Petroleum exploration has always been limited by the lack of adequate subsurface control. Exploration problems are usually problems of extrapolation i.e. to greater depth, to laterally equivalent rocks, or back through time.Models are widely used as a way of describing complex geological systems so that they can be treated quantitatively and used as the basis for extrapolations and predictions. Models consider, typically, a simplified geological system that can be described mathematically. It is very important to know what simplifying assumptions have been made, when these assumptions are valid, and under what conditions their use may not be appropriate. This requires an understanding of the concepts involved in building the model and how the model operates.Models are best used as a tool for probing the system and evaluating the sensitivity of the conclusions to possible uncertainties in the values of the input parameters. In a sense, models permit experimental petroleum geochemistry and allow the user to answer the What if? questions e.g. What if the geothermal gradient had been higher in the past? What if the organic matter type had been different?This book provides students, exploration geologists, and others who would like to use the available models, with a general idea of how the models work, what they can do, and what their limitations are.It also provides the information necessary to obtain the input data required by the commercial models.

A multidisciplinary approach to research studies of sedimentary rocks and their constituents and the evolution of sedimentary basins, both ancient and modern.

Petroleum Migration follows petroleum from its generation in source rocks through migration to the reservoir or the surface. The book is divided into 4 parts. Part 1 deals with both the generation of petroleum by the thermal breakdown of kerogen and the expulsion of the petroleum from the source rock. Part 2 considers secondary migration: the procesess which control petroleum behaviour during its movement through relatively permeable carrier beds from the mudrock sequences, which contain source intervals, to the reservoir in the structural culmination of the carrier bed or other trap. Part 3 contains case studies which show how understanding of generation, expulsion and secondary migration can be used to explain the distribution of oil and gas in a basin and therefore, to predict the nature of the petoleum in an undrilled prospect. Part 4 examines leakage from accumulations.

Investigations about porosity in petroleum reservoir rocks are discussed by Schmoker and Gautier. Pollastro discusses the uses of clay minerals as exploration tools that help to elucidate basin, source-rock, and reservoir history. The status of fission-track analysis, which is useful for determining the thermal and depositional history of deeply buried sedimentary rocks, is outlined by Naeser. The various ways workers have attempted to determine accurate ancient and present-day subsurface temperatures are summarized with numerous references by Barker. Clayton covers three topics: (1) the role of kinetic modeling in petroleum exploration, (2) biological markers as an indicator of depositional environment of source rocks and composition of crude oils, and (3) geochemistry of sulfur in source rocks and petroleum. Anders and Hite evaluate the current status of evaporite deposits as a source for crude oil.

The collection of papers in this volume is a direct result of the Society of Economic Paleontologists and Mineralogists Research Symposium on "Thermal History of Sedimentary Basins: Methods and Case Histories" held as part of the American Association of Petroleum Geologists Annual Convention in New Orleans in March 1985. The original goal of the sym posium was to provide a forum where specialists from a variety of dis ciplines could present their views of methods that can be used to study the thermal history of a sedimentary basin or an important portion of a basin. An explicit part of that goal was to illustrate each method by presentation of a case history application. The original goal is addressed by the chapters in this volume, each of which emphasizes a somewhat different approach and gives field data in one way or another to illustrate the practical useful ness ofthe method. The significance of our relative ignorance of the thermal conductivities of sedimentary rocks, especially shales, in efforts to understand or model sedimentary basin thermal histories and maturation levels is a major thrust of the chapter by Blackwell and Steele. Creaney focuses on variations in kerogen composition in source rocks of different depositional environments and the degree to which these chem- . ically distinct kerogens respond differently to progressive burial heating.

Practical Petroleum Geochemistry for Exploration and Production provides readers with a single reference that addresses the principle concepts and applications of petroleum geochemistry used in finding, evaluating, and producing petroleum deposits. Today, there are few reference books available on how petroleum geochemistry is applied in exploration and production written specifically for geologists, geophysicists, and petroleum engineers. This book fills that void and is based on training courses that the author has developed over his 37-year career in hydrocarbon exploration and production. Specific topical features include the origin of petroleum, deposition of source rock, hydrocarbon generation, and oil and gas migrations that lead to petroleum accumulations. Also included are descriptions on how these concepts are applied to source rock evaluation, oil-to-oil, and oil-to-source rock correlations, and ways of interpreting natural gas data in exploration work. Finally, a thorough description on the ways petroleum geochemistry can assist in development and production work, including reservoir continuity, production allocation, and EOR monitoring is presented. Authored by an expert in petroleum geochemistry, this book is the ideal reference for any geoscientist looking for exploration and production content based on extensive field-based research and expertise. - Emphasizes the practical application of geochemistry in solving exploration and production problems - Features more than 200 illustrations, tables, and diagrams to underscore key concepts - Authored by an expert geochemist that has nearly 40 years of experience in field-based research, applications, and instruction - Serves as a refresher reference for geochemistry specialists and non-specialists alike

This book is a must-read for the latest generation of scientists, engineers, and researchers in the petroleum industry. The product of over four decades of research, experience, and study by Dr. Dwijen Banerjee, who carefully preserves the history of the thermal processing of hydrocarbons, giving credit to the pioneering scientists and discoverers of the process. In this first-of-its-kind book, the author summarizes and systematically leads readers through all aspects of the thermal cracking processes from the research laboratory to the commercial applications of the petrochemical industry. Fossil fuels consist of a continuous series of hydrocarbons mainly divided into natural gas (C1-C4), conventional crude oil (C5-C40), heavy oil/bitumen (>C40). This book discusses thermal processing of hydrocarbons -- with a special emphasis on lighter hydrocarbons -- whose main source is shale gas and tight oil that's recently been made abundant through fracking technology. This book details many technical parameters involved in choosing a process when considering the type of feedstocks; operating conditions; selectivity of the desired product; the market to be targeted; and the environmental regulations to be met while also considering the economic parameters such as the investment and profit margin that govern the final choice. Features and Benefits An introduction to the basic chemistry behind thermal processing, classifications, molecular structures, kinetics and thermodynamics, free radical reaction mechanisms, and product distributions. A focus on shale gas and tight oil production, properties, and processing as important sources of petrochemicals. Emphasis on the 'petroleum to petrochemicals' which has recently transformed the petroleum industry across the globe. An illustration of conversion technologies -- how the paraffinic hydrocarbons are converted into various petrochemicals and eventually lead to the finished products. Insight into the future of hydrocarbons based on environmental issues. Audience Scientists Engineers Researchers Students