PARAMETERS OF OIL ACCUMULATION

o SOURCE ROCK

o RESERVOIR ROCK

o MIGRATION

o TRAP

o CAP ROCK / ROOF

ROCK /SEAL
The Source Rock

 A type of rock
which contains
organic matter
and is capable to
generate the
hydrocarbons.
 Best example of
source rock is
SHALE.
• Once the solid organic matter is
converted to liquids and/or gases,
the hydrocarbons need to migrate
out of the source rocks in which
they formed in order to form a
commercial deposit
 RESERVOIR ROCK

• In addition to high porosity, which

allows the rock to hold large
amounts of oil, the rock must have
good permeability, which allows oil
to flow quickly out of the rock

• A rock with good porosity and

permeability is a reservoir rock.
THIN SECTION OF A SANDSTONE
 Reservoir rocks range -

 geologic age - Precambrian to Pliocene

 composition - siliceous to carbonate
 origin – sedimentary to igneous
 porosity – 1 to 40 %
 permeability - 1 milli darcy to many darcys

Reservoir rocks –

 Sandstones and Carbonates

 Conglomerates, Cherts,
fractured Igneous and
Metamorphic Rocks
 Characteristics of Reservoir Rocks

1. POROSITY:

Volume of pores present in the rock

Absolute Porosity =
Volume of the whole rock
Volume of interconnected pores present in the rock
Effective Porosity =
Volume of the whole rock
 • Porosity can be divided into two types –

a) Primary porosity -

 originate during the formation of the

rocks
 its origin and nature are dependent on –
(i) depositional environment,
(ii) compaction of the rocks,
(iii) size and shape of the
constituent grains

b) Secondary porosity -
 originate after the formation of the rocks
 its origin is dependent on –

(i) dissolution of limestone or dolomite

by ground water,
(ii) generation of fractures, etc.
2. PERMEABILITY:
o Absolute Permeability
property of a rock which permits the flow of a fluid through its interconnected
pores without any change in the structure of the rock or displacement of its
grains

o Effective Permeability
the capacity of a rock to transmit fluid in the presence of other fluids

o Relative Permeability
the ratio between effective permeability of a fluid at partial saturation and its
absolute permeability at 100% saturation
• Processes that reduce • Processes that enhance
porosity & permeability porosity & permeability

• Compaction • Dissolution
• Cementation • Fracturing etc.
• Heavy hydrocarbon residue

 What is good porosity?  What is good permeability?

• 0-5% - Negligible •  <1 millidarcy - Poor

• 5-10%- Poor • 1-10 md- Fair
• 10-15%- Fair
• 15-20%- Good • 10-100 md- Good
• >20% - Very good • 100-1000 md- Very good

 
 MIGRATION

• Primary migration is the

process by which hydrocarbons
are expelled from the source
rock into a reservoir rock

• Secondary migration involves

the movement of petroleum
through permeable layers
(carrier beds) to the trap.
• Causes of migration-

1. Expansion in volume

2. Difference in pressure

3. Geological disturbances

4. Capillary pressure

5. Gravity
 The Trap
 A subsurface obstacle to flow of petroleum to the earth’s surface.

 Classified (broadly) into

 Structural Traps
 Stratigraphic Traps
 SEAL/CAP ROCK/ROOF ROCK

 The seal or cap rock is

an impermeable rock
which don’t allow the
hydrocarbons to escape
from the reservoir rock.

• Important characteristics
of seal rocks:
- Low permeability
- Ductility

• Common examples of
cap rocks are, shales,
clays, carbonates etc.
 Structural Traps

Anticlinal trap Fault trap

Anticlinal Trap
Fault Trap
 Stratigraphic traps

Unconformity trap Pinchout trap

Stratigraphic Trap