Diagenesis in Upper Jurassic marine sandstones from the North Sea Well 14/26-1 and its significance

Clay Minerals ◽  
1986 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 513-535 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. V. Jeans ◽  
M. J. Fisher
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Immature Stage ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Burial Depth ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Clay Formation ◽  
Later Phase ◽  
Ferroan Dolomite

AbstractA tightly cemented series of marine sandstones, interbedded with shales and mudstones, occurs in the lower part of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Kimmeridgian to Ryazanian) of Arco Well 14/26-1 (Core No. 5, 8067–8085 ft). The well is on the northern flank of the Fraserburgh Spur Basement Ridge. The sediments are in the immature stage of hydrocarbon generation and are now at their maximum temperature and burial depth: the bottom hole temperature is 75°C. The sandstone diagenesis was complex, essentially of an intrinsic type, and took place under considerable overpressures. Initially a series of early cements was precipitated (minor chalcedony, quartz, feldspar, ferroan calcite, non-ferroan dolomite and major ferroan dolomite). A later phase of diagenesis embraced two periods of intrastratal solution (each affecting both the silicate and the carbonate components of the sediment) separated by a phase of calcite precipitation and followed by a phase of kaolinite cementation. The early cements are interpreted as being of the intrinsic miagenetic type. The later phase of diagenesis (alternating intrastratal solution and cement precipitation) resulted from the interaction of (i) the biotic breakdown of organic matter by thermophyllic micro-organisms and (ii) the abiotic thermal alteration of organic matter with the mineral components of the sediment: of particular importance were varying PCO2 and the generation of carboxylic and phenolic acids. The diagenetic pattern is closely comparable to that known from various Upper Jurassic sandy shelf sediments in other parts of the northern North Sea which have very different burial histories.

THE USE OF COALS AS INDICATORS OF THE OCCURRENCE OF OIL AND GAS

1970 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 35 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. D. Brooks
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Carbon Content ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Sedimentary Basin ◽  
Total Carbon ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Mineral Matter ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Oil Companies ◽  
Upper Limit

Petroleum hydrocarbons are not normal constituents of recent sediments but only appear when a certain stage of diagenesis is reached, through deeper burial. An investigation of the mechanism of formation of oil and gas has shown that an indication of the generation of oil in a sedimentary basin can be obtained by an examination of coals or coaly material encountered during drilling.Coals form a continuous diagenetic and metamorphic series beginning with peat and ending with graphite. Peat and brown coal contain the same type of hydrocarbons as are present in land plants but the composition of coal hydrocarbons changes abruptly in the sub-bituminous to high-volatile bituminous coal range. This is because petroleum-type hydrocarbons are formed at this stage from precursors which are components of waxy leaf cuticles, pollen and spore coatings, by chemical reactions in which oxygen groups are removed from long-chain acids, alcohols and ester waxes. Most Australian oil occurrences are associated with coal-bearing sediments and it appears likely that they are formed at the same stage of alteration, from such land plant residues, finely disseminated in shales and siltstones.The diagenetic changes in coal composition are caused by the increasing temperature accompanying deeper burial, and the composition of a coal, whatever its present depth, is an indication of the maximum temperature to which it has been subjected. The determination of carbon content, reflectivity and other properties of coal samples provided by a number of oil companies, together with laboratory experiments in which petroleum-type hydrocarbons were generated by artificial diagenesis of coal components, indicated that hydrocarbon generation takes place only when the carbon content of the coals approaches 80 percent. In sedimentary basins in Australia the petroleum generation zone occurs at depths varying from 5,500 to greater than 11,000ft., depending upon present or past geothermal gradient.In addition to this lower limit of diagenesis, it has long been maintained that a relation exists (the Carbon Ratio theory) between the likely occurrence of oil and gas reservoirs in a sedimentary basin and the degree of metamorphism of coal if present. The theory sets an upper limit of alteration of organic matter, and states that oil reservoirs are unlikely to occur in areas or at depths in a basin where the 'fixed-carbon' of the coals is greater than about 65 percent (equivalent to a coal of about 85 percent total carbon — dry, mineral-matter free). The Gid-gealpa-Moomba area appears to be a part of the Cooper Basin in which the organic matter is close to this upper limit of metamorphism. The carbon content of the coal at Gidgealpa, associated with gas and light hydrocarbons, is 85-86 percent whereas that at Moomba, associated with dry gas, is higher at approximately 89 percent.Ihus the properties of coal samples encountered during drilling can provide valuable clues for the petroleum geologist in the search for further oil and gas reserves.

