Basin Petroleum Systems Modeling

Petroleum System
Definitions
Source / Reservoir / Trap / Seal
Timing!
Migration
Petroleum Systems Model
Basin & Petroleum Systems Modeling
Petroleum System Definitions
What is a Petroleum System?

A Petroleum System is defined as a natural system
that encompasses a pod of active source rock and all
related oil and gas which includes all of the geologic
elements and processes that are essential if a
hydrocarbon accumulation is to exist.
Magoon and Dow, 1994
Petroleum
A mineral oil occurring in subsurface rocks and at the surface which is a naturally
occurring mixture of hydrocarbon and non-hydrocarbon compounds. It may occur
in the gaseous, liquid, or solid state depending on the nature of these compounds
and the existent conditions of temperature and pressure. Common synonyms are
hydrocarbons and oil and gas.

System
A regularly interacting or interdependent group of items forming a unified whole
whose organization forms a network for distributing something, for example;
telephone, highway, blood, or petroleum.
(after Magoon and Dow, 1994)
Geographic Extent
The area over which the petroleum system occurs, defined by a line that
circumscribes the pod of active source rock as well as all the discovered petroleum
shows, seeps, and accumulations that originated from that pod. The geographic
extent is mapped at the critical moment. Also the known extent.

Burial History Chart
A burial history curve or geohistory diagram constructed to show the time over which
hydrocarbon generation occurs. Depicts the essential elements and the critical
moment for the petroleum system.

Events Chart
A chart for a petroleum system showing when the essential elements and processes
took place as well as the preservation time and critical moment of the system.
Deer Boar Petroleum System
@ 250 Ma -> Critical Moment:
generation started
traps exist
migration possible
Pod of Active
Source Rock
Reservoirs
A-A Cross Section
(from Magoon and Dow, 1994)
Geograpic Extent
Burial Chart
Events Chart
Deer Boar Petroleum System
@ 250 Ma -> Critical Moment:
generation started
traps exist
migration possible
(from Magoon and Dow, 1994)
Combined with Events Chart
Source Rock
A rock unit containing sufficient organic matter of suitable chemical composition to
biogenically or thermally generate and expel petroleum.

Pod of Active Source Rock
A contiguous volume of source rock that is generating and expelling petroleum at the
critical moment and is the provenance for a series of genetically related petroleum
shows, seeps, and accumulations in a petroleum system. A pod of mature source rock
may be active, inactive or spent.

Reservoir Rock
A subsurface volume of rock that has sufficient porosity and permeability to permit
the migration and accumulation of petroleum under adequate trap conditions.
Petroleum System Source / Reservoir / Trap / Seal
Seal
A shale or other impervious rock that acts as a barrier to the passage of petroleum
migrating in the sub-surface; it overlies the reservoir rock to form a trap or conduit.
Also known as roof rock and cap rock.

Overburden Rock
The sedimentary rock above which compresses and consolidates the material
below. In a petroleum system the overburden rock overlies the source rock and
contributes to its thermal maturation because of higher temperatures at greater
depths.
Petroleum System Source / Reservoir / Trap / Seal
Petroleum System Exercise
Follow the below listed instructions to analyze the Paris Basin petroleum system

1. Draw a line (map) around the pod of active source rock (green-colored pencil).
2. Draw a line (map) around the geographic extent of the petroleum system (red-
colored pencil).
3. Draw a line (map) of cross-section on the map (brown-colored pencil) that
would best show the relation of the pod of active source rock to the petroleum
migration paths and accumulations.
4. Draw an asterisk on the map (brown-colored pencil) where a burial history
chart would best show the onset and end of petroleum generation and the
critical moment.
5. Draw a few arrows (green-colored pencil) to indicate the directions of oil and
gas migration.
PARIS BASIN Petroleum System Analysis
Pod of active source rock
Geographic extent
Cross section location
Burial history chart location
Petroleum migration
Use the following symbols to analyze the
Paris Basin Petroleum System
Paris Basin, from Tissot & Welte, 1978
Paris Basin, from Tissot & Welte, 1978

Critical Moment
The time that best depicts the generation migration accumulation of
hydrocarbons in a petroleum system. A map and a cross section drawn at the critical
moment best shows the geographic and stratigraphic extent of the System.
The four elements Source Rock, Reservoir Rock, Seal Rock and a sufficient Amount of
Overburden have to be in place before the Critical Moment.
Petroleum System Age
The time over which the process of generation-migration accumulation of
hydrocarbons in the system takes place on the events chart.

