AN

INTRODUCTION TO PETROLEUM SYSTEMS

THE FANCIFUL RESERVOIR

WATER

Halliburton (2001)

PETROLEUM PRODUCTION BY ROCK TYPE

Carbonate produc3on
high because of the
Middle East & Mexico.

Halliburton (2001)

ORGANIC MATTER & HYDROCARBON

GENERATION

MATURATION OF ORGANIC MATTER

(CONVERSION OF ORGANIC MATTER (OM) TO HYDROCARBON (HC)

KEROGEN TYPES
oil-prone

gas-prone

Temperature
gradients

HYDROCARBON MIGRATION &

ACCUMULATION

FORMATION WATER

Subsurface rocks contain water; connate water if

original trapped water (fossil water), or meteoric
water fresh water that originates at the Earths surface.
Oil and gas, as it is generated, has to displace water
When poten:al source and reservoir rocks are buried,
they contain water in their pore space. The oil or gas,
therefore, has to replace this water in the migra:on
process when it reaches the reservoir rock. (TUDelN)

FORMATION WATER
Most forma:on water is saline.
Sea water

MIGRATION

Primary migra:on
Secondary migra:on

PRIMARY MIGRATION
Oil is generated in compacted shales, and presumably
expulsed from these shales as they con:nue to compact.
Being buoyant, it migrates upward.
Mature hydrocarbons rst have to migrate out of the source rock. This
is in general a ne-grained rock that has a low permeability, During
burial, this rock gets compacted and its inters::al uid become
overpressured with respect to surrounding rocks that have higher
permeabili:es and from which uids can migrate with greater ease
upwards. Therefore, a uid pressure gradient develops between the
source rock and the surrounding, more permeable rocks. This causes
the uids - the water and the hydrocarbons - to migrate along the
pressure gradient, usually upwards, although a downward migra:on is
possible. This process is called primary migra:on, and it generally takes
place across the stra:ca:on. Why?

PRIMARY MIGRATION

PRIMARY MIGRATION

SECONDARY MIGRATION

SECONDARY MIGRATION
Lower pressure in the sandstone; hence some primary migra3on can be lateral or even
downward from an organic shale into a porous-permeable sandstone layer.

SECONDARY MIGRATION

Unconformity
trap; overlying
impermeable
shale.

SECONDARY MIGRATION
A facies change, say from oshore shales to nearshore sands.

SECONDARY MIGRATION
Abundant natural porosity & permeability of a reef = natural sponge for petroleum if you
have a source rock that can feed the reef.

SEALS

SECONDARY MIGRATION

THE END
(for now)