The South Brae Field, Block 16/7a, UK North Sea

1991 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-62 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin J. Roberts
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Oil Production ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
The Other ◽  
Field Margins ◽  
The South ◽  
Western Margin ◽  
Recoverable Reserves ◽  
Clay Formation ◽  
Devonian Age

AbstractSouth Brae Oilfield lies at the western margin of the South Viking Graben, 161 miles northeast of Aberdeen. Oil production began in July 1983 from a single platform located in 368 ft of water. The field originally contained 312 MMBBL of recoverable reserves, and in May 1990, cumulative exports of oil and NGL reached 219 MMBBL. The reservoir lies at depths in excess of 11800 ft TVSS, has a maximum gross hydrocarbon column of 1670 ft, and covers an area of approximately 6000 acres.The reservoir is the Upper Jurassic Brae Formation which is downfaulted against tight sealing rocks of probable Devonian age at the western margin of the field. The other field margins are constrained by a combination of structural dip and stratigraphic pinchout.The reservoir is capped by the Kimmeridge Clay Formation, which is also the source of the oil.

scholarly journals Volgian–Ryazanian ‘hot shales’ of the Bo Member (Farsund Formation) in the Danish Central Graben, North Sea: stratigraphy, facies and geochemistry

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 ◽  
pp. 403-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jon R. Ineson ◽  
Jørgen A. Bojesen-Koefoed ◽  
Karen Dybkjær ◽  
Lars H. Nielsen
Keyword(s):  
Organic Carbon ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Carbon Burial ◽  
Anoxic Environments ◽  
Organic Carbon Burial ◽  
Bottom Waters ◽  
Northern North Sea ◽  
Clay Formation

Upper Jurassic – lowermost Cretaceous marine mudstones represent the most significant source of hydrocarbons in the Central and Northern North Sea. Of particular importance in the Danish sector of the Central Graben is a succession of radioactive ‘hot shales’ referred to the Bo Member, in the upper levels of the Farsund Formation (Kimmeridge Clay Formation equivalent). This mudstone-dominated succession is typically 15–30 m thick and has a total organic carbon (TOC) content of 3–8%, though locally exceeding 15%. Although truncated on some structural highs, the Bo Member is a persistent feature of the Danish Central Graben. Lateral variation in both thickness and organic richness is attributed to intrabasinal structural topography and to the location of sediment input centres. Detailed study of the dinoflagellate cyst biostratigraphy of 10 wells indicates that the onset of enhanced organic carbon burial began in the middle–late Middle Volgian in this portion of the Central Graben. The Bo Member, representing the peak of organic carbon enrichment, is largely of Early Ryazanian age. Core data (Jeppe-1, E-1 wells) indicate that the organic-rich shales of the Bo Member are not wholly of hemipelagic origin, as commonly assumed, but may locally be dominated by fine-grained turbidites. Absence of bioturbation, well-preserved lamination and high TOC values suggest that bottom waters were predominantly anoxic although the presence of in-situ benthic bivalves at discrete horizons in the E-1 well suggests that suboxic conditions prevailed on occasion. The Bo Member is a good to very good source rock, showing very high pyrolysis yields (10–100 kg HC/ton rock) and Hydrogen Index (HI) values in the range 200–600. In particular, the Bo Member is characterised by an abundance of 28,30 bisnorhopane (H28), a compound that is indicative of anoxic environments. These new data from the Danish sector of the Central Graben are compatible with the model of Tyson et al. (1979) in which the accumulation of organic-rich mudstones was controlled primarily by bottom-water anoxia beneath a stratified watermass. A number of factors probably contributed to the development of watermass stratification, both intrinsic such as the tectonic morphology of the graben system and extrinsic including climate and sea-level stand.

The Claymore Field, Block 14/19, UK North Sea

1991 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 269-278 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. D. Harker ◽  
S. C. H. Green ◽  
R. S. Romani
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Water Injection ◽  
Central Area ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Daily Production ◽  
Northern Area ◽  
Main Area ◽  
Cumulative Production ◽  
The Witch ◽  
Clay Formation

