Deciphering biodegradation effects on light hydrocarbons in crude oils using their stable carbon isotopic composition: A case study from the Gullfaks oil field, offshore Norway

Compound-specific isotope analysis has become an important tool in environmental studies and is an especially powerful way to evaluate biodegradation of hydrocarbons. Here, carbon isotope ratios of light hydrocarbons were used to characterise in-reservoir biodegradation in the Gullfaks oil field, offshore Norway. Increasing biodegradation, as characterised, for example, by increasing concentration ratios of Pr/n-C₁₇ and Ph/n-C₁₈, and decreasing concentrations of individual light hydrocarbons were correlated to ¹³C-enrichment of the light hydrocarbons. The δ¹³C values of C₄ to C₉n-alkanes increase by 7-3‰ within the six oil samples from the Brent Group of the Gullfaks oil field, slight changes (1-3‰) being observed for several branched alkanes and benzene, whereas no change (<1‰) in δ¹³C occurs for cyclohexane, methylcyclohexane, and toluene. Application of the Rayleigh equation demonstrated high to fair correlation of concentration and isotope data of i- and n-pentane, n-hexane, and n-heptane, documenting that biodegradation in reservoirs can be described by the Rayleigh model. Using the appropriate isotope fractionation factor of n-hexane, derived from laboratory experiments, quantification of the loss of this petroleum constituent due to biodegradation is possible. Toluene, which is known to be highly susceptible to biodegradation, is not degraded within the Gullfaks oil field, implying that the local microbial community exhibits rather pronounced substrate specificities. The evaluation of combined molecular and isotopic data expands our understanding of the anaerobic degradation processes within this oil field and provides insight into the degradative capabilities of the microorganisms. Additionally, isotope analysis of unbiodegraded to slightly biodegraded crude oils from several oil fields surrounding Gullfaks illustrates the heterogeneity in isotopic composition of the light hydrocarbons due to source effects. This indicates that both source and also maturity effects have to be well constrained when using compound-specific isotope analysis for the assessment of biodegradation.     

The controls on the composition of biodegraded oils in the deep subsurface – Part 3. The impact of microorganism distribution on petroleum geochemical gradients in biodegraded petroleum reservoirs

A combined geochemical, geological and microbiological analysis of an actively biodegrading 24.5 m thick oil column in a Canadian heavy oil reservoir has been carried out. The reservoir properties associated with the cored vertical well are characterised by a 15.75 m thick oil column and an 8.75 m zone of steadily decreasing oil saturation below the oil column, referred to as the oil–water transition zone (OWTZ), grading down into a thin water leg. The oil column exhibits systematic gradients in oil physical properties and hydrocarbon composition and shows variations in biodegradation level throughout the reservoir consistent with the notion that the biodegradation of oil is focussed in a bioreactor zone at the base of the oil column. Through the oil column, the dead oil viscosity measured at 20 °C ranged from 50,000 cP (0.05 McP) at the top of the oil column to 1.4 McP at the oil–OWTZ contact, and continued to increase to 10.5 McP within the OWTZ. The saturated and aromatic hydrocarbons are characterised by systematically decreasing bulk fraction and component concentrations down through the oil column. Different compound classes decreased to levels below their detection limit at different depths within the OWTZ, defining a likely bioreactor extent of over 5 m in depth with, for example, n-alkanes being reduced to their detection limit concentration at the bottom of the oil column/top of the OWTZ, while branched isoprenoid alkanes were not completely degraded until well into the OWTZ.Core samples from the oil column and the lower part of the OWTZ were estimated to contain ca. 10⁴–10⁵ bacterial cells/g, based on qPCR of bacterial 16S rRNA genes, while samples from a narrow interval in the OWTZ immediately below the oil column contained on the order of 10⁶–10⁷ cells/g of sediment. Interestingly, these latter numbers are typical of those observed in active deep subsurface biosphere systems with the notion that microbial activity and abundance in the deep subsurface is elevated at geochemical interfaces. The numbers of organisms are not constant throughout the OWTZ. The highest bacterial abundance and geochemical gradients of, for example, methylphenanthrene biodegradation define a zone near the oil–water contact as likely the most active in terms of biodegradation. The largest bacterial abundances in the upper part of the OWTZ are in line with the trend of bacterial abundance with depth that has emerged from extensive analysis of microbial cells in deep subsurface sediments, implying that in terms of deep biosphere cell abundance, oil reservoirs are similar to other deep subsurface microbial environments. This is puzzling, given the atypical abundance of organic carbon in petroleum reservoirs and may imply a common large scale control on microbial abundance and activity in the deep biosphere, including in oilfields.     

