PETROLEUM GEOLOGY Flashcards
(31 cards)
A general term for all naturally occurring hydrocarbons (hydrogen + carbon)
petroleum
Solid hydrocarbons: Asphalt
Liquid hydrocarbons: _____
crude oil
most oil and gas starts out as __________ and ____ that live in the ocean
microscopic plants and animals
. One of the most important group of plankton involved in the formation of oil and gas are single-celled marine ‘plants’ called _____
dinoflagellates
Where sediment contains
more than 5% organic matter, it eventually forms a rock known as a ___ which makes oil and gas
black Shale
A rock that has produced oil and gas in
this way is known as a ____
source Rock
The organic fragments in sedimentary rocks are called _____
kerogen
3 types of kerogen
type I: algal kerogen - best oil source and lipi-rich
type II - berbaceous kerogen - good oil source, includes zooplankton sapropelic
type III - woody kerogen (coaly) good gas source
TOC content is
a measure of the source rock potential and is measured with
total pyrolysis
Total Organic Carbon (TOC)
true or false: Oil and gas migrate downward through the rock in much the same way that the air bubbles of an underwater diver rise to the surface
upwards- false
The rising oil and gas eventually gets trapped in pockets in the rock called ___
reservoirs
difference of primary migration and secondary migration
A. Primary migration - passage of petroleum out of the source rock in which it was generated.
B. Secondary migration - passage of petroleum through porous and
permeable media, driven by buoyancy contrast between petroleum
and water that otherwise fills porosity
Generation, migration and trapping of hydrocarbons
Several conditions must be satisfied for an economic hydrocarbon accumulation to exist. First, there must be sedimentary rocks that have good source rock characteristics and have reached thermal maturity. Second, the hydrocarbons must have migrated from the source rock to a potential reservoir, which must have adequate porosity and permeability. Finally, there must be a trap to arrest the hydrocarbon migration and hold sufficient quantities to make the prospect economic. Hydrocarbon traps usually consist of an impervious layer (seal), such as shale, above the reservoir and barrier such as a fault or facies pinch that terminates the reservoir.
most common examples of reservoir rocks are __ and ___
sandstone and carbonates (limestone and dolomite)
a good reservoir rock must be
porous and permeable
is the capability of a rock to hold fluids in pores
porosity
is the capability of a rock to transmit a fluid
permeability
major factors affecting permeability
grain size, grain sorting and grain roundness
is the post-depositional chemicall and mechanical changes that occur in sedimentary rocks
diagenesis
diagenesis may ____ porosity
enhance
These large-scale dissolution features are called karst and are caused by _____ water
meteoric
____are essential in creating permeable paths in tight carbonate rocks limestone. They can create high permeabilities but low porosities
fractures
___can be rocks that do not allow fluids to pass through them, or folds and faults in the rock can trap petroleum
traps
______ is an impermeable rock which don’t allow the hydrocarbons to escape from the reservoir rock (chalks, shales, clays etc)
seal or cap