Course Description
Geological understanding of petroleum, including its origin, its migration, the reservoir rocks in which it is found, the mechanisms by which it is trapped in the subsurface, the techniques by which it is found and extracted, and its geochemical and physical properties.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
In addition to the secondary sources (i.e., textbook(s))
utilized for undergraduate students, each graduate student will
be required to read primary sources (e.g., published research
and original works) and from this reading present to the class
a study of an existing large oil field or a study of a
petroleum basin.
Athena Title
PETROLEUM GEOLOGY
Undergraduate Prerequisite
GEOL 1120 or GEOL 1121 or GEOL 1122 or GEOL 1250-1250L or GEOL 2350H or HONS(BIOL)(CHEM)(GEOL)(PHYS) 2080H
Graduate Prerequisite
GEOL 1120 or GEOL 1121 or GEOL 1122 or GEOL 1250-1250L or GEOL 2350H or HONS(BIOL)(CHEM)(GEOL)(PHYS) 2080H
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, students should understand the current scientific understanding of: 1) the physical and chemical properties of petroleum, 2) the origin of petroleum, and 3) how petroleum comes to reside in the accumulations from which humans extract it; And they should know: 1) how exploration for petroleum is conducted and 2) how wells are drilled and managed so as to extract petroleum from the Earth. Students should thus be prepared to enter the petroleum industry acquainted with the fundamentals of petroleum geology, and/or prepared to use geological data acquired in petroleum exploration and production. Performance in hands-on projects, in in-class presentations, and on examinations will evaluate their progress.
Topical Outline
Topical Outline I. The nature of petroleum A. Definition B. Physical properties (API gravity, viscosity, pour point, cloud point, etc.) C. Chemical Properties (Chemical composition, chain length, S content, etc.) II. The origin of petroleum A. Evidence for an organic origin (C isotope data, biomarkers, association with organic-rich sediments, age, etc.) B. Alternate explanations of the origin of petroleum III. Generation of petroleum A. Generation of petroleum from kerogen B. Evolution/maturation of petroleum C. The "Hydrocarbon window" of temperatures at which petroleum is generated D. Thermal breakdown of oil to natural gas IV. Migration of petroleum V. Petroleum accumulations A. Trapping mechanisms (Anticlines, reefs, faults, pinchouts, etc.) B. Reservoir rock types (lithologies, porosity and permeability, etc.) C. Sealing rock types D. Spill points E. Distribution of hydrocarbon types within pools F. Oil fields G. Basins and provinces VI. Drilling of oil wells A. Features of a rotary drill rig B. Drill bits, drill pipe, drill collars, etc. C. The role of drilling mud D. Casing and perforation VII. Data from oil wells A. Cores of rock B. Cuttings of rock C. Wireline logs D. Temperature measurements E. Geophysical surveys F. Drill-steam tests G. Production tests VIII. Exploration for petroleum A. Surficial geology B. Oil seeps and geochemical tracers C. Correlation of well logs D. The seismic method (velocities, wavelengths, seismographs, corrections, migration of data, seismic sections) E. Categorization of wells in the exploration process (Wildcats, stepouts, development wells, injection wells, etc.) IX. The petroleum industry A. Roles of geologists in the petroleum industry B. Variation in the petroleum industry
Syllabus