Biodegradation of petroleum by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Klebsiella pneumoniae</Emphasis> isolated from drilling fluid

The removal of petroleum and petroleum-based products from the environment is of great importance. The objectives of this study were to investigate the most suitable physiological conditions and the effects of additional carbon, nitrogen and surfactant sources on petroleum biodegradation by Klebsiella pneumoniae ATCC13883 isolated from drilling fluid and to evaluate petroleum biodegradation with detailed hydrocarbon analysis by GC–MS. The results indicated that the highest biodegradation rate of 66.5% for K. pneumoniae was obtained under the conditions of pH 7, petroleum concentration 1% (v/v) and 7-day incubation at 150 rpm and 25 °C, proving to be the most effective physical conditions for petroleum biodegradation in this present study. Additional sources such as Triton X: 100, glucose and yeast extract significantly enhanced the petroleum biodegradation of K. pneumoniae to 68, 71 and 72.5%, respectively. In the last stage of this study, biodegradation rates were above 90% for hydrocarbons ranging from C₁₀ and C₂₀, above 70% for hydrocarbons ranging from C₂₁ and C₂₂ and above 40% for hydrocarbons ranging from C₃₁ and C₃₂. In conclusion, oil field adapted K. pneumoniae could efficiently degrade short-, medium- and long-chain alkanes in petroleum and thus is a potential source for advanced petroleum treatment.     

Evaluation of petroleum hydrocarbon biodegradation in shallow groundwater by hydrogeochemical indicators and C, S-isotopes

Biodegradation is one of the main natural attenuation processes in groundwater contaminated with petroleum hydrocarbons. In this work, preliminary studies have been carried out by analyzing the concentrations of total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH), dissolved inorganic carbon (DIC), dominant terminal electron accepters or donors, as well as δ ¹³C_DIC and δ ³⁴S_SO4, to reveal the biodegradation mechanism of petroleum hydrocarbons in a contaminated site. The results show that along groundwater flow in the central line of the plume, the concentrations of electron acceptors, pH, and E _h increased but TPH and DIC decreased. The δ ¹³C_DIC values of the contaminated groundwater were in the range of ?14.02 to ?22.28 ‰_PDB and ?7.71 to 8.36 ‰_PDB, which reflected a significant depletion and enrichment of ¹³C, respectively. The increase of DIC is believed to result from the non-methanogenic and methanogenic biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbon in groundwater. Meanwhile, from the contaminated source to the downgradient of the plume, the ³⁴S in the contaminated groundwater became more depleted. The Rayleigh model calculation confirmed the occurrence of bacterial sulfate reduction as a biodegradation pathway of the petroleum hydrocarbon in the contaminated aquifers. It was concluded that stable isotope measurements, combined with other biogeochemical measurements, can be a useful tool to prove the occurrence of the biodegradation process and to identify the dominant terminal electron-accepting process in contaminated aquifers.     

Improved assessment of biodegradation extent and prediction of petroleum quality

Biodegradation of crude oil causes volumetrically important compositional changes, which lead to significant deterioration in quality, in particular during the early stages of alteration. To better understand these effects we focussed on a detailed assessment of light to moderate levels of alteration. We investigated a suite of 40 crude oil samples from five different petroleum systems to evaluate the extent of alteration occurring in reservoirs. Based on a comprehensive geochemical characterization, five individual crude oil sequences were defined, where compositional variability is mainly due to microbial activity in the reservoir. In particular, samples from the Gullfaks field (offshore Norway) and from a petroleum system offshore Angola illustrate that conventional molecular biodegradation parameters, such as the Pr/n-C₁₇ and Ph/n-C₁₈ alkane ratios are not suitable for defining the extent of biodegradation in petroleum reservoirs. Here, we suggest a new molecular biodegradation parameter, the degradative loss, that can be used to quantify depletion in individual crude oil constituents. The approach allows improved assessment of the extent of biodegradation in crude oil samples by means of the mean degradative loss. It is demonstrated that crude oil quality, as assessed from API gravity, can be predicted directly from the molecular composition of crude oils. Our data clearly indicate that the degradation patterns of light hydrocarbons and n-alkanes differ in different petroleum systems. This suggests that microbial communities are different and therefore generate different molecular degradation patterns which have to be evaluated individually for each system.     

