INTRODUCTION TO

PETROLEUM
GEOLOGY
By
Prof. Mahmoud M. Senosy
• Course Name: Petroleum geology
• Instructor: Prof. Dr. Mahmoud M. Senosy
• Office: Geology Department – 5th floor
• Office hours: Monday (10-12 am)
• Email address: mmsenosy@yahoo.com
• Lecture: Sunday 9 – 10 Am, Geology Dept., Lab #2
• Lab: Thursday 14- 16 am, Geology Dept., 5 nd Floor, Lab # 6
• Text books:
– “Elements of Petroleum Geology ” by R.Selley, Second Edition 1998
– ‫ فاضل السعدونى‬.‫الطبعة االولى من نفس الكتاب المترجمة بواسطة د‬
– “Website of AAPG and other related topics
 COURSE OBJECTIVE

By the end of this course the students will be able to

understand the process of petroleum generation,
migration and accumulation as well as methods of
exploration, evaluation and production.
COURSE OUTLINE
❖ Application of Geoscience to the exploration
and development of oil and natural gas

❖ Oil and Gas = Naturally Occurring Hydrocarbon

compounds derived from biogenic sediment
➢ Introduction to petroleum geology
➢ Thermal processes and petroleum
compositions
➢ Generation
➢ Migration
➢ Trapping and reservoir characterization
➢ Exploration, Drilling and Formation
Evaluation
➢ Production and strategy of salling
WHAT IS A PETROLEUM GEOLOGIST?

✓ No longer just a geologist

✓ Financial awareness
✓Interpersonal skills
✓Computer & technical skills
✓Project management skills
✓Geological expertise
✓…………
 FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF PETROLEUM
GEOLOGY
Oil companies are NOT academic units, they
are BUSINESSES whose primary aim is to
generate cash for their investors.
Thus, the petroleum geologist must at all
times be aware of current trends in oil prices,
targets, financial returns, budgets for wells
and fields……
 Average Crude oil 35 API

Weight%
Paraffin 25%
Naphtene 50 %
Aromatic 17 %
Asphaltic 8%
 Historical Perspectives 1859 “Drakes Well” Titusville,
Pennsylvania

Cable Tool Drilling

“Venango Sands Reservoir”

Greeks & Europeans

through 17th century;
petroleum
collections at seeps
and springs Early exploration method: drill the creeks and anticlines
 THE AUTHOR OF THE ARTICLE
ARGUES THAT WORLD OIL
PRODUCTION WILL DECLINE 56%

1. By 2100
2. By 2050
3. By 2010 34%
4. Never

7%
3%

r
00

50

10

ve
21

20

20

Ne
By

By

By
THE MAGIC OF PETROLEUM
OUTLINE

I. Where does petroleum

come from?
II. Petroleum - A Strategic
Natural Resource
 WHAT IS PETROLEUM?

Petroleum: A general term for all

naturally occurring hydrocarbons
(hydrogen + carbon)
Solid Hydrocarbons: Asphalt
Liquid Hydrocarbons: Crude oil
Gas Hydrocarbons: Natural Gas:
methane, butane, propane, etc.

The simplest hydrocarbon

is Methane (CH4)
REVIEW: WHERE DOES PETROLEUM COME FROM?
1. Source rocks rich in organic matter
2. Transform the organic material with heat and
pressure to into petroleum (Maturation)
3. Carrier beds that allow the generated petroleum
to move
4. Traps that keep the petroleum below ground
5. Adequate reservoir beds from which the
petroleum can be extracted
6. Proper timing of events 1-5
WHAT DO WE GET FROM OIL?

1 barrel = 42 gallons of
crude oil
83% becomes fuel
▪ Gasoline, diesel, jet fuel,
heating oil, and liquefied
petroleum gas (propane and
butane)
17% other
▪ Solvents, fertilizers, * These add up to 44.6 gallons
pesticides, plastics because volume is increased during
the refining process.

US Energy Information Administration

HOW MUCH OIL DO WE USE?

World consumes
83,607,000 b/d (2005)

US Energy Information Administration

WHERE DO WE GET OUR OIL FROM?

US Energy Information Administration

DISTRIBUTION OF NATURAL GAS
Impractical to ship: must route by pipe
1.3 million miles of pipe (250,000 miles of mains)

25
ESTIMATED WORLDWIDE COAL RESERVES
Country Amount Percentage
(109 tonne) of Total
United States 250* 25
Russia 230† 23
Europe 138 14
China 115 12
Australia 82 8.3
Africa 55 5.6
South America 22 2.2
North America 7.7 0.8
Total 984 100
*1st edition of book had U.S. at 1500 billion tons. What happened to all that coal?
†1st edition of book had Russian coal at 4300 billion tons. Gross overestimates?

