Although organic-rich oil-producing mudrocks have been studied extensively during the last decade, kerogen, as one the main constituents, is not thoroughly understood. The unknowns about kerogen ...elevate when it comes to its modulus of elasticity. Since kerogen is not as stiff as inorganic minerals, its presence can have a significant impact on the initiation and propagation of fractures in kerogen-rich formations that should undergo stimulation.
This study proposes an approach to estimate modulus of elasticity of kerogen with different thermal maturities using Raman spectroscopy. Various shale samples from the upper and lower members of the Bakken Formation were picked from several wells within the Williston Basin in North Dakota, USA. These samples were analyzed using Rock-Eval (RE) pyrolysis and vitrinite reflectance (%Ro) for thermal maturity. In addition, Raman spectroscopic measurements were made on samples and followed by PeakForce AFM for Young's modulus estimation of the organic matter. First, the Raman responses were correlated with the thermal maturity and then, a correlation was established to show the potential relationship between elastic modulus of organic matter and its Raman response based on the maturity levels.
•In this study, Rock-Eval, %Ro maturity, Raman spectroscopy and AFM PeakForce measurements were done on samples from 6 wells in Bakken Formation.•We proposed the potential of understanding thermal maturity and elastic modulus of organic matter using Raman spectroscopy.•Using proposed method, we predicted the range of mechanical properties of organic matter from initial stages of maturation to late dry gas window.
To understand variations in geochemistry, organic petrology, and chemical composition of crude oil and byproducts, an immature sample from the Cretaceous Qingshankou Formation in the Songliao Basin, ...China, was analyzed by anhydrous and hydrous pyrolysis (AHP/HP) at a wide range of temperatures ranging from 300 °C to 450 °C. The geochemical parameters: TOC, S
, HI, and T
obtained from Rock-Eval pyrolysis showed both a decrease and an increase as thermal maturity progressed under HP and AHP conditions. Gas chromatography (GC) analysis showed the presence of n-alkanes in the C
to C
range in both expelled and residual byproducts, a Delta-shaped configuration although many samples had a gradually reducing (tapering) trend toward the high range. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) analysis revealed both an increase and a decrease in biomarker and very small changes in aromatic compound variations with increasing temperature during pyrolysis. To be more specific, C
T
biomarker increased with temperature for the expelled byproduct, while the opposite trend was observed for the residual one. Next, The T
/T
ratio initially increased and then decreased with temperature while the C
H/C
H ratio fluctuated for the expelled byproduct but increased for the residual. Moreover, the GI and C
rearranged hopane to C
hopane ratio remained unchanged whereas the C
tricyclic terpane/C
tetracyclic terpane ratio and the C
/C
tricyclic terpane ratio showed varying trends with maturity alike the C
/C
and C
/C
tricyclic terpane. Ultimately, based on organic petrography observations, increasing the temperature resulted in higher bitumen reflectance (%Bro, r) and optical and structural alterations in the macerals. The findings of this study provide valuable insights for future exploration endeavors in the studied region. Moreover, they contribute to our understanding of the significant role of water in the generation and expulsion of petroleum and associated byproducts, thereby facilitating the development of updated models in this field.
Vitrinite maturity and programmed pyrolysis are conventional methods to evaluate organic matter (OM) regarding its thermal maturity. Moreover, vitrinite reflectance analysis can be difficult if ...prepared samples have no primary vitrinite or dispersed widely. Raman spectroscopy is a nondestructive method that has been used in the last decade for maturity evaluation of organic matter by detecting structural transformations, however, it might suffer from fluorescence background in low mature samples. In this study, four samples of different maturities from both shale formations of Bakken (the upper and lower members) Formation were collected and analyzed with Rock-Eval (RE) and Raman spectroscopy. In the next step, portions of the same samples were then used for the isolation of kerogen and analyzed by Raman spectroscopy. Results showed that Raman spectroscopy, by detecting structural information of OM, could reflect thermal maturity parameters that were derived from programmed pyrolysis. Moreover, isolating kerogen will reduce the background noise (fluorescence) in the samples dramatically and yield a better spectrum. The study showed that thermal properties of OM could be precisely reflected in Raman signals.