AbstractThe Claymore Field is located in UK North Sea Block 14/19 on the southwest margin of the Witch Ground Graben. The principal structure is a southerly tilted and truncated fault block. The field is divided into three producing areas. Major production is from Upper Jurassic paralic sandstones of the Sgiath Formation and turbidite sandstones of the Claymore Sandstone Member of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation in the downflank Main Area. Minor production is from Permian carbonates of the Halibut Bank Formation and Carboniferous sandstones of the Forth Formation in the crestal Central Area. The Northern Area is a northerly plunging nose, extending graben wards from the Claymore tilt block. Production in the Northern Area is from Lower Cretaceous turbidite sandstones of the Valhall Formation.A small amount of oil was recovered on a wireline test in 1972 from Permian carbonates in the crestally located 14/19-1 well, in what is now termed the Central Area. In 1974 the Main Area was discovered by the southerly downdip well 14/19-2, and the Northern Area was discovered by the northerly downdip well 14/19-6A. Initial oil in place was 1452.9 MMBBL with currently estimated ultimate proved recovery of 511.0 MMBBL of oil. A 36-slot steel platform was installed in 1977. Two subsea water-injection templates were added in 1981 and 1985. Cumulative production to 6 July 1988 was 322.9 MMBBL of oil and daily production was 75 000 BOPD of oil from 28 producers, supported by 16 injectors.

The Flora Field, Blocks 31/26a, 31/26c, UK North Sea

2003 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
pp. 549-555 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. D. Hayward ◽  
C. A. L. Martin ◽  
D. Harrison ◽  
G. Van Dort ◽  
S. Guthrie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Water Contact ◽  
Upper Carboniferous ◽  
The North ◽  
Recoverable Reserves ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Oil Water ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Clay Formation

AbstractThe Flora Field straddles Blocks 31/26a and 31/26c of the UK sector of the North Sea on the southern margin of the Central Graben. The field is located on the Grensen Nose, a long-lived structural high, and was discovered by the Amerada Hess operated well 31/26a-12 in mid-1997.The Flora Field accumulation is reservoired within the Flora Sandstone, an Upper Carboniferous fluvial deposit, and a thin Upper Jurassic veneer, trapped within a tilted fault block. Oil is sourced principally from the Kimmeridge Clay Formation of the Central Graben and is sealed by overlying Lower Cretaceous marls and Upper Cretaceous Chalk Group.Reservoir quality is generally good with average net/gross of 85% and porosity of 21%, although permeability (Kh) exhibits a great deal of heterogeneity with a range of 0.1 to <10000mD (average 300 mD). The reservoir suffers both sub-horizontal (floodplain shales) and vertical (faults) compartmentalization, as well as fracturing and a tar mat at the oil-water contact modifying flow and sweep of the reservoir. Expected recoverable reserves currently stand at 13 MMBBL

The Buzzard Field, Blocks 19/5a, 19/10a, 20/1 and 20/6a, UK North Sea

2020 ◽  
Vol 52 (1) ◽  
pp. 691-704 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. E. Taylor ◽  
N. J. Webb ◽  
C. J. Stevenson ◽  
J. R. Henderson ◽  
A. Kovac ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Depositional Model ◽  
Performance Expectations ◽  
North West ◽  
Field Development ◽  
The North ◽  
Moray Firth ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Clay Formation

AbstractThe Buzzard Field remains the largest UK Continental Shelf oil discovery in the last 25 years. The field is located in the Outer Moray Firth of the North Sea and comprises stacked Upper Jurassic turbidite reservoirs of Late Kimmeridgian–Mid Volgian age, encased within Kimmeridge Clay Formation mudstones. The stratigraphic trap is produced by pinchout of the reservoir layers to the north, west and south. Production commenced in January 2007 and the field has subsequently produced 52% over the estimated reserves at commencement of development, surpassing initial performance expectations. Phase I drilling was completed in 2014 with 38 wells drilled from 36 platform slots. Platform drilling recommenced in 2018, followed in 2019 by Phase II drilling from a new northern manifold location.The evolution of the depositional model has been a key aspect of field development. Integration of production surveillance and dynamic data identified shortcomings in the appraisal depositional model. A sedimentological study based on core reinterpretation created an updated depositional model, which was then integrated with seismic and production data. The new depositional model is better able to explain non-uniform water sweep in the field resulting from a more complex sandbody architecture of stacked channels prograding over underlying lobes.

Evolution of organic-mineral interactions and implications for organic carbon occurrence and transformation in shale

2019 ◽  
Vol 132 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 784-792 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaojun Zhu ◽  
Jingong Cai ◽  
Yongshi Wang ◽  
Huimin Liu ◽  
Shoupeng Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Organic Matter ◽  
Organic Carbon ◽  
Burial Depth ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Petroleum Systems ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Sedimentary Environments ◽  
Organic Mineral ◽  
Organic Fractions ◽  
Sequential Treatments