Isolation and characterization of a novel native Bacillus strain capable of degrading diesel fuel

The ability of native bacteria to utilize diesel fuel as the sole carbon and energy source was investigated in this research. Ten bacterial strains were isolated from the oil refinery field in Tehran, Iran. Two biodegradation experiments were performed in low and high (500 and 10000 ppm, respectively) concentration of diesel fuel for 15 days. Only two isolates were able to efficiently degrade the petroleum hydrocarbons in the first test and degraded 86.67% and, 80.60 % of diesel fuel, respectively. The secondary experiment was performed to investigate the toxicity effect of diesel fuel at high concentration (10000 ppm). Only one strain was capable to degrade 85.20 % of diesel fuel at the same time (15 days). Phenotype and phylogeny analysis of this strain was characterized and identified as diesel-degrading bacteria, based on gram staining, biochemical tests, 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis. These results indicate that this new strain was Bacillus sp. and could be considered as Bacillus Cereus with 98 % 16 S rRNA gene sequence similarity. The results indicate that native strains have great potential for in situ remediation of diesel-contaminated soils in oil refinery sites.     

Origin of sulfur rich oils and H2S in Tertiary lacustrine sections of the Jinxian Sag,Bohai Bay Basin,China

Very high S oils (up to 14.7%) with H₂S contents of up to 92% in the associated gas have been found in the Tertiary in the Jinxian Sag, Bohai Bay Basin, PR China. Several oil samples were analyzed for C and S stable isotopes and biomarkers to try to understand the origin of these unusual oil samples.The high S oils occur in relatively shallow reservoirs in the northern part of the Jinxian Sag in anhydrite-rich reservoirs, and are characteristic of oils derived from S-rich source rocks deposited in an enclosed and productive stratified hypersaline water body. In contrast, low S oils (as low as 0.03%) in the southern part of the Jinxian Sag occur in Tertiary lacustrine reservoirs with minimal anhydrite. These southern oils were probably derived from less S-rich source rocks deposited under a relatively open and freshwater to brackish lake environment that had larger amounts of higher plant inputs.The extremely high S oil samples (>10%) underwent biodegradation of normal alkanes resulting in a degree of concentration of S in the residual petroleum, although isoprenoid alkanes remain showing that biodegradation was not extreme. Interestingly, the high S oils occur in H₂S-rich reservoirs (H₂S up to 92% by volume) where the H₂S was derived from bacterial SO₄ reduction, most likely in the source rock prior to migration. Three oils in the Jinxian Sag have δ³⁴S values from +0.3‰ to +16.2‰ and the oil with the highest S content shows the lightest δ³⁴S value. This δ³⁴S value for that oil is close to the δ³⁴S value for H₂S (∼0‰). It is possible that H₂S was incorporated into functionalized compounds within the residual petroleum during biodegradation at depth in the reservoir thus accounting for the very high concentrations of S in petroleum.     

Evaluating the sulfur isotopic composition of biodegraded petroleum: The case of the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin

