PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
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Nonconventional Reservoir fluids
Author Xuxun Huang     Editor Poomisant Srimaharaja

Unconventional resources
After the beginning of modern technologies and high oil prices in the past ten years, many countries have used the new method to produce from unconventional resources that were harder to produce than the conventional resources. Unconventional resources consist of Oil Sands, Extra-heavy Oil, Shale Oil or Tight Oil, Oil Shale, Shale Gas, and Coal-bed Methane.
Therefore, we will talk about this important topic in any kind of unconventional resources.
​

Oil sand
Oil sand is a mix of sand, water, mud and bitumen which is solid or semi-solid at room temperature and therefore can’t move. Moreover, bitumen is a portion of high density oil. Canada is the country with the largest oil sand resources in the world and has a reserve of more than 5 thousand million barrels at present.
We can produce oil sands by two ways which are mining and in-situ. We will specific in in-situ that inject the heat deep into the ground by the horizontal well injector to reduce viscosity of bitumen so it can flow into the producer well which is shown in the second picture below.
​
Picture
Oil Sand
Picture
Oil production from Oil Sand.

​Extra-Heavy Oil
First, Let's talk about the physical properties of extra-heavy oil. Extra-heavy oil has lower viscosity than bitumen and can flow better with higher temperature in extra-heavy oil reservoirs compared to oil sand reservoirs. Extra-heavy oil has been found mostly in Venezuela. For extra-heavy oil we don’t use the heat to increase oil recovery but we use low temperature production first and follow with enhanced recovery such as injection of heat and chemicals.
​
Picture
Extra-Heavy oil is very viscous.

​Shale Oil or Tight Oil
Shale oil or Tight oil is crude oil located in shale or any low permeability rock. Shale oil just has been produced recently which began in USA by using the new technology called horizontal well and multi-stage hydraulic fracturing in 2008. That is one of the reasons of decreasing oil prices in the present because USA will not need to import oil anymore. Moreover, USA can also export the oil to other countries. However, these methods will help the petroleum flow into the well easier. As the exploration research shows that USA has the most shale oil in the world which has reserves more than twenty-four thousand million barrels.
​
Picture
Hydraulic fracturing for production from Shale oil.
Picture

​Oil Shale
Oil Shale is a shale rock which is rich in kerogens, solid and used to be a fossil before changing into crude oil or gas. Therefore, we will talk about the difference of Shale Oil and Oil Shale.
Oil Shale is the shale that has oil or kerogens and Shale Oil is the oil that is inside the Shale or the impermeability rock.
Oil Shale has been found for a long time and abundant in the US that almost 77% of oil shale in the world is located USA.
​
Picture
Oil Shale

Shale Gas
Shale gas is one kind of natural gas that is located in shale. There are many properties. The important properties is viscosity. Shale gas production must use different recovery processes from normal gas. Nowadays we usually produce shale gas by hydraulic fracturing methods to create more space in the formation that will let the gas move into the horizontal well. China, USA, Argentina, Mexico, South Africa and others have a lot of shale gas which the most is China.
Picture
Oil shale mining production in 2010 from many countries.
Picture
Shale gas production and prediction of shale gas.
Picture
Shale gas production
Picture
Location of Shale gas in many countries around the world.

​Coalbed Methane
Coalbed methane is methane that is located in coal by adsorbing on the rock surface. Moreover, coalbed methane(CMB) consists of high methane and little of other gas.  Some of CBM has 96% of methane and 3.5% of nitrogen. We separate types of coalbed methane by percentage of methane.
Low grade coalbed methane has low methane in rock including of peat, lignite. All of these is biogenic methane, this methane was created by bacteria.
Middle grade coalbed methane, highest volume of methane, such as bituminous. Moreover, this middle grade coalbed methane is methane that is derived thermally. And we called this method coalification.
High grade coalbed methane, includinganthracite, has lower methane than bituminous. So we will focus on middle coalbed methane first.
Coalbed methane is produced by vertical well or horizontal well. However, it depends on the characteristic of the reservoirs combining with hydraulic fracturing methods.
Picture
The production of coalbed methane.

​Gas hydrate
Another name of gas hydrate is methane hydrate and it is a form of crystal formation such that methane is covered by this crystal formation. And we can find the gas hydrate only in the cold place such as arctic, permafrost or ocean. Moreover, it must have the suitable pressure and temperature to create this form of crystal.
Picture
Gas hydrate in permafrost and ocean area.
This video can explain the difference of conventional and unconventional reservoir fluids.


