Topics: The Petroleum System

Origin of Petroleum Controversy Carbon Cycle Petroleum System Global Implications

Origin of Petroleum
Long standing debate:
Organic or Inorganic?

Arguments for biogenic origin

99.9% of oil in sedimentary basins (not in igneous or metamorphic rocks) 99% in rocks younger than 400 million yrs Bituminous shales can be heated up to produce oil Analogous to coal (which contains plant fossils) Crude oil contains many biomarkers 13C/12C is typical of biological activity (enriched in 12C)

Huygens probe landing on Titan Titan, Moon of Jupiter

Huygens Probe Jan. 14, 2005 A sea of non-biogenic hydrocarbons -Atmosphere is Nitrogen, methane and ethane -Volcanoes vent methane

Carried a Gas Chromatograph spectrometer which could detect 12C and 13C Isotopic composition of Titan hydrocarbons is not biogenic

Soviet Geologists (1950s) and Thomas Gold (1992)

Natural gas is emitted by the earth Gas feeds bacteria in deep reservoirs Bacteria make oil 21,000 ft deep well drilled in Sweden into the Sinjan impact structure in 1985 failed. (Not widely accepted ideas!)

Google search on: Origin of Petroleum on 1/13/09:

Deep petroleum and the non-organic theory This fact alone indicates that many aspects relating to the origin of petroleum need to be revised. Thomas Gold, a distinguished proponent of the ... www.ias.ac.in/currsci/aug25/articles7.htm 11k - Cached - Similar pages by S ABBAS - All 2 versions Result #2

Photosynthesis
The most important reaction on the planet (for us)

Carbon Cycle

CO2 + H2O [CH2O] + O2

light glucose

chlorophyl

Exchange between Carbon Reservoirs

24% Organic C (reduced) in sediments 76% Inorganic C (oxidized) in Limestones 0.01% in Coal and Oil 0.005% in oil reservoirs 0.04% Dissolved in the Ocean 0.005% Atmosphere and life

Atmospheric CO2 concentration

387 ppm (2008)

Ice Core record from Antarctica (Etheridge et al., 1989)

Global Mean Temperature Change

Greenhouse Effect
Greenhouse gases: Water vapor, CO2, Methane, N2O, Ozone

L. McCarthy, NASA, 2007

Arctic Sea Ice 2007-Record Minimum

Arctic Sea Ice Loss Models vs. Observation

Petroleum system

Factors required to make an Oil deposit

A Sedimentary Basin with:

Source rock- rich in organic matter Burial heating maturation Reservoir rock- porous and permeable Migration Path- source to trap Trap structural trap stratigraphic trap Correct Timing Preservation

Exploration Strategy

Source Rocks
Black organic-rich marine shales Organic matter is preserved in low-oxygen water Restricted marine basins and zones were water rises from the deep
1. Global Basin Analysis

Study Basins Acquire New Exploration Licenses

2. Develop Play Concepts 3. Define Exploration Play Areas 4. Evaluate Prospects 5. Identify Drillable Prospects Drillable Prospects/ Well proposals Drill Exploration Wells

Compile Inventory of Targets

6. Drill Exploration Wells = New Resources

Exploration Pyramid
Discovery?

Is there a lot of oil left to discover?

Reserves: Oil that is proven to be there and can be extracted economically using current technology Resource: Oil that it thought to exist basen on
geological concepts

Prospect

Play Petroleum System

Sedimentary Basin

Our role
It is our job to convert Resources into Reserves and to Produce those reserves in a responsible manner.