Source Rock Geochemistry

by
Adeeb Ahmed
 Rock Samples
Work flow- (Core/Cuttings)

Geochemical Sample Preparation

analysis (Washing / Crushing / Pulverisation /
Contamination removal / Drying,
Decarbonisation for TOC etc.)

Screening Analysis

Pyrolysis (Isothermal) Total Organic Carbon Organic Petrography

By Rock Eval 6 (S1, S2, S3, %TOC determination by For Kerogen Type &
Tmax, HI, OI, GP) LECO CS-300 Maturity

Extractable Organic Matter (EOM)

Soxhlet extraction

Liquid Column Chromatography

GC-FID for C15+ (Saturated HCs) GC-FID

NSO Compounds
(Aromatic Compounds)

GC-MS GC-MS
(SAT HCs: Steranes/Hopanes) (ARO Comp: Naphthalenes,
phenanthrenes, DBTs)
 Total Organic Carbon (TOC)

% TOC Descriptive
% TOC
Shales Term
Carbonates

0.00 - 0.50 0.00 - 0.12 Poor

0.50 - 1.00 0.12 - 0.25 Fair
1.00 - 2.00 0.25 - 0.50 Good
2.00 - 4.00 0.50 - 1.00 Very Good
4.00 - 1.00 - Excellent
8.00+ 2.00+
(Values expressed as a weight percent)
 Rock-Eval “Pyrogram”
S4
S2 650oC
Temperature trace
(nonisothermal
at 25oC/min) S3

S1 Yield

300oC

Tmax
Time (mins.)
 Rock-Eval Parameters

• S1: free oil content in source or reservoir rock vaporized at 300oC

(mg HC/g R)
• S2: remaining potential to generate hydrocarbons by cracking kerogen
using programmed pyrolysis from 300-600oC usually at 25oC/min (mg
HC/g R)
• Tmax: the temperature of maximum evolution of S2 hydrocarbons; a
kerogen-type dependent indication of thermal maturity (oC)
• S3: by definition organic carbon dioxide evolved between 300-390oC
(mg CO2/g R)
• S4: residual carbon from oxidation of dead carbon remaining after
pyrolysis; oxidation proceeds at ca. 580oC for 12 mins. No carbonate
carbon since already removed.
Rock-Eval Ratios

• HI: hydrogen index - relative hydrogen content –

an indication of oil or gas potential (0.1g HC/g
TOC)
• OI: oxygen index - relative oxygen content (0.1
g CO2/g TOC)
• S1/TOC: normalized oil content, values >100
indicative of oil reservoirs or contamination;
values < 100 indicative of level of maturation of
source rock
• PI: production index – the ratio of S1 to S1+S2;
S1 and PI increases with maturation; reservoirs
have very high (anomalous) PI values
• S2/S3: used for kerogen typing when TOC was
not available
 GAS

WHY DO Type III OIL

WE CARE RESIDUAL

ABOUT KEROGEN
TYPE? GAS

Type II OIL

RESIDUAL
The kerogen type
tells us the predominant type
of product that will be formed
GAS
during generation.
Type I OIL

RESIDUAL

Modified from Jarvie, 2001

C15+ Extractable Bitumen
Content (Extractable Org Matter)
EOM (ppm w/w) Descriptive Terminology
0-250 Very Poor
250-500 Poor
500-1000 Fair
1000-2000 Good
2000-4000 Very Good
Above 4000 Excellent
 Isotopes

Isotopes are the atoms of same element having different number of

neutron and so different atomic mass
Or
The atoms of elements having same atomic number but different
atomic mass
Example: Simplest isotopes are the isotopes of hydrogen
 Isotopes in Petroleum

• Isotope fractionation of C Isotope fractionation of C -12 C -13

• In order for petroleum hydrocarbons to form the Carbon bonds
must break, that determine mechanism
• Can indicate whether the gas comes from a heavier bituminous or
carbonaceous residue
• Its common uses in petroleum include:
 Determining gas maturity
 Correlating reservoired gas to its source
 Correlating one reservoir to another
 Recognizing gas mixtures