​

References
energy.gov
Al-Jubori, A., Johnson, S., Boyer, C., Lambert, S.W., Bustos, O.A., Pashin, J.C., Wray, A.: “Coalbed Methane: Clean Energy for the World”, Oilfield Review, Summer 2009: 21, no. 2.
Attanasi, E.D. and Meyer, R.F.: “Natural bitumen and extra-heavy oil”, in 2007 Survey of Energy Resources, eds., Trinnaman, J. and Clarke, A., World Energy Council, pp 119-143, 2007.
Dallegge, T.A. and Barker, C.E.: “Coal-Bed Methane Gas-In-Place Resource Estimates Using Sorption Isotherms and Burial History Reconstruction: An Example from the Ferron Sandstone Member of the Mancos Shale, Utah”, U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper 1625-B, U.S. Geological Survey, Chapter L of Geologic Assessment of Coal in the Colorado Plateau: Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah, eds., Kirschbaum, M.A., Roberts, L.N.R., and Biewick, L.R.H., U.S. Geological Survey.
De Bruin, R.H., Lyman, R.M., Jones, R.W., and Cook, L.W.: “Coalbed Methane in Wyoming”, Information Pamphlet 7 (second revision), Wyoming State Geological Survey, 2004.
Dusseault, M.B.: “Comparing Venezuelan and Canadian Heavy Oil and Tar Sands”, Petroleum Society’s Canadian International Petroleum Conference 2001, Calgary, Alberta, Canada, June 12-14, 2001.
Flores, R.M., Stricker, G.D., and Kinney, S.A.: “Alaska Coal Geology, Resources, and Coalbed Methane Potential”, DDS-77, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Independent Statistics & Analysis, U.S. Department of Energy: “Plays Review of Emerging Resources”, July 2011.
Johnson, A.H.: “Global Resource Potential of Gas Hydrate –A New Calculation”, Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Gas Hydrates (ICGH 2011), Edinburgh, Scotland, United Kingdom, July 17-21, 2011.
Kuuskraa, V.A. and Stevens, S.H.: “Worldwide Gas Shales and Unconventional Gas: A Status Report”, prepared and presented at the recent United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP15, "Natural Gas, Renewables and Efficiency: Pathways to a Low-Carbon Economy" sponsored by the American Clean Skies Foundation (ACSF), the UN Foundation (UNF) and the Worldwatch Institute, Copenhagen. December 7-18, 2009.
Kuuskraa, V., Stevens, S., Van Leeuwen, T., and Moodhe, K.: “World Shale Gas Resources: And Initial Assessment of 14 Regions Outside the United States”, prepared for U.S. Energy Information Administration, April 2011.
Maugeri, L.: “Oil: The Next Revolution”, Discussion Paper #2012-10, The Geopolitics of Energy Project, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, 2012.
Murray, D.K., “Coalbed methane in the USA: analogues for worldwide development”, in Coalbed Methane and Coal Geology, eds., Gayer, R. and Harris, I., Geological Society Special Publication No 109, pp 1-12, 1996.
National Energy Board, Canada: “Tight Oil Developments in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin”, December 2011.
Rogner, Hans-Holger: “An Assessment of World Hydrocarbon Resources”, IIASA, WP-96–26, Laxenburg, Austria, 1996.
Ruppel, C. and Noserale, D.: “Why a Methane Catastrophe is Unlikely”, USGS website, January 24, 2012.
Smith, T.N.: “Coalbed Methane Potential for Alaska and Drilling Results for the Upper Cook Inlet Basin”, International Unconventional Gas Symposium, Bryant Conference Center & Hotel, The University of Alabama, May 14-20, 1995.
Suárez, A.A.: “The Expansion of Unconventional Production of Natural Gas (Tight Gas, Gas Shale and Coal Bed Methane)”, Advances in Natural Gas Technology, Ed., Al-Megren, H., InTech, 2012.
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): “Review of Emerging Resources: U.S. Shale Gas and Shale Oil Plays”, July 2011.
U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA): “Annual Energy Outlook 2013 Early Release Overview”, December 2012.
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA): “Coalbed Methane Extraction: Detailed Study Report”, EPA-820-R-10-022, December 2010.
Wood, W.T. and Jung, W.Y.: “Modeling the Extent of Earth’s Marine Methane Hydrate Cryosphere”, Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Gas Hydrates (ICGH 2008), Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, July 6-10, 2008.
World Coal Association: “Coal Bed Methane”, World Coal Association website, http://www.worldcoal.org/coal/coal-seam-methane/coal-bed-methane/, 2012.
World Energy Council: “2010 Survey of Energy Resources”, 2010.
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  • Home
  • Introduction
  • Content
    • Petroleum Geochemistry
    • Origin of Petroleum >
      • Evaluation of Source Rocks
      • Generation & Migration
      • Geologic Time
    • Accumulation and Traps >
      • Basin Environment
      • Structural Trap
      • Stratigraphic Trap
    • The Reservoir >
      • The Subsurface Environment
      • Reservoir rocks >
        • Sedimentary rocks
        • Rock properties
      • Recovery Techniques
      • Conventional Fluids
      • Nonconventional Fluids
      • Petrophysics
      • Reservoir Estimation
    • Shale oil >
      • History of Shale oil
      • Oil Shale
      • Shale oil extraction
    • More about Petroleum >
      • Types of drilling bits
      • Drilling Fluids/Mud and Components
      • Oil-Rich Countries
      • Facts about Petroleum
      • Oil Measurement Unit
      • Forecast of Energy Usage
      • Exploration Techniques
      • Geologist & Engineer
      • Impacts on environment
      • World Reserves
      • Petroleum in Thailand
      • NOC & IOC
      • Digital Oilfields
      • Career in PE
      • Blowout Preventer(BOP)
      • HSE Basic Concepts
    • Geophysics >
      • Geophysical surveys for petroleum
    • From Exploration to Refining
    • Well logging
    • Real-Time Oil Price
    • Glossary of Oil and Gas Terms
  • Contact
  • About
  • Blog