Petroleum Geochemistry Division – Fluid Inclusion Analysis...

GEOTECH has developed a technique for isolating and characterising oil trapped within fluid inclusions. Fluid inclusions are small accumulations (<10µm in diameter) of pore fluid enclosed within minerals such as quartz, feldspar and carbonate.

The service has been commercially available for several years and offers a number of advantages over similar analyses offered by other providers.

GEOTECH’s Fluid Inclusion Analysis

GEOTECH offers an inexpensive screening of samples to determine the abundance of fluid inclusions present. Screening is achieved via microscopic examination of samples using reflected fluorescent light. Once samples have been chosen for fluid inclusion analysis, the grains with fluid inclusions are thoroughly cleaned and the included oil is released and analysed using highly sensitive GC-MS instrumentation.

Geochemical Applications

      Comparison between oil currently contained in the reservoir and palaeo-oil            trapped within fluid inclusions can provide information regarding the charge            history of the reservoir.

      Dry exploration wells can also contain hydrocarbon fluid inclusions which reflect            a palaeo-charge of the reservoir. Analysis of the included oil may lead to            investigation of nearby formations in search of displaced oil that would            otherwise not be located.

      Geochemical data obtained from fluid inclusion analysis can be used for            correlation with other oil and source rock data.

Why Choose GEOTECH?

      Compared to similar analyses offered by other providers, both the screening            method and detailed fluid inclusion characterisation are considerably more cost            effective, without compromising the quality of the data.

      GEOTECH provides faster turnaround times for both the screening and detailed            fluid inclusion analyses.

      There is greater data consistency if fluid inclusion characterisation is done at            GEOTECH in conjunction with standard geochemical analyses of samples.