Introduction to

Petroleum
Geology
Petroleum Geology
 Refers to the specific set of geological disciplines that
are applied to the search for hydrocarbon (petroleum).

 Petra – means rock (Greek)

 Oleum – means oil (Latin)
 Varied forms: liquid petroleum, crude, natural gas,
and natural asphalts
 All contains H and C elements - Hydrocarbons
 Color: green, yellow, black or brown
 Sulfur content:
 Sweet crude oil – w/ little sulfur
content
 Ex. Oil produced from Matinloc and
Cadlao
 Sour crude oil – w/ high sulfur
content
Origin of Petroleum
Organic Theory
 Hydrocarbon were derived from the geochemical
conversion of organic matter and material in time
through the agents of temperature and pressure
250 million years ago–
during the dinosaur
 Thickening of Sediments
(air, volcanism, stream overflow, erosion)
Increase in pressure and temperature - cooking
Petroleum - 120degC
Gas –needs greater to cook. But excesive heat will destroy oil and gas
structure
sediments

120degC
Spill

Source rock
 Oil and Gas are found in the
Oil tiny pore spaces within the rock
formation.

Water

Spill Reservoir rocks

Caprock
Accumulation of Petroleum
 SOURCE ROCK
 MIGRATION
 RESERVOIR ROCK
 TRAP OR SEAL
 PROPER TIMING
Source Rocks
 Is a stratigraphic interval that contains
organic material that generates
hydrocarbons when buried within the
subsurface at certain thermal condition.
 Fine-grained rocks, usually dark in color
because of its organic content
 Ex. Shale, Siltstone, Claystone, Carbonate
and Coal
Source Rock Formation
Living Organic Matter

Dead Organic Matter

D Biological Activity and

i Preservation
a
g Sedimentary Organic Matter
e
Basin Subsidence and Deep
n Burial
e
s
i Deep Sedimentary Organic Matter
s
Source Rock
Source Rock
 Shale - ave. TOC 2.2%
 Calcareous Shale - ave .TOC 1.9%
 Carbonate - ave. TOC 0.7%
 Coal - high TOC
 Immature Coal - 60-62%
 Partly Mature Coal - 70%
 Mature Coal - 80%
 Antracite - 90%
Total Organic Carbon
 <0.5% TOC
 Lean to poor source rock
 Oxidized facies with poor kerogen quality
 0.5 to 1.0 % TOC
 Fair source rock
 1.0 to 2.0 % TOC
 Moderate source rock
 2.0 to 5.0% TOC
 Good source Rock
 >5.0 % TOC
 Excellent / very good / rich source rock
Migration
 Is the expulsion of the hydrocarbon out of the source
rock and movement of oil and gas though permeable
zones towards a suitable reservoir and trap
 Primary
 Secondary Migration
 Lateral

 Vertical

 Tertiary Migration
Reservoir Rock
 Is a porous and permeable rock unit capable
of storing hydrocarbons
 Ex . Limestones and Sandstones
 What makes a rock a
“Petroleum Reservoir”
 Porous Rock
Porosity (φ) – measure of pore or void spaces in the
rock (% volume)

 Oil/Gas in the pores

 Mobility of Oil/Gas
Permeability (K) – measure of the ability of a rock to
transmit fluid (mD or Darcy)
MEASUREMENT
 Porosity
 Directly come core sample
 Indirectly using wireline
log
 Density log

 Sonic / acoustic log

 Neutron log

 Permeability
 Directly from core samples
Limiting factors of Permeability
in rocks
 Low permeability K<100mD
 Well productivity
 Water/gas coning

 High permeability K> 1000mD

 Process facility
 Well design
Reservoir rock
 Sandstone
 25 -40% primary φ
 Ultimate φ is half or more

 Limestone / Dolomite / Chalk

 40-70% primary φ
 Ultimate φ approached 0
Trap
Is a rock geometry or structure
capable of confining hydrocarbon
 Structural
 Stratigraphic
 Combination
Trapping Mechanism
 Structural - accumulate oil and gas due to their
general shape or configuration