Preservation Time
The time after generation-migration-accumulation of petroleum takes place and
encompasses any changes to the petroleum accumulations up to present day.
Petroleum System Timing!
2 Processes are essential for a working Petroleum System

Generation Migration Accumulation
(driven by temperature)

Trap Formation!
(structural evolution or stratigraphic framework)

Petroleum System Petroleum System Elements
from TISSOT & WELTE (1984)
Petroleum System Migration
(Expulsion)
Migration is the process, whereby hydrocarbons move from source rocks to traps.
Migration is divided into four categories:

Primary migration The process of loss of hydrocarbons from the source rock
(also Expulsion).

Secondary migration Migration from source to reservoir rock in trap configuration
along a carrier system. Including the migration within the
reservoir rock itself.

Tertiary migration Migration to the surface, either from the reservoir or source
rock (dismigration).

Re-migration Migration from one reservoir system position through an
intervening section into another reservoir position (trap) in
the same or a different reservoir.
Why do hydrocarbons migrate?
Fluids migrate along a pressure gradient
pressure driven

Density contrasts between hydrocarbons and water
buoyancy driven

Diffusion due to concentration differences
chemical gradient driven
Hydrocarbons migrate as a separate phase
from the higher potential to a lower potential
on the direct way
topography driven
How do hydrocarbons migrate?
Generated HC Masses
from Source
Topography driven
buoyancy driven
f
r
o
m

H
a
n
t
s
c
h
e
l

&

K
a
u
e
r
a
u
f

(
2
0
0
9
)

c p w w p
p h g u u + + = ) (
Overpressure Buoyancy Capillary Pressure
Migration Mechanism Migration Rate
Hydrodynamic (pressure driven) 10
-3
to 1000 m/a
Compaction (drainage!) 10
-5
to 1 m/a
Buoyancy Meters per day (gas)
Diffusion 1 to 10 m / Ma
Petroleum Migration Rates
Fluid velocity [m/a]
1 10 10
2
10
3
10
4
0.1 10
-2
10
-4
10
-5
10
-6
10
-7
10-3
Buoyancy GAS
Hydrodynamic
?
?
Compactionally driven flow
Diffusion

for a distance of 500m and a pressure gradient of 5MPa/km ( Darcy Law )
0.01 0.1 1.0 10.0 100.0 1000.0
gas oil
Viscosity [mPa s]
P
e
r
m
e
a
b
i
l
i
t
y

[
m
D
]

10
4

10
3

10
2

10
1

10
-1

10
-2

10
-3

10
-4

10
-5

10
0

Silt
@ 20% porosity
Sand
@ 20% porosity
Petroleum Migration Rates
p grad
k
dx
dp k
A
Q
v
q q
= = =
The following main driving mechanisms can be distinguished

Pressure Gradient Driven
Sediment Compaction - overpressure (grad u), compaction driven fluid movement,
permeability
Capillary imbibition - capillary pressure differences between fine and coarse grained
layers (leads to downward expulsion)
- capillary fluid flow depends on fluid components involved,
relative permeability

Buoyancy Driven
Fluid composition density contrast between hydrocarbons and water
Temperature Temperature increase leads to increasing buoyancy
- primary effect - the density contrast between water an HCs increase
- secondary effect - cracking to lighter HCs
Pressure Pressure increase leads to decreasing buoyancy
- primary effect - the density contrast between water an HCs decrease
- secondary effect - dissolving of lighter HCs into the liquid phase

Chemical potential concentration differences (diffusion)
Sediment Compaction
B
u
r
i
a
l

D
e
p
t
h

Pressure
Lithostatic
Pressure
Hydrostatic
Pressure
Pore
Pressure
Fluidflow
Compaction
Z
o
n
e

o
f

O
v
e
r
p
r
e
s
s
u
r
e

h
P
u
l
P
o : Effective Overburden Pressure (MPa)
u : Excess Pore Pressure (MPa)
l
P
h
P
: Lithostatic Pressure (MPa)
: Hydrostatic Pressure (MPa)
e
P
normal / hydrostatic
pressure
overpressure
Sediment Compaction
p grad
k
dx
dp k
A
Q
v
q q
= = =
A pressure gradient dependent fluid flow can be quantified by the Darcy Law
: volumetric flow [m
3
/ s]
: permebility [ m
2
]
: darcy velocity (discharge velocity) [m / s]
: flow specific surface [m
2
]
: pressure gradient [Pa / m]
Q
v

dp/dx
: dynamic viscosity [ Pa s ]
k
A
Sediment Compaction
Permeabilities
P
o
r
o
s
i
t
y
-
E
f
f
e
c
t
i
v
e

S
t
r
e
s
s

F
u
n
c
t
i
o
n

( )
o
| | | o |
k
e
+ =
1 0 1
) (
|
o
gz k
w l
e
z
) )( 1 (
0 0
0
1
) 1 (
) (
|
| |
|
|

+
=
P
o
r
o
s
i
t
y
-
D
e
p
t
h

F
u
n
c
t
i
o
n

|
z
When a drop of one immiscible fluid is immersed in another and comes to rest
on a solid surface. The shape of the resulting interface is governed by the
balance of adhesive and cohesive forces.
u
SOLID SURFACE
Oil Water
The surface area at the fluid-fluid contact is minimized by the interaction of these
forces:
cohesive forces at the fluid-fluid interface
adhesive forces at the solid-fluid interface
Example:
Capillary Imbibition
Capillary pressure is the difference in pressure across the interface between
two immiscible fluids, and thus defined as:
P
c
=P
nw
- P
w

P
w
= wetting phase
P
nw
non-wetting phase
In oil-water systems, water is typically the wetting phase, while for gas-oil
systems, oil is typically the wetting phase.