The Jurassic Period was a significant phase of variable organic matter accumulation in paleo-shelf areas of the southern Tethys (Egypt). Reconstructing the paleoredox conditions, paleoclimate, and ...weathering intensity, along with the role of terrigenous sediment flux and mineralogical maturity, is important for understanding basin infill history and prevalent paleoenvironmental conditions. Here, inorganic geochemical data are presented from the Middle Jurassic Khatatba Formation and two samples from the underlying Ras Qattara and the overlying Masajid formations in the Jana-1x well, Shushan Basin, Western Desert. Twenty-four (24) whole-rock samples were analyzed for their major and trace element composition and carbonate content. The Khatatba Formation represents one of the major hydrocarbon source rocks in the North Western Desert, Egypt. Redox conditions were assessed based on enrichment factors of redox-sensitive elements Mo, V, U, and Co. Results revealed that the Khatatba Formation was deposited under predominant anoxic bottom and pore water conditions, in contrast to the oxic settings that were prevalent during the deposition of the Ras Qattara and Masajid formations. Continental weathering intensity and paleoclimate were reconstructed based on several proxies, such as the chemical index of alteration (CIA), K2O/Rb, Rb/Sr, Ln(Al2O3/Na2O), and Al/K ratios, indicating that the studied succession was deposited during alternating phases between weak and moderate weathering intensity under arid and warm-humid climates, respectively. Periods of enhanced continental weathering were associated with high values of clastic ratios such as Si/Al, Ti/Al, and Zr/Al, suggesting increased terrigenous sediment supply during intensified hydrological cycling. These ratios further provided inferences about the changes in sediment grain size, such as a change from shale to coarse silt- and sand-size fractions.
A 59 m-thick section of a freshwater oil shale interbedded with marlstone of Lower Carboniferous (Tournaisian) age from the Big Marsh area in Antigonish Basin, Nova Scotia, Canada, was examined using ...reflected light microscopy, Rock-Eval pyrolysis, X-ray diffractometry analysis, inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometry for elemental analysis, and prompt γ for boron concentration. The oil shale was deposited in a lacustrine environment based on geology, sedimentology, variation in organic matter, and boron content (28–54 ppm). Organic petrology classified the oil shale into three broadly distinct types. Type A oil shale is a coastal facies shale containing terrestrially derived macerals, such as vitrinite and inertinite, sporinite, with some lamalginite, and amorphous bituminous matrix. Type B oil shale was deposited in a shallow-water facies and contains mostly lamalginite and some vitrinite and sporinite. Type C oil shale is a relatively deep-water facies, associated with open-water Torbanite-type oil shale and contains mostly Botryococcus colonial telalginite. The oil shale is thermally mature (T max is 441–443 °C). Total organic carbon (TOC) varies from 5.8 to 7.3 wt %, and the hydrogen index is between 507 and 557 mg HC/g TOC. The rate of sedimentation as determined by the Th/U ratio indicates possibility of three sedimentation periods: an irregular but mostly slow rate of sedimentation from the base of the section up to 68 m, followed by a regular and slow rate between 68 and 53 m, and a regular and fast rate between 53 m and the top of the section. The higher Th/U ratio during deposition of the shallow-water facies was due to the input of allochthonous U. The redox conditions, as reflected in the variation of Cr to Mo, U, and Ni + V, indicate that the oil shale was deposited under suboxic–dysoxic conditions. The high organic productivity by phytoplankton and bacteria is characterized by a low Cr and high V/Cr ratio and suboxic conditions. In contrast, the well-oxygenated and uniform, warm-temperature upper water level supports a dysoxic environment. Variation of Sr/Ca vs Mn/Ca ratios indicates that most samples have low values, a characteristic of colder water and high terrigenous influx. The post-Archean Australian shale (PAAS)-normalized rare earth elements (REEs) follow three trends. Type A oil shale has the highest concentration of total REEs (648 ppm) and light REEs (LREEs, 605 ppm) as compared with type C (269 and 233 ppm), which are less than half of type A. Type B oil shale has the lowest total REEs (184 ppm) and LREEs (152 ppm). The concentration of heavy REEs decreased from 43 ppm in type A oil shale to 36 ppm in type C oil shale. Comparison of PAAS-normalized REEs for the three oil shale types indicates a reduction of the negative Eu anomaly with depth, which is possibly related to sedimentary sorting as a result of accumulation of fine sediments in the deeper water zone of the lake. The concentration of most elements of environmental concern is similar to and/or lower than the world shale. However, there are instances of higher concentrations of hazardous elements (e.g., As, Cd, Mo, and Se).