26
 Use of Coal
• 93% of the coal used in the world makes steam for
electricity generation
• 7% is used for industry (largely steel production)
• 0.1% used on Halloween for trick-or-treaters
• Usage profile has changed a lot in last ~60 years
UCSD Physics 12

Shale Oil
• Possibly 600–2000 billion barrels of oil in U.S. shale
deposits
– compare to total U.S. oil supply of 230 billion bbl
• Economically viable portion may only be 80 billion bbl
• 8 times less energy density than coal
– lots of waste rock: large-scale disposal problem
• Maximum rate of extraction may be only 5% of our current
rate of oil consumption
– limited by water availability: requires 3 as much water as oil
– contaminated process water is an issue

Spring 2013 28
UCSD Physics 12

Tar Sands
• Sand impregnated with viscous tar-like sludge
• Huge deposit in Alberta, Canada
– 300 billion bbl possibly economically recoverable
– update: 2007 estimate from Alberta Energy at 133 Gbbl
• It takes two tons of sands to create one barrel of oil
– energy density similar to that of shale oil
• In 2003, 1 million bbl/day produced
– grand hopes for 3 Mbbl/day; or 4% of world oil production
– current rate is up to 1.3 Mbbl/day
• Production cost is about $30 per barrel, so economically
competitive

Spring 2013 29
 2007 US IMPORTS BY COUNTRY
Rank Country Mb/d

1 Canada 2.5

2 Mexico 1.5

3 Saudi Arabia 1.5

4 Venezuela 1.4

5 Nigeria 1.1

6 Algeria 0.67

7 Iraq 0.48

8 Angola 0.51

9 Russia 0.41

All Countries 13.5

Non-OPEC 8.1

Total OPEC 5.98

US Energy Information Administration
OIL EXPORTS BY COUNTRY

Barrels per day

US Energy Information Administration

OIL IMPORTS BY COUNTRY

Barrels per day

US Energy Information Administration

 Top World Oil Producers, 2005*
(OPEC members in underlined italics)
Total Oil
Production**
Rank Country (million barrels/day)
1 Saudi Arabia 11.1
2 Russia 9.5
3 United States 8.2
4 Iran 4.2
5 Mexico 3.8
6 China 3.8
7 Canada 3.1
8 Norway 3.0
United Arab
9 Emirates 2.8
10 Venezuela 2.8
11 Kuwait 2.7
12 Nigeria 2.6
13 Algeria 2.1
14 Brazil 2.0
*Table includes all countries total oil production exceeding 2 million barrels
US Energy
per day in 2005. **Total Oil Production includes crude oil, natural gas liquids,
condensate, refinery gain, and other liquids.
Information
Administration
HOW MUCH OIL IS THERE?
Oil Reserves: Year-end 2007
Region Billions of Barrels Percentage
North America 69.3 5.6%
Latin America 111.2 9.0%
Europe and Eurasia 143.7 11.6%
Middle East 755.3 61.0%
Africa 117.5 9.5%
Asia and Pacific 40.8 3.3%
Global 1237.9 100%
Global Consumption 31 BBO/year 40 year supply

BP Statistical Review, 2008

OIL RESERVES: YEAR-END 2007
 WORLD SUPPLY AND DEMAND

86.0
84.6 84.6 84.9
85.0 84.5 84.3
83.7
84.0
Millions of Barrels of oil

83.1
83.0
82.3

82.0

81.0 World Supply

World Demand
79.6 79.6
80.0

79.0

78.0

77.0

76.0
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Year

US Energy Information Administration

GLOBAL OIL FLOWS

BP Statistical Review, 2008

PETROLEUM IMPORTS BY COUNTRY OF ORIGIN

US Energy Information Administration

STAGES IN DEVELOPMENT OF
AN OIL FIELD
STAGES IN DEVELOPMENT OF AN OIL FIELD
Exploration
▪ Seismic
▪ Reserves booking and well proposal
▪ Reserves and recovery estimate
Appraisal
▪ Reservoir testing
▪ Consolidate geological understanding/ models
▪ Test fluid contacts and substantiate reserves
Early Development Stage
▪ Primary oil/ gas production
▪ Test producability
▪ Scope for further development
Late Development Stage
▪ Optimize recovery
▪ Maintain/ improve reservoir performance
 THE EXPLORATION STAGE: FIRST STEPS

▪ Initially, the best targets for drilling and likely best

fields need to be assessed.
▪ Geophysics facilitates delineation of the field.
▪ First well drilled is the exploration well.
▪ If hydrocarbons are present, the well may be
production tested
▪ Primarily, the Play-Chance Map must be generated to
guide future stages.
 Development of the Play Map
Combined geological interpretation is
mapped as the Play Map
Identifies and (eventually) quantifies key
parameters and risk elements. N

W E

Play-chance.shp
0.4 - 0.6
0.6 - 0.8
0.8 - 1
Mapping out the chance of a seal
occurring
N

W E

Play-chance.shp
0.1 - 0.4
0.4 - 0.7
0.7 - 1
Elemental composition
of crude oil by weight%
Hydrocarbon Compounds in Petroleum:

> 200 organic carbon-based compounds

1. Paraffins: gaseous at surface temperatures

2. Napthenes: liquid at surface temperatures
3. Aromatics: ring-based compounds
4. Asphaltics: heavy oil and tar
 PETROLEUM SYSTEMS

