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Applications of Biogeochemistry, Inorganic Geochemistry, Organic Geochemistry and Petrology in...
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Applications of Biogeochemistry, Inorganic Geochemistry, Organic Geochemistry and Petrology in Unconventional Situations

A special issue of Minerals (ISSN 2075-163X). This special issue belongs to the section "Environmental Mineralogy and Biogeochemistry".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 August 2020) | Viewed by 8317

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Thomas Gentzis

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Guest Editor
Core Laboratories LP, 6316 Windfern Road, Houston, TX 77040, USA
Interests: organic petrology of unconventional rocks; trace element geochemistry; source rock analysis; thermal maturity
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Humberto Carvajal-Ortiz

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Guest Editor
Core Laboratories LP, 6316 Windfern Road, Houston, TX 77040, USA
Interests: biomarker geochemistry: programmed pyrolysis; sulfur speciation; kerogen kinetics; stable isotopes

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

As conventional oil and gas resources decline, the exploration and economic exploitation of the vast unconventional resources (shale oil and shale gas, tight sand gas) present in sedimentary basins worldwide have become necessary. Recent advances in horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing technologies have resulted in increased production of oil and gas from low porosity and permeability rocks that are both the source and the reservoir of liquid-rich and gaseous hydrocarbons. Organic geochemistry and petrology, biogeochemistry, and isotope geochemistry, coupled with advanced analytical methods and equipment, help to better describe, evaluate, and improve our overall understanding of these unconventional rocks.

This Special Issue will focus on—but will not be limited to—recent advances in biogeochemistry and organic geochemistry, and serve as a valuable reference and guide to geoscientists (exploration geologists, reservoir and production engineers, petrophysicists) and graduate students to gain a better understanding of the behavior of unconventional rocks and how to unlock their enormous hydrocarbon potential.

Dr. Thomas Gentzis
Dr. Humberto Carvajal-Ortiz
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Minerals is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biogeochemistry
  • organic geochemistry
  • stable isotopes
  • organic petrology
  • organic matter accumulation and preservation
  • unconventional resources
  • hydrocarbon potential
  • petroleum systems
  • trace metals
  • analytical methods

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Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

25 pages, 8563 KiB  
Article
Production Allocation: Rosetta Stone or Red Herring? Best Practices for Understanding Produced Oils in Resource Plays
by Craig D. Barrie, Catherine M. Donohue, J. Alex Zumberge and John E. Zumberge
Minerals 2020, 10(12), 1105; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10121105 - 9 Dec 2020
Cited by 12 | Viewed by 3935
Abstract
The production of crude oil from resource plays has increased enormously over the past decade. In the USA, around 63% of total output in 2019 was from unconventional production. The major unconventional plays in the USA (e.g., Permian Basin, Anadarko Basin, Eagle Ford, [...] Read more.
The production of crude oil from resource plays has increased enormously over the past decade. In the USA, around 63% of total output in 2019 was from unconventional production. The major unconventional plays in the USA (e.g., Permian Basin, Anadarko Basin, Eagle Ford, etc.) have become some of the world’s largest oil producers. However, unlike “conventional” exploitation, the target zones in unconventional systems are generally the source rocks themselves or adjacent strata and require numerous horizontal wells and stimulation via hydraulic fracturing to meet production targets. In order to maximize production, operators have developed various well stacking methods, all of which require some form of monitoring to ensure that well spacing is optimized and fluid production is not being “stolen” from adjacent formations, thereby reducing the production potential in associated wells. This necessity, amongst other geochemical considerations related to source rock characterization, has resulted in the expansion of “production allocation” and “time lapse geochemistry” methods. These methods were initially developed for conventional production decades ago, but have since been adapted to unconventional systems. However, the direct applicability of this method is not straightforward and numerous considerations need to be taken into account, foremost among which are: (1) “What defines your end-members?” (2) “Are these end-members valid across a meaningful development area?” and (3) “What is the most appropriate use of geochemistry data in these systems?”. Reservoir geochemistry studies, which include both “time lapse geochemistry/production monitoring” and “production allocation”, are valuable geochemical methods in unconventional plays but need to be used appropriately to provide the cost savings and business direction that operators expect. In this paper, we will discuss a number of case studies, both theoretical and natural, and outline the important factors which need to be considered when designing a reservoir geochemistry study and the common pitfalls which exist. The case studies and best practice approach discussed are designed to highlight the power and flexibility of geochemical data collection methods, integration with the operator’s knowledgebase, and other analytical methods to customize the program for individual development programs. Emphasis is placed upon developing robust and applicable fluid relationships from geochemical data and evidence for statistically significant changes through time. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Biogeochemistry, Inorganic Geochemistry, Organic Geochemistry and Petrology in Unconventional Situations)
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22 pages, 5895 KiB  
Article
Short-Term Sea Level Changes of the Upper Cretaceous Carbonates: Calibration between Palynomorphs Composition, Inorganic Geochemistry, and Stable Isotopes
by Ahmed Mansour, Thomas Gentzis, Michael Wagreich, Sameh S. Tahoun and Ashraf M.T. Elewa
Minerals 2020, 10(12), 1099; https://doi.org/10.3390/min10121099 - 7 Dec 2020
Cited by 11 | Viewed by 3827
Abstract
Widespread deposition of pelagic-hemipelagic sediments provide an archive for the Late Cretaceous greenhouse that triggered sea level oscillations. Global distribution of dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts) exhibited a comparable pattern to the eustatic sea level, and thus, considered reliable indicators for sea level and sequence [...] Read more.
Widespread deposition of pelagic-hemipelagic sediments provide an archive for the Late Cretaceous greenhouse that triggered sea level oscillations. Global distribution of dinoflagellate cysts (dinocysts) exhibited a comparable pattern to the eustatic sea level, and thus, considered reliable indicators for sea level and sequence stratigraphic reconstructions. Highly diverse assemblage of marine palynomorphs along with elemental proxies that relate to carbonates and siliciclastics and bulk carbonate δ13C and δ18O from the Upper Cretaceous Abu Roash A Member were used to reconstruct short-term sea level oscillations in the Abu Gharadig Basin, southern Tethys. Additionally, we investigated the relationship between various palynological, elemental, and isotope geochemistry parameters and their response to sea level changes and examined the link between these sea level changes and Late Cretaceous climate. This multiproxy approach revealed that a long-term sea-level rise, interrupted by minor short-term fall, was prevalent during the Coniacian-earliest Campanian in the southern Tethys, which allowed to divide the studied succession into four complete and two incomplete 3rd order transgressive-regressive sequences. Carbon and oxygen isotopes of bulk hemipelagic carbonates were calibrated with gonyaulacoids and freshwater algae (FWA)-pteridophyte spores and results showed that positive δ13Ccarb trends were consistent, in part, with excess gonyaulacoid dinocysts and reduced FWA-spores, reinforcing a rising sea level and vice versa. A reverse pattern was shown between the δ18Ocarb and gonyaulacoid dinocysts, where negative δ18Ocarb trends were slightly consistent with enhanced gonyaulacoid content, indicating a rising sea level and vice versa. However, stable isotope trends were not in agreement with palynological calibrations at some intervals. Therefore, the isotope records can be used as reliable indicators for reconstructing changes in long-term sea level rather than short-term oscillations. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Applications of Biogeochemistry, Inorganic Geochemistry, Organic Geochemistry and Petrology in Unconventional Situations)
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