To stabilize the atmospheric concentration of greenhouse gases (GHG), a huge reduction of carbon dioxide (CO
2) emissions is required. Although some people believe that this necessitates a ...considerable reduction in the use of fossil fuels or fuel switching, other options are available that allow the use of fossil fuels and reduce atmospheric emissions of CO
2. Sequestration of CO
2 from fossil fuel combustion in the subsurface could prevent the CO
2 from reaching the surface for millions of years. Geological sequestration of CO
2 in deep aquifers or in depleted oil and gas reservoirs is a mature technology. Despite the huge quantities of CO
2 that can be sequestered in this way, this approach does not provide any economic benefit. This paper discusses a third option, which consists of injecting CO
2 in deep coal seams to sequester the carbon and enhance the recovery of coalbed methane (CBM). Waste CO
2 from CBM-fueled power plants could be injected into CBM reservoirs to produce more methane (CH
4) for the power plant. The 2:1 coal-sorption selectivity for CO
2 over CH
4 supports the feasibility of operating fossil-fueled power plants without atmospheric CO
2 emissions. Other CO
2 sequestration technologies, such as ocean disposal and biofixation, are briefly discussed and the suitability of these approaches is evaluated for use in Alberta, Canada.
During the Late Cretaceous (Cenomanian), significant disruptions in the carbon cycle, global warming, and episodes of oceanic anoxia occurred, leading to the deposition of organic carbon-rich ...sediments. In well BED2-3, located in the BED2 gas field within the Abu Gharadig Basin (north Western Desert, Egypt), the lower-to-middle Cenomanian Bahariya Formation displays thick alternating layers of sandstones, siltstones, and shales. Detailed geochemical analyses were conducted on thirty-three cutting samples from the Bahariya Formation, focusing on total organic carbon (TOC), whole-rock elemental geochemistry, and carbonate content. These geochemical measurements provided valuable information regarding paleoredox conditions, marine biological productivity, terrigenous sediment influx, weathering and paleoclimate conditions, and mechanisms influencing organic matter accumulation. The enrichment factors (EF) of redox-sensitive trace elements were utilized to infer oxygenation conditions and marine biological productivity during the deposition of the Bahariya Formation. The stratigraphic distribution of redox-sensitive elements allowed for the Bahariya Formation to be categorized into lower and middle-upper intervals. The results revealed that the lower interval exhibited strong-to-enriched EF values of redox-sensitive elements and fair-to-rich TOC content, indicating a prevalent anoxic setting during deposition. In contrast, the middle-upper interval displayed weakly-to-slightly enriched EF values with poor-to-fair TOC content, suggesting deposition under oxic-suboxic redox conditions. By examining Al-normalized redox-sensitive ratios and their correlations with TOC content, significant relationships were observed in the lower interval, indicating a coupling between the enrichment of redox-sensitive elements and organic matter. This suggests enhanced biological productivity during deposition of the lower interval compared to the relatively low productivity during deposition of the middle-upper interval of the formation. These conditions controlled the production and preservation of organic matter in the lower interval, while the middle-upper interval suffered from organic matter dilution and destruction due to an increased influx of terrigenous material and lower biological productivity. Geochemical proxies related to detrital materials provided evidence of alternating terrigenous sediment flux, consistent with shifts between coarse- and fine-grained fractions and related facies of sandstones, siltstones, and shales. These findings align with active continental weathering in the source terrane and deposition under enhanced warm-humid climatic conditions, with intermittent arid-to-semi-arid phases. These conclusions are further supported by the palynomorph assemblages and clay mineralogy within the Bahariya Formation.
