REGULAR COURSE, SHERATON LAMPUNG, 26-30 AUGUST 2013
4. Generation of Petroleum
by: Awang Harun Satyana
Petroleum Generation
The generation of petroleum from kerogen proceeds via a complex
series of reactions during which many types of bonds are broken as a result of thermal stress.
The depth interval in which a petroleum source rock generates and
expels most of its oil is called the oil window. Most oil windows are in the temperature range from 60 to 160ºC (140-320 ºF). Gas windows are in the 100 to 200 ºC (212-392 ºF) temperature range. From one-half to two thirds of thermogenic gas comes from the thermal cracking of previously formed oil. Lewan (1994) Amounts of kerogen, bitumen, and expelled oil collected after conducting isothermal hydrous pyrolysis experiments on aliquots of a Woodford Shale sample (WD-5) at temperatures ranging from 30(f to 360°C for 72 hr, and at 365°C for 808 hr. Petroleum Generation Oil-generative source rock with average initial S2 > 5 kg/ton and average initial TOC > 1.5 % are efficient in expelling 60-90 % of their generated oil at temperature between 120-160 ºC. The main phase of oil expulsion is retarded until ca. 40 % generation has occurred. Oil-generative source rock with S2 < 5 kg/ton and TOC < 1.5 % are less efficient in expelling only up to 40 % of their generated oil. Un- expelled oil resides in the source rock, to be cracked and ultimately expelled as a high GOR (gas oil ratio) gaseous phase at much higher maturity (> 160 ºC ). Petroleum generation is currently modeled using the assumption that oil generation depends upon both the temperature to which kerogen has been heated and the duration of the heating. Among the most popular models are those of Lopatin (1971) and Waples (1984). Bissada (1974) Selley (1985) Selley (1985) Hagen and Surdam (1984) Waples (1994)