KRISHNA GODAVARI BASIN

By: - RISHABH TRIPATHI

KRISHNA-GODAVARI BASIN
 OBJECTIVES: -

 INTRODUCTION

 GEOLOGY

 GEOCHEMICAL PROSPECTING

 SEISMIC

 PETROLEUM SYSTEM

 HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL

 CHALLENGES

 REFERENCES
 INTRODUCTION

o The Krishna Godavari Basin is a proven petroliferous basin of continental margin

located on the east coast of India, location- Andhra Pradesh.

o The on-land part covers an area of 15000 sq. km

o The offshore part covers an area of 25,000 sq. km

o Basin contains about 5 km thick sediments

o The first gas discovery in the basin was in 1983, in Razole Well No 1 by ONGC

o The site is known for the D-6 block where Reliance Industries discovered the
biggest natural gas reserves in India in 2003
 GEOLOGY

TECTONIC HISTORY

Krishna Godavari Basin is a Continental passive margin pericratonic basin.

The basin came into existence following rifting along eastern continental margin of
Indian Craton in early Mesozoic.
The geological history comprises of following stages:

 RIFT STAGE

 SYN RIFT STAGE

 DRIFT STAGE

 LATE DRIFT STAGE

The five major tectonic elements of the basin are -

o Krishna Graben
o Bapatla Horst
o West Godavari Sub basin
o Tanuku Horst
o East Godavari sub basin
 DEPOSITIONAL ENVIRONMENT

Four distinct depositional systems have been recognized in Krishna Godavari

basin aree : -

Godavari delta system

Masulipatnam shelf slope system

Nizampatinam shelf –slope system

Krishna delta system

STRATIGRAPHY
 GEOCHEMICAL PROSPECTING

Soil samples from oil and gas fields of Tatipaka and Pasarlapudi areas of the basin
show the presence of bacterial population for methane (3.46  105 cfu/g), ethane
(3.85  105 cfu/g) and propane (3.04  105 cfu/g) oxidizing bacteria in soil
samples.

Gas chromatographic analyses of adsorbed soil gases show the presence of C1 to

C4 hydrocarbons.
 GEOCHMICAL PROSPECTING

The gas chromatographic analysis of 135 soil samples and the magnitude of each
of the organic constituents CH4, C2H6, C3H8 and n-C4H10 were measured and
expressed in ppb of the soil gas mixture. The concentrations of adsorbed soil gases
varied for methane (C1) from 1 to 115 ppb, for ethane (C2) from 1 to 99 ppb,
for propane (C3) from 1 to 34 ppb, for butane (nC4) from 1 to 9 ppb and for C2+
from 1 to 115 ppb
 GEOCHMICAL EXPLORATION

The cross-plots between C1, C2, C3 and C2+ show good correlation and the data
gathered indicates that

(i) the hydrocarbons are genetically related;

(ii) hydrocarbons are not affected by secondary alteration during their migration
from subsurface to subsequent adsorption on to the surface soil

(iii) hydrocarbons might have been generated from a thermogenic source.

 GEOCHMICAL PROSPECTING

The interpretation followed the standard genetic diagram for correlating gas
wetness, i.e. C1/(C2 + C3) ratios with the 13C of methane to classify natural gas
types as biogenic or thermogenic. Molecular ratios of C1/(C2 + C3) less than
−50‰ are typical for thermogenic hydrocarbon gases with 13C1 values between –
25‰ and −50‰
 GEOCHEMICAL PROSPECTING

The present study shows that microbial presence has a direct bearing with the
accumulation of hydrocarbons in sub-surface regions. The microbial prospecting and
adsorbed soil gas studies together indicate that hydrocarbon micro-seepage exists in
the area under review
 SEISMIC COVERAGE

Conventional single fold surveys were initiated in 1965 and upto 1973 about 2,690
line km of data was acquired.

CDP surveys commenced in 1973 and so far about 34,642 Line Km. data with foldage
varying from 6 to 48 have been acquired.

More than 74,753 Line Km 2D and 26,508 Sq. Km. 3D seismic surveys have been
carried out

Additionally, during 1972-74, 2,028 km. Refraction data was acquired to study the
basement configuration and also shallow reflectors.
 PETROLEUM SYSTEM

The basin has been endowed with four petroleum systems:-

Source rich areas at different stratigraphic levels

.

• Hydrocarbon Generation Centres in Cretaceous

• Hydrocarbon Generation Centres in Paleocene

• Hydrocarbon Generation Centres in Eocene

 Permo-Triassic Kommugudem-Mandapeta-Red Bed Petroleum System

• Kommugudem Formation is the main source rock for this

system
Source Rock • TOC ranging between 0.5 to 3%
• vitrinite reflectance 1.0 to 1.3

• Mandapeta Sandstone
Reservoir Rock

• Tight layers within Mandapeta Sandstone and the overlying

Cap rock argillaceous Red Bed act as effective seals

Entrapment • Entrapment is essentially structural in nature.

Late Jurassic-Cretaceous Raghavapuram-Gollapalli-Tirupati-Razole Petroleum
System
• Raghavapuram Shale of Lower Cretaceous age is considered
as the principal source rock
Source Rock • TOC is recorded up to 2.4%.
• It has the proclivity for generation of both oil and gas.

