Testing reproducibility of vitrinite and solid bitumen reflectance measurements in North American unconventional source-rock reservoir petroleum systems

Hackley, Paul C.; Araujo, Carla Viviane; Borrego, Ángeles G.; Bouzinos, Antonis; Cardott, Brian J.; Carvajal‐Ortiz, Humberto; Cely, Martha Rocio López; Chabalala, Vongani; Crosdale, Peter J.; Demchuk, Thomas D.; Eble, Cortland F.; Flores, Deolinda; Furmann, Agnieszka; Gentzis, Thomas; Gonçalves, Paula Alexandra; Guvad, Carsten; Hámor-Vidó, Mária; Jelonek, Iwona; Johnston, Michelle N.; Juliao-Lemus, Tatiana; Kalaitzidis, Stavros; Knowles, Wayne; J, Kuś; Li, Zhongsheng; Macleod, G.K.; Mastalerz, María; Menezes, Taíssa Rêgo; Ocubalidet, Seare; Orban, Richard; Pickel, W.; Ranasinghe, P.; Ribeiro, Joana; Rojas, Olga Patricia Gómez; Ruiz-Monroy, Ricardo; Schmidt, Jaques Soares; Seyedolali, Abbas; Siavalas, Georgios; Suárez‐Ruíz, Isabel; Vargas, Carlos Vargas; Valentine, Brett J.; Wagner, Nicola J.; Wrolson, Bree; Zapata, Julian Esteban Jaramillo

doi:10.1016/j.marpetgeo.2019.104172

Cited by 32 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…However, we see no evidence for the interconnectedness of organic pores in solid bitumen and note that some of the SEM-visualized pores may be artifacts of sample preparation . The low abundance of SEM-visualized porosity in the immature to early condensate samples of this study is generally consistent with prior works which have evaluated porosity in Bakken shale samples via SEM. ,− …”

Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

“…This conversion is typically performed because VR o measurement has a much longer historical usage in petroleum systems research and is globally regarded as the standard thermal proxy technique in sedimentary basins. For example, VR o is used for the placement of prospective boundary limits on hydrocarbon-related thermal maturity windows, e.g., immature, oil, and wet and dry gas. − Moreover, there are issues with the usage of BR o due to the sometimes heterogeneous textures and presentations of solid bitumen, the possibility of its migration, the confusion of its identification with that of other sedimentary organic matter types, including vitrinite, and the sometimes absence of its strong relationship to other thermal proxies in the same sample or sample set. − Nevertheless, the observation that most of the currently produced source-rock reservoirs globally occur in distal marine strata, where vitrinite is scarce, or are Lower to Middle Paleozoic in age from before the evolution and radiation of vascular land plants means that VR o measurement is not a universally useful thermal proxy and that other proxies, such as BR o are necessary.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Insights on Using Solid Bitumen Reflectance as a Thermal Maturity Proxy in the Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, USA

Hackley,

Scott,

Birdwell

et al. 2024

ACS Omega

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To further refine the use of solid bitumen reflectance (BR o in %) as a measurement of thermal maturity in source-rock reservoirs, we examined its relationship to other thermal proxies in the Bakken Formation. Comparisons included criteria from programmed temperature pyrolysis, gas chromatography (GC), and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy. Thirty-two organic-rich samples from the lower and upper shale members of the Devonian−Lower Carboniferous Bakken Formation were collected from eight cores across the Williston Basin, USA, at depths (∼7575−11,330 ft) representing immature through post peak oil/early condensate thermal maturity conditions based on proximity to current hydrocarbon production. Unmodified BR o values were correlated to programmed temperature pyrolysis parameters (hydrogen index, production index, and T max ), normal hydrocarbon and isoprenoid analysis of extractable organic matter (pristane/n-C 17 and phytane/n-C 18 ) from GC analysis, and peak ratios from FTIR spectroscopy (branching ratio and A-factor). Strong correlations between unmodified BR o values (not corrected to a vitrinite reflectance equivalent, VR e ) and other thermal proxies suggest that BR o can be used as a direct thermal proxy in marine Paleozoic source-rock reservoirs where vitrinite is rare or absent. Moreover, an apparent overestimation of VR e at the lowest thermal maturity investigated herein may argue against the application of BR o conversion to VR e in the Bakken Formation. Solvent extraction caused a consistent decrease in BR o when average post-extraction values from a given well were compared to BR o prior to extraction, although the decrease in mean value was not statistically significant. These results are discussed in the context of advocating for the use of unmodified BR o values as a best practice for thermal maturity determination in Paleozoic marine source-rock reservoirs.