Biogenic gas shales, predominantly microbial in origin, form an important class of organic-rich shale reservoirs with a significant economic potential. Yet large gaps remain in the understanding of ...their gas generation, storage, and transport mechanisms, as previous studies have been largely focused on mature thermogenic shale reservoirs. In this study, the pore structure of 18 Antrim Shale samples was characterized using gas adsorption (CO
2
and N
2
). The results show that most of the Antrim Shale samples are rich in organic matter content (0.58 wt.% to 14.15 wt.%), with highest values found in the Lachine and Norwood members. Samples from the Paxton Member, characterized by lower organic content, have smaller micropore surface area and micropore volume but larger meso-macro pore surface area and volume. The deconvolution results of the pore size distribution from the N
2
adsorption indicate that all of the tested Antrim Shale samples have similar pore groups. Organic matter in the Antrim Shale hosts micro pores instead of meso-macro pores, while clay minerals host both micro and meso-macro pores. Mineral-related pores play a primary role in the total porosity. The biogenic Antrim Shale, therefore, has different pore structures from other well-studied thermogenic gas shales worldwide.
Carbon geo-sequestration (CGS), as a well-known procedure, is employed to reduce/store greenhouse gases. Wettability behavior is one of the important parameters in the geological CO2 sequestration ...process. Few models have been reported for characterizing the contact angle of the brine/CO2/mineral system at different environmental conditions. In this study, a smart machine learning model, namely Gene Expression Programming (GEP), was implemented to model the wettability behavior in a ternary system of CO2, brine, and mineral under different operating conditions, including salinity, pressure, and temperature. The presented models provided an accurate estimation for the receding, static, and advancing contact angles of brine/CO2 on various minerals, such as calcite, feldspar, mica, and quartz. A total of 630 experimental data points were utilized for establishing the correlations. Both statistical evaluation and graphical analyses were performed to show the reliability and performance of the developed models. The results showed that the implemented GEP model accurately predicted the wettability behavior under various operating conditions and a few data points were detected as probably doubtful. The average absolute percent relative error (AAPRE) of the models proposed for calcite, feldspar, mica, and quartz were obtained as 5.66%, 1.56%, 14.44%, and 13.93%, respectively, which confirm the accurate performance of the GEP algorithm. Finally, the investigation of sensitivity analysis indicated that salinity and pressure had the utmost influence on contact angles of brine/CO2 on a range of different minerals. In addition, the effect of the accurate estimation of wettability on CO2 column height for CO2 sequestration was illustrated. According to the impact of wettability on the residual and structural trapping mechanisms during the geo-sequestration of the carbon process, the outcomes of the GEP model can be beneficial for the precise prediction of the capacity of these mechanisms.
This study evaluates the palynologic, organic, inorganic, and petrographic properties of organic-rich black shale (Mahamid Mine) in the El Sebaiya area, Nile Valley, Egypt. Black shale is composed of ...quartz (50%), calcite (10%), kaolinite (25%) and montmorillonite (15%). Organic and inorganic analyses revealed that this shale was deposited under oxic to anoxic marine conditions during strong chemical weathering. Black shale has poor to very good organic richness, and poor to fair hydrocarbon potential. Organic petrography indicates that the kerogen is mixed types II/III and III and is immature to marginally mature (%VRo is 0.44 and 0.53). Liptinite macerals consist of alginite, cutinite, and bituminite. The hydrocarbon products to be generated at higher maturity are expected to be oil and gas.
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