Abstract Organic-mineral interactions are pervasive in sedimentary environments; however, the extent of these interactions is not constant and has a significant impact on organic carbon (OC) occurrence and transformation. To understand the evolution of organic-mineral interactions and the implications for OC occurrence and transformation in fine-grained sediments, several shale samples were selected and subjected to physical and chemical sequential treatments. The samples were subjected to pyrolysis, Fourier transform infrared spectrophotometry (FTIR), and adsorption measurements to determine the organic parameters and the mineral surface area (MSA) of the shale samples. The results show that the organic fractions derived from sequential treatments have varying pyrolysis and FTIR characteristics. The correlation between the total OC content and MSA is positive, but it is split according to organic fractions with different attributes. Correlations between the different organic fractions and MSA indicate that the organic matter in shale is mainly adsorbed on mineral surfaces, while a certain portion of organic matter occurs in the pores and is adsorbed on the organic-mineral aggregates, suggesting variable interactions between the organic fractions with different attributes and minerals. From the pyrolysis and FTIR analysis, the organic fractions of different occurrence sites vary in their OC proportion, proclivity to form organic functional groups, and hydrocarbon generation potential. With increasing burial depth, the MSA and hydrogen index as well as OC loading per unit MSA are reduced, and the OC proportions of organic fractions with different attributes have regular trends. These observations indicate that the extent of organic-mineral interactions that can stabilize organic matter gradually decreases, resulting in transformation of the tightly mineral-combined OC into free OC. Our work reveals the heterogeneity in organic matter occurrence and the effect of the evolution of the organic-mineral interactions on OC occurrence and transformation, which is significant in the global carbon cycle and in petroleum systems.

The Magnus Field, Block 211/7a, 12a, UK North Sea

1991 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 153-157 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Shepherd
Keyword(s):  
North Sea ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Hydrocarbon Source Rock ◽  
Submarine Fan ◽  
Oil Accumulation ◽  
The North ◽  
Fault Block ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
The Uk ◽  
Clay Formation

abstractMagnus is the most northerly producing field in the UK sector of the North Sea. The oil accumulation occurs within sandstones of an Upper Jurassic submarine fan sequence. The combination trap style consists of reservoir truncation by unconformity at the crest of the easterly dipping fault block structure and a stratigraphic pinchout element at the northern and southern limits of the sand rich fan. The reservoir is enveloped by the likely hydrocarbon source rock, the organic rich mudstones of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation.

scholarly journals Are Carboniferous coals from the Danish North Sea oil-prone?

2007 ◽  
Vol 13 ◽  
pp. 13-16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Henrik I. Petersen ◽  
Hans P. Nytoft
Keyword(s):  
Source Rock ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Upper Jurassic ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Lower Carboniferous ◽  
North West ◽  
The North ◽  
Single Well ◽  
The North Sea ◽  
Clay Formation

The Central Graben in the North Sea is a mature petroleum province with Upper Jurassic – lowermost Cretaceous marine shale of the Kimmeridge Clay Formation and equivalents as the principal source rock, and Upper Cretaceous chalk as the main reservoirs. However, increasing oil prices and developments in drilling technologies have made deeper plays depending on older source rocks increasingly attractive. In recent years exploration activities have therefore also been directed towards deeper clastic plays where Palaeozoic deposits may act as petroleum source rocks. Carboniferous coaly sections are the most obvious source rock candidates. The gas fields of the major gas province in the southern North Sea and North-West Europe are sourced from the thick Upper Carboniferous Coal Measures, which contain hundreds of coal seams (Drozdzewski 1993; Lokhorst 1998; Gautier 2003). North of the gas province Upper Carboni-ferous coal-bearing strata occur onshore in northern England and in Scotland, but offshore in the North Sea area they have been removed by erosion. However, Lower Carboniferous strata are present offshore and have been drilled in the Witch Ground Graben and in the north-eastern part of the Forth Approaches Basin (Fig. 1A), where most of the Lower Carbon iferous sediments are assigned to the sandstone/shale-dominated Tayport For mation and to the coal-bearing Firth Coal Formation (Bruce & Stemmerik 2003). Highly oil-prone Lower Carboniferous lacustrine oil shales occur onshore in the Midland Valley, Scotland, but they have only been drilled by a single well off shore and seem not to be regionally distributed (Parnell 1988). In the southern part of the Norwegian and UK Central Graben and in the Danish Central Graben a total of only nine wells have encountered Lower Carboniferous strata, and while they may have a widespread occurrence (Fig. 1B; Bruce & Stemmerik 2003) their distribution is poorly constrained in this area. The nearly 6000 m deep Svane-1/1A well (Fig. 1B) in the Tail End Graben encountered gas and condensate at depths of 5400–5900 m, which based on carbon isotope values may have a Carboniferous source (Ohm et al. 2006). In the light of this the source rock potential of the Lower Carboniferous coals in the Gert-2 well (Fig. 1C) has recently been assessed (Petersen & Nytoft 2007).

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