Hydrocarbon generation potential of the uppermost Jurassic—basal Cretaceous Sulaiy formation, South Iraq

Abstract

Organic geochemical analysis, palynology, and PetroMod software for the organic matters of subsurface Tithonian to Valanginian Sulaiy formation of six wells in Basrah Region, South Iraq showed evidences for hydrocarbon generation potential. These analyses include quantitative studies such as pyrolysis, fluorescence spectroscopy, and total organic carbon (TOC), while the qualitative studies are the textural microscopy used in evaluating amorphous organic matter for palynofacies analysis leading to hydrocarbon assessments. High TOC content of up to 7.3 wt.%, kerogen type II of mesoliptinic type with hydrogen index of up to 466 mg HC/g TOC, and mature organic matter along with dysoxic-anoxic environment and stratigraphic framework have rated the succession as a source rock for oil with ordinate gas, not only in Iraq but also in neighboring Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. This case study is also inferred for hydrocarbon generation and expulsion by PetroMod software which confirmed the source potential.

An Integrative Modeling Approach to Estimating Volume of Generated Oil from Lower Cretaceous Sulaiy Formation in Southern Iraq

“…Therefore, all the source rocks pre-Gotnia are excluded from the present estimates and this is supported by (Ibrahim, 1983).The thermal mature part of the Sulaiy Formation covers relatively a wide area where, the values of thermal maturation are increased eastward with high rates of maturity, whereas the heat flow in range (27-70 w/m 2 ) which influence in the thermal maturity (Handhal and Mahdi, 2016). Generally, the lower-middle Cretaceous succession lies of the mid-oil window condition (Al-Ameri et al . 2011).…”

Crude Oil Classification Based On Age And Provenance From The Southern Iraq: A Review

“…Lower Cretaceous units encompass huge petroleum amounts in the basin (Al-Obaidi, 2009) such as Nahr Umar Formation, which contain hydrocarbon that originated from underlying Cretaceous formations like Sulaiy and Yamama (Ibrahim, 1983). The petroleum potentiality of Upper Jurassic Sulaiy Formation in Southern Iraq also was confirmed by Sadooni (1997) as it contains sufficient amount of mature TOC, kerogen type II, based on its palynological facies and depositional environment setting (Al-Ameri & Batten, 1997;Al-Ameri & Al-Musawi, 2011;Al-Ameri et al, 1999;Al-Musawi, 2010;Al-Ameri et al, 2013;Abeed et al, 2013;Al-Ahmed & Al-Obaidi, 2016). Similarly, the Yamama and Ratawi formations are also considered as a good source rocks (Al-Musawi, 2010;Al-Agaili, 2012;Al-Ameri & Al-Zaidi, 2014;Al-Ibrahim & Al-Ameri, 2015;Al-Khafaji, 2015).…”

“…Geochemical properties of extracts from different wells in Southern Iraq. The data fromAl-Musawi, 2010;Al-Ameri et al, 2011;Idan et al, 2015. …”

Oil biomarkers, isotopes, and palynofacies are used for petroleum system type and migration pathway assessments of Iraqi oil fields

“…In petroleum systems of carbonate/marl source units as the case of this study source rocks (Al-Ameri and Al-Musawi 2011;Al-Ameri et al 2009a, b, 2011a, b, 2013b, 2013cAlAmeri and Zumberge 2012), the C28/C29 regular sterane ratio (αββ 20R isomers based on peak heights of GC/MS) is useful for predicting source-rock ages of the crude oil according to Zumberge and Summons (2004). These peaks could come from evolution and extinction of various organisms, such as green algae, acritarchs, dinoflagellates, coccolithophorids, diatoms, and discoasters.…”