The sulfur isotopic composition (δ³⁴S) of petroleum is believed to be affected mainly by sulfur incorporation reactions into the sedimentary organic matter during the early diagenesis. However, secondary processes could affect the original δ³⁴S of oil under the effect of thermal maturity or of the microbial activity of biodegraded reservoirs. In this study, the different processes that may affect the δ³⁴S of in-reservoir oils were assessed based on the sulfur content and isotopes of a series of oil and core samples coming from various reservoirs of the Lower Cretaceous Mannville Group, Western Canada Sedimentary Basin (WCSB). Based on the molecular study, these samples appear to have reached various levels of maturity and biodegradation, ranging from 0 to 6.5 on the biodegradation scale of Peters and Moldowan. In addition, mixing of organic matter coming from different source rocks was identified based on the comparison with extensive correlation studies performed in the WCSB.Investigation of the δ³⁴S shows a trend that seems a priori correlated to the level of biodegradation. However, a careful interpretation of molecular and sulfur isotope data leads to the conclusion that the observed δ³⁴S variations have rather to be ascribed to contributions of oils generated by various source rocks. Alternatively, variations of δ³⁴S could neither be related to maturity differences nor to kinetic effects during organic sulfur compounds biodegradation. In the case of some specific core samples showing a common origin based on biomarker study, δ³⁴S variations might not be related to different sources but to secondary sulfur incorporation/exchange processes occurring within the reservoir. These processes would involve reduced sulfur species from bacterial sulfate reduction formed in situ or migrated into Mannville reservoirs. This hypothesis is supported by laboratory experiments showing sulfur exchange/incorporation under plausible conditions for shallow reservoirs.     

Evaluation of the diagnostic ratios for the identification of spilled oils after biodegradation

Biodegradation, one of the most important weathering processes, alters the composition of spilled oil, making it difficult to identify the source of the release and to monitor its fate in the environment. A laboratory experiment was conducted to simulate oil spill weathering process of microbial degradation to investigate compositional changes in a range of source- and weathering-dependent molecular parameters in oil residues, and the conventional diagnostic ratios for oil spill identification were also evaluated. The conventional diagnostic ratios of n-alkane displayed obvious changes after biodegradation, especially for Pr/n-C₁₇ and Ph/n-C₁₈ with relative standard deviation more than 118.84 %, which suggests they are invalid for oil source identification of the middle-serious spill. Many polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are more resistant to biodegradation process than their saturated hydrocarbon counterparts, thus making PAHs to be one of the most valuable fingerprinting classes of hydrocarbons for oil identification. Biomarker ratios of hopanes and steranes were also useful for source identification even after moderate biodegradation, and the diagnostic ratios from them could be used in tracking origin and sources of hydrocarbon pollution. Finally, the carbon isotopic type curve may provide another diagnostic means for correlation and differentiation of spilled oils, and be particularly valuable for lighter refined products or severely biodegraded oils, the source of which may be difficult to identify by routine biomarker techniques.     

Hydrocarbon biodegradation and soil microbial community response to repeated oil exposure

Bioremediation strategies continue to be developed to mitigate the environmental impact of petroleum hydrocarbon contamination. This study investigated the ability of soil microbiota, adapted by prior exposure, to biodegrade petroleum. Soils from Barrow Is. (W. Australia), a class A nature reserve and home to Australia’s largest onshore oil field, were exposed to Barrow production oil (50 ml/kg soil) and incubated (25 °C) for successive phases of 61 and 100 days. Controls in which oil was not added at Phase I or II were concurrently studied and all treatments were amended with the same levels of additional nutrient and water to promote microbial activity. Prior exposure resulted in accelerated biodegradation of most, but not all, hydrocarbon constituents in the production oil. Molecular biodegradation parameters measured using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS) showed that several aromatic constituents were degraded more slowly with increased oil history. The unique structural response of the soil microbial community was reflected by the response of different phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) sub-classes (e.g. branched saturated fatty acids of odd or even carbon number) measured using a ratio termed Barrow PLFA ratio (B-PLFAr). The corresponding values of a previously proposed hydrocarbon degrading alteration index showed a negative correlation with hydrocarbon exposure, highlighting the site specificity of PLFA-based ratios and microbial community dynamics. B-PLFAr values increased with each Phase I and II addition of production oil. The different hydrocarbon biodegradation rates and responses of PLFA subclasses to the Barrow production oil probably relate to the relative bioavailability of production oil hydrocarbons. These different effects suggest preferred structural and functional microbial responses to anticipated contaminants may potentially be engineered by controlled pre-exposure to the same or closely related substrates. The bioremediation of soils freshly contaminated with petroleum could benefit from the addition of exhaustively bioremediated soils rich in biota primed for the impacting hydrocarbons.     