 Stratigraphic - more subtle, and owe their origin to

abrupt changes in the composition and other
characteristics of sedimentary rocks

 Combination - In nature, we may also find

combinations of these trapping mechanisms,
sometimes giving rise . to multiple target horizons
at a single prospect location.
 Structural traps – anticlines, folds, fault or extensional
structures
 Stratigraphic traps – reef build up, stacked sand bars,
stacked sand channels, mud or salt diapir
Faulting causing Malampaya
reservoir breaks
footw
all
hanging
wall
3D data NW
Palawan (2002)

East
Kalimanta
East
Kalimantan,
n,
Indonesia Indonesia
Seal
Impermeable rock unit capable of
holding back trap column of
hydrocarbon
Ex. Shale, Evaporite, Dense
carbonate
Seal
 Shale (65%)
 Dominant seal
 Evaporites (33%)
 Efficient seal
 Often seals of carbonate reservoirs
 Dense carbonates (2%)
Proper Timing
Timing in the development of:
Source rock and oil generation
Available reservoir rock
Trap and seal (cap rock) in place
during oil migration and
accumulation
 Density difference among oil, gas and water.
 Natural gas – lightest
 Water – heaviest
 Oil – accumulate in between
water and natural gas
Pre-drilling
Exploration
Goal
 Identify hydrocarbon prospects for drilling activities

 This involves the definition of traps: their location,

geometry, and relationship in time and space to source
rocks and hydrocarbon migration

 Types: Geological and Geophysical Exploration

SUSPICIONS

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Geological Survey
 Initial step is to gather as much information as
possible – checking areal photographs
 Field geological survey range from reconnaissance to
very detailed studies of an area, depending on the type
of data and scale of information required
 Reconnaissance geological mapping is carried out to
obtain basic regional information on the gross features
of the sedimentary basin
 More detailed studies are specifically geared towards
understanding various characteristics of the basin
Geological Studies & Analogues
 Presence of mature and distribution of source rock
 Porosity and permeability of reservoir rock
 Detailed reservoir framework
 Frequency, orientation and geological history of
the fractures and sub-seismic faults
 Lateral continuity of sands and shales
Geophysical Surveys
 Airborne Magnetics
 Give some idea of the nature and depth of strata
depending on their density
 useful reconnaissance tool to define the limits of the
sedimentary infill.
 Able to detect igneous and is thus a useful tool in
determining the basement configuration in an area
 Gravity
 Gives an idea of the depth distribution of crystalline
terrains which have no chance of containing oil
 used to distinguish between sedimentary basins and the
underlying basement.
 Seismic survey
 most useful geophysical tool for hydrocarbon
exploration especially for offshore areas
 provides the most accurate evidence for subsurface
structures
 it employs artificially generated sound waves which are
reflected and refracted at each successively deeper rock
layer. The reflected signals are recorded on magnetic
tapes and sent to a processing center where the
computer draws the cross section of the locality across
which the seismic line was shot
Seismic data
Seismic cross-section (NW Palawan)

seafloor

2.0 s

3.0 s

Subsurface geology
Uses of Seismic Data
 Determine structures and stratigraphic traps
 Field appraisal and development
 Reserve estimation
 Formulation of field development plans
 Reservoir surveillance purposes
 Observing movement of contacts
 Distribution of reservoir fluids
 Changes in pressure
Prospect Evaluation
 A drilling prospect is a geological and/or
geophysical indication of an anomalous condition
which is favorable for the existence of an
economical subsurface accumulation of
hydrocarbons
Evaluation of Economic Viability
of a Prospect
 Establish the basis of a prospect
 Check the geological and/or seismic viability of the
prospect
 Estimate the amount of reserves expected to be
recovered from the prospect
 Understanding the deal acquisition cost
 Estimate the cost to drill