Deciphering biodegradation effects on light hydrocarbons in crude oils using their stable carbon isotopic composition: A case study from the Gullfaks oil field, offshore Norway

Vieth, Andrea; Wilkes, Heinz

doi:10.1016/j.gca.2005.08.022

Cited by 48 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 51 publications

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“…Experiments have also been conducted (Vieth & Wilkes 2006) on the CSIA of gasoline-range hydrocarbons in the Gullfaks field (North Sea) to assess how biodegradation changes the δ 13 C composition of LMW hydrocarbons. Butane through nonane from biodegraded oil were 3-7‰ 13 C-enriched, but toluene or cyclohexanes were not.…”

Section: Other In-reservoir Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…(Surprisingly, toluene was not degraded at all in the Gullfaks oils, which led the authors to suggest that the microbial community in this particular field were not capable of degrading toluene.) The experimentally derived isotopic fractionation factor for n-hexane was used to apply the Rayleigh equation to data from the Gullfaks field to quantify hydrocarbons that had been lost to biodegradation (Vieth & Wilkes 2006;Wilkes et al 2008).…”

Section: Other In-reservoir Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of n -alkanes as a tool in petroleum exploration

Pedentchouk

Turich

2017

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Compound-specific isotope analysis (CSIA) of individual organic compounds is a powerful but underutilized tool in petroleum exploration. When integrated with other organic geochemical methodologies it can provide evidence of fluid histories including source, maturity, charge history and reservoir processes that can support field development planning and exploration efforts. The purpose of this chapter is to provide a review of the methodologies used for generating carbon and hydrogen isotope data for mid-and high-molecular-weight n-alkanes.We discuss the factors that control stable carbon and hydrogen isotope compositions of n-alkanes and related compounds in sedimentary and petroleum systems and review current and future applications of this methodology for petroleum exploration. We discuss basin-specific case studies that demonstrate the usefulness of CSIA either when addressing particular aspects of petroleum exploration (e.g. charge evaluation, source rock-oil correlation, and investigation of maturity and in-reservoir processes) or when this technique is used to corroborate interpretations from integrated petroleum systems analysis, providing unique insights which may not be revealed when using other methods. CSIA of n-alkanes and related n-alkyl structures can provide independent data to strengthen petroleum systems concepts from generation and expulsion of fluids from source rock, to charge history, connectivity, and in-reservoir processes.Gold Open Access: This article is published under the terms of the CC-BY 3.0 license.Petroleum geoscientists use organic geochemistry as an essential tool in oil and gas exploration and field development planning. Relatively low-cost, high-throughput bulk data are commonly used to screen for source rock quality (e.g. per cent total organic carbon (%TOC), hydrogen and oxygen indices) and thermal maturity (Tmax, vitrinite reflectance equivalent). More in-depth geochemical analytical techniques are used in the context of full fluid and reservoir properties to correlate source rocks and reservoir oils, to determine fluid generation and migration history, including presentday reservoir connectivity, and to understand in-reservoir processes, such as biodegradation of in-reservoir oils. These tools are especially powerful when coupled with other measurements made during the exploration and development process, such as compositional analysis during drilling, downhole fluid analysis and other wireline measurements, and pressure, volume, temperature (PVT) and chemical analyses, integrated in the context of geological static and reservoir dynamic models.Molecular biomarkers have been employed in petroleum exploration for several decades (Peters et al. 2005). The usefulness of bulk stable isotope measurements of gases and oils was well demonstrated in the petroleum industry through the decades of the 1970s and 1980s (Stahl 1977;Schoell 1984;Sofer 1984). However, the use of compound-specific isotopic composition of light hydrocarbons, alkanes and biomarkers is less common....

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Section: Other In-reservoir Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Other In-reservoir Processesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of n -alkanes as a tool in petroleum exploration

Pedentchouk

Turich

2017

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“…n-paraffins, iso-paraffins, cycloalkanes, as well as benzene and alkylbenzens may also take place in crude oil reservoirs (Vieth & Wilkes, 2005). All these compounds are biodegraded under anaerobic conditions that typically occur in oil reservoirs.…”

Section: Microbiological Biodegradation Of Crude Oil Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The reason is that the activation of the substrate takes place in most cases on only one carbon atom, thus its share in the bulk mass of the hydrocarbon compound would be very small and the isotopic effect would be immeasurable. The removal of light oil fractions due to biodegradation is an unfavorable event because it causes the decrease of the economical value of the crude oil (Vieth & Wilkes, 2005).…”

Section: Microbiological Biodegradation Of Crude Oil Componentsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Microorganisms and Crude Oil

Wolicka¹,

Borkowski²

2012

Introduction to Enhanced Oil Recovery (EOR) Processes and Bioremediation of Oil-Contaminated Sites

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“…Little data on the carbon isotopic fractionation by aerobic n-alkane degrading bacteria is presently available. However, the carbon isotopic fractionation by anaerobic n-alkane degrading bacteria is normally observed only for hydrocarbons with less than 10 carbon atoms (Vieth and Wilkes 2006). Therefore, component specific carbon isotopic ratios have been used extensively in forensic and fingerprinting studies (Benson et al 2006;Philp 2007).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Source identification for oil-based drill cuttings on the seabed based on stable carbon isotopes

2008

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This paper demonstrates how stable carbon isotopes can be utilized to identify the source of oil-based drill cuttings discharges and estimate the time of their deposition. The base-oil used in drilling mud systems may be biodegraded by seabed microflora. Effects of such processes make it difficult to identify sources of discharges based on the oil's molecular structure. However, the stable isotope fingerprint of the base oil may vary for each batch of base-oil. Because carbon isotopic ratios in compounds with more than ten carbons are resistant to fractionation during biodegradation, this may be used as a tool to identify the source of drill cuttings discharges.

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Deciphering biodegradation effects on light hydrocarbons in crude oils using their stable carbon isotopic composition: A case study from the Gullfaks oil field, offshore Norway

Cited by 48 publications

References 51 publications

Carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of n -alkanes as a tool in petroleum exploration

Carbon and hydrogen isotopic compositions of n -alkanes as a tool in petroleum exploration

Microorganisms and Crude Oil

Source identification for oil-based drill cuttings on the seabed based on stable carbon isotopes

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