When adhesion > cohesion, adhesive forces draw the fluid up the tube until
they are balanced by the weight of the fluid column.

When cohesion > adhesion, cohesive forces drag fluid down the tube until
they are balanced by the weight of the head difference forcing fluid upwards.

Capillary Imbibition
drainage
imbibition
Oil phase
As HC migrate into a water-wet rock
- They first enter the pores with the largest pore throats (capillaries) leaving the wetting
phase in the pores with the smaller throats (insufficient pressure).
- Can also leave the wetting phase in irregular nooks and crannies.
- As the hydrocarbon column rises, Pc rises (buoyancy) and forces hydrocarbons into
pores with smaller and smaller throats
Sediment Compaction
c p w
w p
P h g u u + + = ) (
The petroleum potential
: Excess Pore Pressure (Overpressure)
: Petroleum Density
: Petroleum Potntial
: Water Density
: Capillary Pressure
u
p
u
w
g
P
c
: acceleration due to gravity
w
: column height
h
5000m
4500m
2500m
2000m
3000m
2000m
2500m
B
A C
A
A
Hydrocarbons migrate as a
separate phase from the
higher potential to a lower
potential on the direct way,
usually from the deepest to
the shallowest part of the
basin, depending on the
drainage area.

1) Identify the drainage area
for trap A, B & C
2) Draw the hydrocarbon flow
lines towards each trap

1500
2000
2500
3000
3500
4000
4500
5000
A
A
5000m
4500m
2500m
2000m
3000m
2000m
2500m
B
A C
Petroleum System Migration - Exercise
B
A C
Petroleum System Migration - Solution
There are a variety of modelling methods in computerized Basin Modelling, out of
which three basic concepts can be indentified:

Darcy Flow Based on equations of flow through porous media

Flow Path Geometrical surface analysis (buoyancy driven migration)

Invasion Percolation Flow controlled by capillary forces only

A combination of methods A combination of different methods needs the
introduction of threshold values to enable the program to decide when a specific
method is used, advantages of each method can be combined in a time effective and
accurate simulation of the migration and accumulation processes
Dynamics ++ - -
Scaling - + +
Processing speed -- + + -
Data availability + + +
Source and expulsion + - -
Migration low perm. units + -- +
Migration high perm. carriers - ++ +
Reservoir bodies -- ++ +
Petroleum Systems Components:
3D Modeling Requirements:
Darcy Flowpath Percolation
A Petroleum Systems Model is a digital data model of
an entire petroleum system in which the interrelated
processes and their results can be simulated in order to
understand and predict them.

The model is dynamic and provides a complete record
through geologic time.
from Magoon and Dow, 1994
Key Questions and Tasks of Petroleum Systems Modeling
Petroleum Generation
Have hydrocarbons been generated?
Resource assessment studies and initial charge risking. There are basins in which no oil and gas
have been generated!

Where were hydrocarbons generated?
If hydrocarbons were generated, we can define their locations quite accurately.

When were hydrocarbons generated?
There are many clear examples of where basins/plays/prospects have failed due to timing
problems. For example, when oil and gas was generated early and the structures were created
much later:
Petroleum Migration & Accumulation
Could they have migrated to the prospect?
Modeling of the dynamic process of generation, expulsion and migration makes it possible to
determine if the oil and gas charge could reach the trap.

What are the properties of the hydrocarbons?
Modeling of the phase behaviour of the hydrocarbons during migration, accumulation and loss
makes it possible to determine oil vs. gas probabilities and even predict properties such as API
gravities and GORs.
source
carrier
Trap Risk
for example:
- Prospect geometry
- Reservoir quality (por/perm)
- Seal quality
Charge Risk
for example:
- Source rock quality
- Source rock maturity
- Generated petroleum

Timing and Migration Risk!
- relates the charge to the trap ... migration!
- takes dependencies and processes into account!
- takes dynamics into account!
seal
carrier/
reservoir
This is what Petroleum
Systems Modeling
technology does!
Definition: Charge is the
volume of hydrocarbons
available for entrapment

Basin Petroleum Systems Modeling

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