Carbazoles and benzocarbazoles confirm migration of leaked petroleum through caprocks and overlaying formations of Valhall Well 2/8-8 in the North Sea

A wildcat may not result in a petroleum prospect; however, it may indicate potential need for frontier exploration, since petroleum could leak into economic accumulations. Carbazoles and benzocarbazoles are nitrogen compounds in petroleum and can be employed to explicitly explain migration direction and distance of leaking petroleum. The hypothesis of this study is that the mechanism of the reaction involving the attraction of carbazoles to clay minerals on the matrix of the walls along their migration pathways determines the isomer that is preferentially attached to the mineral matrix. The objectives of this study are (a) to produce a profile for carbazoles and benzocarbazoles ratios in the cap rock overlying the reservoir, (b) to compare carbazole and benzocarbazole ratios to 20S/(20S + 20R) αααC₂₉ Sterane maturity ratios (c) to infer migration direction from the carbazoles and benzocarbazoles ratio. Samples used were side wall cores and drill cuttings of water-based mud drilling. The EOM (extractable organic matter) from various formations overlying the reservoir was obtained using Soxtherm Automatic Equipment. The TPH (total petroleum hydrocarbon) was obtained from the EOM by using a precleaned isolute C₁₈ 500 mg / 3 mL column, eluted with hexane, while the polars were eluted with dichloromethane. Fractionation into saturates and aromatics was done using a silver nitrate–silica gel column. The profiles of 1,8/1,3 and 1,8/2,4 dimethyl carbazoles and the benzocarbazoles ratios show a vertical gradient of decreasing ratio with increasing vertical distance from the reservoir. This corroborates the %VRo equivalent of 20S/(20S + 20R) αααC₂₉ Sterane and the carbazole ratios infer vertical migration of leaked petroleum.