高精度地表油气化探技术的发展及应用--以济阳凹陷垛石桥地区土壤酸解烃为例

酸解烃技术是油气化探的一个重要方法,在常规的油气化探中被普遍应用,然而多解性一直影响其应用效果。本文选择济阳凹陷垛石桥地区作为研究区,利用改进的酸解烃技术,分析研究区已知背景区和产油气区土壤中的酸解烃含量及其碳同位素特征,以验证改进酸解烃技术在复杂含油气区块油气化探工作中的有效性,为油气化探提供高精度的技术方法。研究结果表明,垛石桥地区地表土壤酸解烃中甲烷的含量受干扰因素较多,与下伏油气藏没有明显的对应关系;而乙烷和丙烷等重烃含量与下伏油气藏的对应关系较好,可以较好地揭示深部油气运移的贡献。另外,该地区土壤酸解烃的组成特征指示其深部油气源以油藏为主,部分为凝析油藏,与实际地质情况较为吻合,表明改进的酸解烃技术可以作为复杂含油气区块指示深部油气藏的有效化探方法。     

Fast bioremediation of petroleum-contaminated soils by a consortium of biosurfactant/bioemulsifier producing bacteria

Biodegradation of petroleum hydrocarbons as a decontamination mechanism is a relatively slow process. This study aimed to investigate the impact of a tailored consortium of bacteria with higher capacities in biosurfactant production and biodegradation on the acceleration of the biodecontamination process. To this end, 18 biosurfactant producing bacteria were isolated from the crude oil-contaminated soil samples of Isfahan refinery, and the activity of the produced biosurfactants was measured in terms of surface tension reduction and emulsification E24 test. Then, the isolates screened for the biodegradation of kerosene hydrocarbons and chemical structure of the purified biosurfactants produced by the most efficient isolates were partially characterized. Next, the isolates were sorted based on their surfactant activity and biodegradation efficiency, and the higher ranked bacteria thus selected were utilized to form an efficient consortium removing hydrocarbons from the oil-contaminated soil samples in a slurry phase system. The consortium consisted of Bacillus subtilis tb1 and Pseudomonas aeruginosa species having the highest biodegradation capabilities and surface activities. The results revealed that the hydrocarbon removal efficiency of the consortium was at least 25 % higher than single species, and the final removal efficiency for the consortium could be reached in a considerably shorter time.     

Investigation of hydrocarbon biodegradation from a downhole profile in Bohai Bay Basin: Implications for the origin of 25-norhopanes

A suite of reservoir cores (oil sands) from a single well in Bohai Bay Basin, East China, displayed a progressive increase in petroleum biodegradation extent on the basis of bulk composition and 25-norhopane content. This fits with the proposal that subsurface petroleum biodegradation is dominantly an anaerobic process and usually occurs at the oil–water contact. It is likely that sequential microbial degradation of hydrocarbons under anoxic conditions does not occur in a true stepwise fashion, but is controlled by various factors such as concentration and solubility of hydrocarbons and their diffusion rate to the oil/water contact. In fact, 25-norhopanes were formed prior to the complete elimination of the acyclic, and mono- and bicyclic alkanes. An inverse response of the 22S/(22S + 22R) ratio between each extended 17α(H)-hopane and its corresponding 25-norhopane was observed as severe biodegradation occurred, supporting the proposal that the 25-norhopanes originate from demethylation of hopanes. Field observation revealed that biomarkers without extended alkyl side chains, such as oleanane, gammacerane and β-carotane, have significant resistance to biodegradation and can be used as naturally occurring “internal standards” to evaluate variations in other biomarkers. The results suggest that the quantity of 25-norhopanes showed a minor increase as the hopanes decreased significantly, i.e. only partial hopane conversion to the corresponding 25-norhopanes. Alternative degradation pathways for hopanes might occur in reservoirs, in addition to C-25 demethylation.     