• Lenticular sands within Raghavapuram Shale

• Sands within Gollapalli Formation of Late Jurassic-Early
Reservoir Rock Cretaceous in Mandapeta-Endamuru area

• Raghavapuram Shale acts as effective seal for both Gollapalli

Cap rock reservoirs and the sands within Raghavapuram Shale.
• Razole Formation (Deccan Basalt) acts as a regional cap

• entrapment style is essentially structural

Entrapment • accumulations in Raghavapuram Shale have strati-structural
element in their entrapment
 Palakollu-Pasarlapudi Petroleum System

• The Paleocene Palakollu Shale is the source sequence

Source Rock • TOC ranges between 0.6 to >5% and is dominantly humic type
• rich in inertinite

• Sand layers within source rich Palakollu Shale are found to be

Reservoir Rock potential reservoir

• Palakollu Shale encompassing the occasional sands within the

Cap rock Formation acts as seal

Entrapment • structural entrapment is the dominant element

Vadaparru Shale –Matsyapuri / Ravva Formation-Godavari Clay Petroleum
System

• Vadaparru Shale is the principal source sequence.

• Average TOC for this sequence is about 4%
Source Rock
• Organic matter has potential to generate both oil and gas

• Sands within Matsyapuri and Ravva Formation and also the

Reservoir Rock sands within Vadaparru Shale are important potential levels
and are known to house significant hydrocarbon
accumulations in the basin

• Shales within Matsyapuri and Ravva Formations, Vadaparru

Cap rock Shale and Godavari Clay act as effective seals

• Though structural element plays dominant role for

Entrapment hydrocarbon accumulations in this system, role of strati-
structural element is noticed.
 HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL

The Krishna Godavari Basin is an established hydrocarbon province with a resource

base of 1130 MMT, of which, 555 MMT are assessed for the offshore region

Several oil and gas fields are located both in on-land and offshore parts of the basin

Notable oil discoveries are Kaikalur, Vadali, Mori, Bantumilli, Lingala, Suryaraopeta,
Gopavaram, Kesanapalli, and Kesanapalli West.

The gas discoveries are Adavipalem, Elamanchili, Enugupalli, Narsapur, Razole,

Tatipaka-Kadali, Pasarlapudi, Mandapeta, Chintalapalli. Nandigama, Endamuru,
Penumadam, Ponnamanda, Achanta, Mullikipalle, Magatapalli, Gokarnapuram,
Kesavadasapalem, Lakshamaneshwaram, Rangapuram and Sirikattapalli

On-shore= 42(11 oil & gas pools and 31 gas pools)

Offshore = 33 (11 oil & gas and 22 gas)
 HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL

About 71 discoveries have been made by Pvt./JV companies so far in NELP blocks

o Discoveries by RIL—31

o Discoveries by Cairn Energy Pty. Ltd. (CEIL)—06

o Discovery by ONGC in Godavari formation—24

o Discovery by GSPC –09

o Discoveries by OIL—01
 HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL

Total Oil and Gas Production from KG (On-land & Offshore) is 1.84 MMT

1507.38 MMSCM

0.33 MMT
 CHALLENGES

 GAS HYDRATE

Large quantities of gas hydrate were discovered while drilling in the Krishna
Godavari Basin in May-August 2006 with the research drillship JOIDES Resolution.

A 130m thick gas hydrate discovery in shale in Krishna Godavari Basin.

At present there is no proven technology to produce methane from gas hydrate on a

commercial scale, although production technology is rapidly developing with the
MH21 Research Consortium in Japan

Much of the gas hydrate resource potential worldwide occurs filling the pore space of
sandstone reservoirs, and most of the research being done on the extraction of gas
from hydrates is focused on deposits concentrated in sands.

The reservoir rock with gas hydrate in the Krishna Godavari Basin is fractured shale.
 CHALLENGES

 SEISMIC IMAGING ISSUE

 CHALLENGES

 SEISMIC IMAGING ISSUE

 CHALLENGES

 SEISMIC IMAGING ISSUE

 CHALLENGES

 SEISMIC IMAGING ISSUE

 CHALLENGES

 SEISMIC IMAGING ISSUE

Consequently, over the decades, even if much advancement has taken place in
seismic data processing to obtain accurate imaging of sub-surface structural details,
sub-basalt imaging in Krishna-Godavari basin has become a number one problem
embarked upon due to very poor signal to noise ratio as well as the presence of
multiples below trap.

The seismic data processing arena, presence of multiples, very poor signal to noise
ratio and impediments to velocity determination below trap causes serious distress to
image meticulously the Subsurface Intricacies In Krishna-Godavari basin.
 REFERENCES

 DGH website
http://dghindia.gov.in//assets/downloads/56cfd90962284Extensive_deltaic_plain.pdf

 P. L. N. Sarma, R. L. Basak*, and A. K. Naithani, Exploration for Hydrocarbon

Below Trap in Krishna-Godavari Basin– A Seismic Imaging Issue.

 Vinay K. Sahay, Arthur H. Johnson, Gas Hydrate Deposits of Krishna Godavari

Basin, India: Issues and Potentiality in Exploration and Commercial Production

 M. A. Rasheed1, M. Lakshmi, M. S. Kalpana, D. J. Patil and A. M. Dayal,

Recognition of hydrocarbon microseepage using microbial and adsorbed soil gas
indicators in the petroliferous region of Krishna–Godavari Basin, India.