Petroleum Geochemistry Division – Reservoir Geochemistry...

Reservoir geochemistry is the application of petroleum geochemistry to issues relating to reservoir geometry, including compartmentalisation, continuity and heterogeneity of a reservoir. The analytical protocol compliments GEOTECH’s standard saturate, aromatic and branched/cyclic GC-MS analyses and is useful in both exploration and production applications. By using the simple, but effective tool of reservoir geochemistry, a greater understanding of reservoir history and geometry can be achieved.

Applications of Reservoir Geochemistry:

GEOTECH has extensive experience in both exploration and production applications. Reservoir geochemistry can be used to help address questions including:

      Is there a relationship between stacked reservoirs in a single well, or a            relationship between reservoirs from different wells?

      Are a series of reservoirs in communication or do barriers exist between them?

      Can the production from a number of reservoirs be tracked and allocated?

      Is there a problem with leakage of underground piping?

Geotech’s Analytical Technique:

The reservoir geochemistry protocol devised and used at GEOTECH offers a number of unique advantages.

      A major advantage of GEOTECH’s method is the use of a GC-MS instrument.            The GC-MS instrument is very sensitive, provides more accurate compound            identification and minimises coelution effects, which cannot be eradicated            using a GC-FID instrument.

      The GEOTECH reservoir geochemistry protocol includes sophisticated            statistical analyses to determine reproducibility and relevance of perceived            differences. All analyses are performed at least in duplicate.

      Forty geochemical parameters (a total of 75 components) are calculated from a            broad carbon number range. These parameters have been chosen to reflect            differences in source, depositional environment and maturity. Many of the            parameters can also be used to determine the extent of alteration through            secondary processes such as biodegradation and water washing.