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Section: Resultssupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Insights on Using Solid Bitumen Reflectance as a Thermal Maturity Proxy in the Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, USA

Hackley,

Scott,

Birdwell

et al. 2024

ACS Omega

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“…The literature suggests different approaches to select the bitumen population representing indigenous bitumen and, therefore, should be used to correlate with vitrinite. Jacob [59] recommended the selection of the bitumen with the lowest reflectance values, whereas others (e.g., [61,67]) preferred the bitumen population with the highest reflectance. Solid bitumens with a flat surface and without visible nanoporosity are better for reflectance measurements, according to Sanei et al [68].…”

Section: Relationship Between Solid Bitumen and Huminite/vitrinite Reflectancementioning

confidence: 99%

Organic Petrology and Thermal Maturity of Dispersed Organic Matter from the Ramalhal-1 Well (Lusitanian Basin, Portugal)

2021

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Organic petrology is an important tool used to characterize dispersed organic matter (DOM) in sediments and sedimentary rocks, and to assess its thermal maturity. This study was carried out on 33 cutting samples (Middle-Upper Jurassic) from the Ramalhal-1 well to characterize the particulate organic matter and to evaluate its thermal maturity. The samples were submitted to optical petrography analysis (reflected white and blue incident lights) and the mean random reflectance was measured. Microscopic observations revealed a low DOM content, characterized by the predominance of macerals of the inertinite group (including charcoal), followed by solid bitumen. Huminite/vitrinite is usually small in size and quantity. Liptinite macerals were also present, represented by sporinite, cutinite, liptodetrinite and rare bituminite. A type III-IV kerogen was defined for the Ramalhal-1 sequence. Huminite/vitrinite mean random reflectance varied between 0.38% and 0.75%, pointing to an immature-to-mature stage of the organic matter. Multi-populations of solid bitumen occurred in almost all the samples, filling voids and fractures in the inorganic materials (mainly carbonates). The bitumen populations were quite heterogeneous, concerning both the optical characteristics and distribution, displaying different thermal maturities. No relationship between vitrinite and bitumen reflectance was established, indicating that these bitumens were not generated in situ.

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“…Assessing the thermal maturity of organic matter is vital to reconstructing the thermal history and evolution of hydrocarbon generation of source rocks in petroliferous basins (Hou et al, 2017). Vitrinite reflectance (R o ) is a useful and reliable parameter for determining the thermal maturity of organic matter (Hackley et al, 2020). However, vitrinite is a diagenetic product of post‐Silurian higher plant debris (Ferreiro Mählmann & Le Bayon, 2016), and is absent in the Precambrian strata, thus, maturity levels of organic matter in the Precambrian strata cannot be assessed by this method (Wang et al, 2019).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Maturity assessment of solid bitumen in the Sinian carbonate reservoirs of the eastern and central Sichuan Basin, China: Application for hydrocarbon generation modelling

Chen

Guo

et al. 2022

Geological Journal

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Maturity assessment of solid bitumen is significant for the reconstruction of the thermal evolution history and obtaining the key periods of hydrocarbon generation for the Qiongzhusi source rocks in the eastern and central Sichuan Basin because of the absence of vitrinite in the marine mudstones. Based on the Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy analyses of solid bitumen, the thermal maturity of solid bitumen in the Sinian reservoir was evaluated, which was used to calibrate the thermal maturation history modelling results of the Qiongzhusi source rocks. The FTIR spectrums of solid bitumen are characterized by depleted aliphatic carbon and C O group, and enrichment of aromatic carbon, which indicates that the vitrinite reflectance equivalent (VR eq ) values of solid bitumen in the Sichuan Basin exceed at least 1.3%. The calculated VR eq values of solid bitumen inferred by Raman spectroscopy analysis are 3.8%-4.09% and 3.51%-3.77% in the eastern and central Sichuan Basin, respectively. The calculated VR eq values of bitumen in fluorite and calcite inclusions of the central Sichuan Basin vary from 3.54% to 3.64%. The thermal evolution history of the Qiongzhusi source rocks can be divided into two heating-cooling stages. At the end of the second heating stage, which is the Late Cretaceous, the Qiongzhusi source rocks reached the highest temperature of 250 and 225 C in the eastern and central Sichuan Basin, respectively. The different burial and thermal history of the Qiongzhusi source rocks controls their key periods of hydrocarbon generation in the eastern and central Sichuan Basin. Two episodes of intense oil generation of the Qiongzhusi source rocks were determined at 440-380 Ma and 290-260 Ma, and one phase of gas generation from oil cracking was from 260 to 85 Ma in the eastern Sichuan Basin. The intense oil generation of the Qiongzhusi source rocks occurred at 240-185 Ma and the oil cracking phase was from 185 to 90 Ma in the central Sichuan Basin.

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Testing reproducibility of vitrinite and solid bitumen reflectance measurements in North American unconventional source-rock reservoir petroleum systems

Cited by 32 publications

References 61 publications

Insights on Using Solid Bitumen Reflectance as a Thermal Maturity Proxy in the Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, USA

Insights on Using Solid Bitumen Reflectance as a Thermal Maturity Proxy in the Bakken Formation, Williston Basin, USA

Organic Petrology and Thermal Maturity of Dispersed Organic Matter from the Ramalhal-1 Well (Lusitanian Basin, Portugal)

Maturity assessment of solid bitumen in the Sinian carbonate reservoirs of the eastern and central Sichuan Basin, China: Application for hydrocarbon generation modelling

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