Single carbon surface reactions of 1-octadecene and 2,3,6-trimethylphenol on activated carbon: Implications for methane formation in sediments

The reactions of a terminal alkene (1-octadecene) and a polymethyl phenol (2,3,6-trimethylphenol) on activated carbon have been investigated in closed system pyrolysis experiments in the temperature range 170-340 °C. The reaction products of 1-octadecene included methane, isomeric octadecenes, methyl substituted alkanes, alkyl aromatics and an homologous series of n-alkanes with carbon numbers indicative of progressive single carbon depletion of the reactant. The reaction products of 2,3,6-trimethylphenol also contained methane, as well as C₁-C₄ methyl phenols produced by demethylation and methyl transfer reactions. A carbon surface reaction involving the formation of a reactive single carbon intermediate (i.e. methylene/carbene) is proposed. This reaction accounts for the products observed from the pyrolysis experiments and also is consistent with liquid hydrocarbon distributions found in petroleum basins. Methane was the dominant (ca. 85% of C₁-C₄) gaseous hydrocarbon product of 2,3,6-trimethylphenol but accounted for only ca. 17% of the C₁-C₄ hydrocarbons from 1-octadecene. These findings suggest that single carbon surface reactions may play an important role in the geochemical formation of crude oil and natural gas and that the composition of the source material and therefore the type of organic compounds undergoing such reactions, influences the hydrocarbon gas composition in sedimentary basins.     

地质微生物作用与油气资源

地质微生物作用与油气资源的生成、保存、破坏、开采和勘探的各个环节都有着密切的联系。微生物(细菌)本身不仅是良好的成烃母质,还是促使有机物转化为石油烃的主要营力。微生物作用使沉积有机质向更有利于生烃的物质转化,并使有机质中表征成熟度的一些指标在尚未受热成熟作用前就显示成熟特征。沉积环境中微生物的发育对有机质的贡献与保存有积极作用,细菌对有机质的降解也有利于有机质中成烃组分的保存与富集。微生物作用生成的天然气、煤层气和甲烷水合物在世界各地已成为有商业开采价值的资源。然而,微生物对已成藏的油气资源又具有破坏作用。储层中喜氧与厌氧菌的存在,不仅破坏石油储量,还使原油质量明显下降。     

油藏底水与隔夹层对原油生物降解程度的控制效应

系统剖析流花11-1礁灰岩油藏储层烃类的生物降解特征, 揭示油藏底水与隔夹层对原油生物降解程度具有显著控制效应, 这使得油藏原油生物降解程度及其分布预测更加复杂化.研究发现, 流花11-1油藏具有统一的油水界面, 油源类型单一, 原油成熟度较高且分布较窄, 可能为短期快速充注所形成的油藏.原油普遍遭受生物降解, 降解程度均小于6级.垂向上, 隔夹层虽可引起局部储层烃类降解程度的倒转, 但单井油柱生物降解等级仍以储层与油水界面的距离为主要控制因素, 表现为降解程度由顶部向底部呈明显梯度变化, 油藏底水控制效应明显.横向上, 油藏降解程度的差异主要由隔夹层控制下储层内原油与活跃底水的接触程度不同导致.在隔夹层密集发育区流体运动受阻, 进而使微生物营养物质供应不足, 代谢物质交换不畅, 原油降解程度相对较低.在上述研究的基础上, 建立了油藏底水与储层非均质性对原油生物降解程度的控制效应模型, 并探讨了该方法在稠油油藏开发中的应用.      

Evidence for in situ methanogenic oil degradation in the Dagang oil field

In situ biotransformation of oil to methane was investigated in a reservoir in Dagang, China using chemical fingerprinting, isotopic analyzes and molecular and biological methods. The reservoir is highly methanogenic despite chemical indications of advanced oil degradation, such as depletion of n-alkanes, alkylbenzenes and light polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) fractions or changes in the distribution of several alkylated polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. The degree of degradation strongly varied between different parts of the reservoir, ranging from severely degraded to nearly undegraded oil compositions. Geochemical data from oil, water and gas samples taken from the reservoir are consistent with in situ biogenic methane production linked to aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbon degradation. Microcosms were inoculated with production and injection waters in order to characterize these processes in vitro. Subsequent degradation experiments revealed that autochthonous microbiota are capable of producing methane from ¹³C labelled n-hexadecane or 2-methylnaphthalene and suggest that further methanogenesis may occur from the aromatic and polyaromatic fractions of Dagang reservoir fluids. The microbial communities from produced oil–water samples were composed of high numbers of microorganisms (on the order to 10⁷), including methane producing Archaea within the same order of magnitude. In summary, the investigated sections of the Dagang reservoir may have significant potential for testing the viability of in situ conversion of oil to methane as an enhanced recovery method and biodegradation of the aromatic fractions of the oil may be an important methane source.     

