TRAPPING AND MOVEMENT OF PETROLEUM

Click to edit Master subtitle style THIRUSHKA T.GOVENDER

208500558 AHISTHA CHANERIKA 207511828 4/14/12

PETROLEUM SYSTEMS

Five elements constitute the petroleum system : v Source Rock v Carrier beds v Trap v Reservoir v Seal

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Diagram of a Typical Petroleum System

MIGRATION OF PETROLEUM
Petroleum migration refers to the series of processes by which petroleum is transported from the site of generation, the source rock, to the trap. There are two major sub-divisions: v Primary Migration v Secondary Migration

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PRIMARY MIGRATION

The movement of petroleum from within the source rock to an adjacent carrier bed Carrier beds are lithologically similar to reservoir rocks i.e. sandstones, limestones, or fractured rocks The driving force that moves the fluid phase (crude oil and natural gas) from the source to the trap is 4/14/12 buoyancy

PRIMARY MIGRATION

The crude oil and natural gas in the deep subsurface have densities in the range of 500 800 kg/m3 Waters in sediments have densities of over 1000kg/m3

The solid kerogen (organic material formed from organic sediments) phase converts to a fluid phase which bears part of 4/14/12 the load previously carried by

Thus fluid pressures in source rock rise driving fluid phase out of the source rock through: v fractures formed by overpressuring, v pore system of the source rock and v partly in solution in remaining kerogen matrix.

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SECONDARY MIGRATION

The movement of petroleum from the carrier bed contact to the trap Petroleum moves updip in a carrier bed due to bouyancy (has lower density than surrounding formation waters) Petroleums in subsurface have densities in the range of 500 800 kg/m3 for oils and a 4/14/12 minimum of 100kg/m3 for

Vertical and Horizontal Movement of Petroleum into Trap

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WHAT IS A TRAP ?

A geometric arrangement of rock, regardless of origin, that permits significant accumulation of oil or gas, or both in the subsurface The critical components of the trap are : v Reservoir v Seal

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Reservoir Rock

Adequate porosity is required within the reservoir interval Must supply enough volume to accommodate a significant amount of fluids Must be capable of transmitting and exchanging fluids therefore it requires sufficient permeability within both the : v Reservoir interval v Migration conduit which connects the reservoir with the active source 4/14/12 rock

Seal

Without an effective seal hydrocarbons will migrate out of the reservoir rock with time causing the trap to lack viability Most effective seals are usually formed by relatively thick, laterally continuous, ductile rocks with high capillary entry pressures Best seals: gas hydrates, evaporites (salt), organic rich shales, clay rich shales, tight carbonates
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TYPES OF TRAPS

Structural Traps: Have an upper boundary which is concave, as viewed from below, due to local deformation, such as folding or faulting or both, of the reservoir rock. Structural traps are subdivided into: Fault related, Fold related and Diapirs Stratigraphic Traps: chief trap-making element is some variation in the lithology of the reservoir rock. Egs include: Unconformities, Sedimentological Traps and Diagenetic traps Hydrodynamic Traps: Hydrodynamic movement of waters down the permeable beds will trap oil moving upward provided the hydrodynamic force of the water is greater than the force due to buoyancy of the oil Combination Traps: Traps formed by a 4/14/12 combination of structural and stratigraphic

FOLD TYPE: ANTICLINAL TRAP

An anticline is an upward fold in the layers of rock, usually as a result of tectonically induced deformation Petroleum migrates into the highest part of the fold, its escape is prevented by an overlying bed of impermeable rock

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ANTICLINE TRAP

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FAULT TRAPS

A fault trap occurs when the formations on either side of the fault have been moved into a position that prevents further migration of petroleum.

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FAULT

DIAPIRS : SALT DOMES

Circular or concave down fold Result of sediments atop dome basement rock or rising diapirs of clay or salt. Commonly produce multiple stacked reservoirs

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SEDIMENTOLOGICAL TRAPS: REEF TRAPS

Reefs are carbonate buildups (coral reefs that become buried under sediment) High reefal porosity and permeability Are arguably the most important stratigraphic trap Geometry is usually a domal pinnacle with an elongated anti-formal platform

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DIAGENETIC TRAPS

Solution and precipitation of mineral cements by diagenesis can form traps Solution is especially common in carbonates Migrating oil towards surface can be oxidized by bacterial degradation and form an impervious tar 4/14/12 residue

DIAGENETIC TRAPS

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UNCONFORMITIES
An interruption of the geologic record manifest as an erosion surface bounded by rocks which are not immediately chronologically successive Hydrocarbons can be trapped below the unconformity by truncation, or above the unconformity when a porous bed onlaps against the unconformity surface. Often a structural element such as tilting is required

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HYDRODYNAMIC TRAPS

Oil attempting to escape to surface up a reservoir, is held against an uneveness of its upper surface by water flowing in the opposite direction. No structural or stratigraphic closure Oil-water-contact (OWC) is tilted downward in the direction of water flow

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COMBINATION TRAPS

Structural closures or deformations in which reservoir rock covers only part of the structure Traps formed by the combination of structural and stratigraphic circumstances Wide range of possibilities /combinations

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DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE 3 MAJOR TRAP TYPES

Structural Traps are formed by tectonic processes AFTER deposition of the reservoir beds involved Stratigraphic Traps are created DURING the deposition of the reservoir beds Combination Traps are formed by a combination of processes present in the sediments DURING the time of deposition of the reservoir beds AND by tectonic activity that occurred in the reservoir beds AFTER their deposition .
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DISTRIBUTION OF WORLDS PETROLEUM ACCUMULATIONS

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CONDITIONS OF FINDING PETROLEUM

Is there a trap to hold petroleum?

Find a geological feature that can act as an accumulator of oil and gas

Is there a migration path?

Path must exist to allow flow of oil/gas to trap

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Is the trap sealed?

QUESTIONS ???

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