering The Petroleum System

Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering The Petroleum System

Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering

What is the Petroleum System?

A Petroleum System can be identified at three levels of certainty:
known hypothetical Speculative

To identify a petroleum system, the explorationist must find some petroleum. Any quantity of petroleum(no matter how small) is a proof of a petroleum system.
An oil or gas seep A show of oil or gas in a well

Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering Hydrocarbon Seepage

Natural Gas Seep in Chimaera, Turkey

Natural Oil Seeps in Kurdistan, Northern Iraq

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Introduction to Petroleum Engineering Hydrocarbon Seepage

Oil Seepages

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Introduction to Petroleum Engineering

The Source Rock

A rock containing Sufficient organic matter of suitable chemical composition to biogenically or thermally generate and expel Petroleum.
The relative ability of a source rock to generate oil and gas is dictated by:
The quantity of organic matter (total organic carbon or TOC) The quality or type of the organic matter (the hydrogen content) Thermal maturity of the organic matter

TOC is reported in wt% carbon (e.g. 1 wt% carbon means in 100 gm of rock there is one gram of carbon)

Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering

The Source Rock

The Green Point Shale (Newfoundland) has a TOC of 8 to 10% And up to 50 m in thickness
Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering

The Reservoir Rock

A subsurface volume of rock that has sufficient porosity and permeability to permit the migration and accumulation of petroleum under adequate trap conditions.
Porosity: is a measure of how much of a rock is an open space. The space can be between grains or within cracks or cavities Permeability: is a measure of the ease with which a fluid can move through a porous rock.

Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering Reservoir Rocks

Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering Reservoir Rocks

Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering

The Seal Rock

A shale or other impervious rock that acts as a barrier to the passage of petroleum migrating in the sub-surface.
Also known as a cap rock or roof rock.

Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering

The Overburden Rock

Overlies the source rock and contributes to its thermal maturation because of higher temperature at greater depth.

Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering Hydrocarbon Traps

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Introduction to Petroleum Engineering Hydrocarbon Traps

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Introduction to Petroleum Engineering Hydrocarbon Traps

Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering Hydrocarbon Traps

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Introduction to Petroleum Engineering The Hydrocarbon Accumulations

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Introduction to Petroleum Engineering The Migration Process

Year 2012 - 2013

Introduction to Petroleum Engineering The Petroleum System

Year 2012 - 2013