中国非常规油气勘探与研究新进展

全球油气勘探目标的转移和石油地质学的发展,具有从毫-微米孔喉的圈闭油气,逐渐向纳米孔喉的连续型油气聚集发展的趋势。近十年非常规油气资源在全球能源格局中的地位愈发重要,致密气、煤层气、重油、沥青砂等已成为勘探开发的重点领域,致密油成为亮点领域,页岩气成为热点领域。中国致密气、页岩气、致密油、煤层气等非常规油气资源勘探开发取得重要突破,油页岩、天然气水合物、油砂矿等有重要进展。中国非常规油气研究也取得重大进展,陆相敞流湖盆大型浅水三角洲砂体、湖盆中心砂质碎屑流沉积和湖相碳酸盐岩等,提供了湖盆中心储集体形成和分布的理论依据;创新发展了连续型油气聚集理念,明晰了连续型油气聚集的10个基本地质特征和2项关键标志,为大面积非常规油气规模勘探开发奠定了理论基础;系统表征了致密油气储层的纳米级微观孔喉结构,首次发现了纳米孔喉中油气的赋存,推动了纳米孔喉中油气流动机制和分布规律的研究。随着全球石油工业和纳米等技术的快速发展,提出了"纳米油气"概念,并指出这是未来石油工业的发展方向,需要发展纳米油气透视观测镜、纳米油气驱替剂、纳米油气开采机器人等换代技术,油气智能化时代即将到来。     

Geochemical exploration for hydrocarbons in the soils of southeast of Krishna-Godavari Basin, Andhra Pradesh

Surface adsorbed gas surveys and geo-microbiological surveys are known techniques of petroleum exploration and aim towards risk reduction in exploration by way of identifying the areas warm with hydrocarbons and to establish intense exploration priorities amongst the identified warm areas. The present investigation aims to explore correlation between the adsorbed gas distribution pattern with the distribution of the counts of methane, ethane, propane and butane microbial oxidizers in the sub soil samples to establish the role of the latter in identifying the upward migration of hydrocarbons especially in the known petroliferous Krishna-Godavari Basin, India. A total of 135 soil samples were collected near oil and gas fields of Tatipaka, Pasarlapudi areas of Krishna Godavari Basin, Andhra Pradesh. The soil samples were collected from a depth of 2?C2.5 m. The samples collected, were analyzed for indicator hydrocarbon oxidizing bacteria, adsorbed light gaseous hydrocarbons and carbon isotopes (??¹³C_methane). The microbial prospecting studies showed the presence of high bacterial population for methane (3.94 × 10⁵ cfu/gm), ethane (3.85 × 10⁵ cfu/gm), propane (4.85 × 10⁵ cfu/gm) and butane oxidizing bacteria (3.63 × 10⁵ cfu/gm) in soil samples indicating microseepage of hydrocarbons. The light gaseous hydrocarbon analysis showed 83 ppb, 92 ppb, 134 ppb, 187 ppb and 316 ppb of C₁, C₂, C₃, nC₄ and nC₅, respectively, and the carbon isotopic composition of ??¹³C₁ of the samples ranged between ? 36.6 ?? to ?22.7?? (Pee Dee Belemnite) values, which presents convincing evidence that the adsorbed soil gases collected from these sediments are of thermogenic origin. Geo-microbial prospecting method and adsorbed soil gas and carbon isotope studies have shown good correlation with existing oil/ gas fields of K.G basin. Microbial surveys indicating microseepage of hydrocarbons can, therefore, independently precede other geochemical and geophysical surveys to delineate areas warm with hydrocarbons and mapped microbiological anomalies may provide focus for locales of hydrocarbon accumulation in the K.G basin.     

A preliminary evaluation model for reservoir hydrocarbon generating potential established based on dissolved hydrocarbons in oilfield water

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