Elements Processes
Source Rock Generation
Migration Route Preservation
Reservoir Rock Migration
Seal Rock Accumulation
Trap

60
 Cross Section Of A Petroleum System
(Foreland Basin Example)
Geographic Extent of Petroleum System
Extent of Play
Extent of Prospect/Field
O
O O

Stratigraphic
Extent of
Petroleum
Overburden Rock
System

Sedimentary
Essential

Basin Fill
Elements Seal Rock
of Reservoir Rock
Petroleum
Pod of Active System Source Rock
Source Rock
Underburden Rock
Petroleum Reservoir (O)
Basement Rock
Fold-and-Thrust Belt Top Oil Window
(arrows indicate relative fault motion)
Top Gas Window

(modified from Magoon and Dow, 1994)

 PETROLEUM SYSTEM PROCESSES
Petroleum System Elements

Gas
Cap
Oil
Accumulation
Entrapment Water Seal Rock
Reservoir
Rock

Migration
120° F

350° F
Generation
24803
Source 63
Rock
 SEDIMENTARY BASIN
❖ Sedimentary basin are large subsiding depressions
filled with thick sequence of sedimentary rocks. These
depressions result from the compression or extension of
tectonic plates of the earth.
❖ There are around 600 sedimentary basins in the world,
only 40% are producing.
❖ Petroleum is found in the sedimentary basins.
❖ The floor of the basin is made up impermeable rocks, my
❖ Sedimentary or igneous and metamorphic rocks which
is often called “basement complex”

64
 SEDIMENTARY ROCK
Sedimentary rocks are composed of sediments. That is,
particles such as grains that are formed by the
breakdown of the preexisting rocks. Or sea shell
fragment Or salts precipitated from ocean water.
The most common organic sedimentary rock is black
shale..
Sedimentary rocks are of two type
1. Those which have formed by deposition of granular
material brought from land to depositional basin
called Clastic Rocks.
2. Those which form because of precipitation of salts
from oversaturated saline sea water called Non-
Clastic or chemical rocks.
65
 SOURCE ROCK
The source rocks are mainly organic rich
shale, which are very fine grained and
impermeable . These are microscopic
marine algae, which live in the upper
layers of the ocean and on death, sink in
countless millions to the sea floor. There
the algae become the part of the sediment
and form organic rich marine shale. These
shale have the potential to generate
petroleum and are termed as Source Rock.

66
 MATURATION

The conversion of organic matter into petroleum is termed as

Maturation. As the organic-rich sediment is buried and
subjected to slightly increased pressure and temperature the
organic matter is converted into Kerogen.
The type of maturation depends on the organic matter.
Three kinds of kerogen have been identified
Type-I Digenesis --------derived from marine Algae
Type –II Catagenesis ------- derived from a mixture of marine
organisms
Type-III Metagenises ------ from terrestrial flora.

✓ Type II is the main source of Crude oil(temp maximum 60˚C depth7000 feet)
✓ Type III gives rises to natural gas (temp maximum 150˚C depth 18000 feet)

67
 MIGRATION
Migration is the process of the oil and gas moving away
from the source rock.

This is a slow process. Migration is caused by burial,

compaction, and increase in volume and separation of
the source rock constituents .
Primary Migration — The movement of hydrocarbons
out of the source rock.

Secondary Migration —Secondary migration into within

rocks where it is accumulates, which are called
reservoir rocks.
68
69
 RESERVOIR ROCKS

Oil and gas generated in the source

rock must be expelled out and
migrate to a porous and permeable
rock where it can be stored.
Porosity: Billion of tiny spaces
between grains of sedimentary
rocks, expressed as %
Permeability: The ease with which
fluids flow in the rock when the
pores are connected.

70
 POROSITY VALUES FOR AN OIL RESERVOIR

0-5% Insignificant
5-10% Poor
10-15 Fair
15-20 Good
20-25 Excellent

Permeability values for an oil reserve

1-10md poor
10-100md Good
100-1000md Excellent
71
 TRAP Anticline trap
Hydrocarbons within the reservoir rock move towards a
high point(trap) in the reservoir to accumulate in a
pool. It is configuration of rocks suitable for
containing hydrocarbons and sealed by a relatively
impermeable formation through which hydrocarbons
will not migrate.

TYPES OF TRAPS
There are three basic types of traps

1-Anticlinal traps: result of compression of strata and are

the most common traps. The largest oil and gas fields
of the world are in anticline and dome.

2-Faults: May form a pool by sealing porous strata in Fault trap

extensional tectonics.

3-Stratigraphic traps: those where impermeable strata

seal the permeable reservoir. It is formed by changes
in rock type unconformities, or sedimentary features
such as reefs.
72
Unconformity
 SEAL (CAP ROCK)
• A relatively impermeable rock
that forms a barrier, cap or
seal above and around
reservoir rock so that fluids
cannot migrate beyond the Gypsum

reservoir. The permeability of

a cap rock must equal to zero.

• Some examples are Shale,

Evaporites such as Anhydrite
,Salt, & Zero-porosity
Carbonates. Anhydrite 73
74