Roll No - 07306003 Basin Centered Gas System (BCGS) Characteristics Types of BCGS Development of BCGS System Elements and Processes Source Rock, Reservoir rocks and Seals Hydrocarbon Generation, Expulsion and Migration Trap Development Global distribution Summary and Conclusion Outline of the talk Basin-Centered Gas System gas accumulation in deep basin syncline Defined as abnormally pressured, gas-saturated accumulation in low permeability reservoirs lacking a downdip water contact ...(Law) Characterized by (i) low-permeability reservoir rocks, (ii) commonly occur structurally down dip from more permeable water-filled reservoirs, (iii) are almost always either over-pressured or under-pressured, (iv) have no obvious structural and stratigraphic trapping mechanism, and (v) cut across stratigraphic units (i) Direct BCGS : having gas prone source rocks (Kerogen type III) (e.g. Greater Green River Basin) (ii) Indirect BCGS : having oil prone source rocks (Kerogen type I or II) (e.g. Appalachian Basin) Downdip from water Downdip from water Occurrence Highly variable >0.7%R 0 Thermal maturity top of BCGS Bedding parallel Cuts across stratigraphy Nature of upper boundary Good Variable Seal quality Lithologic / capillary Capillary Seal Thermal cracking of oil to gas Hydrocarbon gas generation Pressure Mechanism Over-/underpressured Over-/underpressured Reservoir pressure Short/long Short Hydrocarbon migration distance <0.1 <0.1 Reservoir in-situ Permeability (md) Liquid-prone types I/III kerogen Gas-prone type III kerogen Source Rock Indirect Direct Type Types of BCGS Law Development of BCGS Development of BCGS continued Phase I Normally pressured and 100% water saturated. With further burial - compaction of framework grains - increase in formation pressure - decrease in water saturation - rise in temperature Oil & gas generation starts for indirect system Overpressured may develop because of - rapid sedimentation - Compaction disequilibrium Development of BCGS continued Phase II Direct systems: source rock begins to generate more and more gas rate of gas generation > gas loss, reservoir pressure exceeding water-wet capillary pressure in pores water is expelled from the pores; developing gas saturated overpressured reservoir Indirect systems: oil and gas are generated, expelled and migrated accumulate in structural and stratigraphic traps with downdip water undergoes thermal cracking to gas water expelled from the reservoir Development of BCGS continued Phase III Phase of pressure loss Reservoir experiences a period of uplifting, erosional unloading and/or heat flow perturbations Gas started to shrinks and may escape from system System became underpressured Phase IV Theoretical phase and probably more applicable for direct system Gas loss continued Water reenter into the system System may evolve to normally pressured, water bearing reservoir completing the pressure cycle System elements and processes Source Rocks Direct System: Commonly humic-type coal beds and carbonaceous shale Characterized by kerogen type III e.g. Cretaceous rocks in Rocky Mountain basins Indirect System Hydrogen-rich shale Characterized by kerogen type I and II Ordovician shale in Appalachian basin System elements and processes continued Reservoir Rocks Are regionally pervasive May be single reservoirs of few feet thick (indirect type) or vertically stacked reservoirs of several thousand feet thick (direct type) Low porosity (<13%) and low in-situ permeability (<0.1md) Composed of sandstone, siltstone and sometimes carbonate Lacking downdip water content Seal Ranges from lithologic to water-block i.e. capillary pressure seal Gas-saturated reservoirs grade vertically as well as updip into normally pressured, water bearing reservoirs (direct system) Grade updip only, follow lithologic boundary (indirect system) Direct system Indirect system System elements and processes continued System elements and processes continued Trap Formation Secondary importance for direct system Necessary for accumulation of oil and gas in indirect system Because disseminated oil can not generate overpressured situation Resources and Spatial Distribution Global resource and distribution is poorly known In United States 15% of their annual gas production comes from BCGS Summary and Conclusion BCGS is self-sourced, self-sealed, and self-overpressured petroleum system. BCGS reservoir is regionally pervasive accumulations of gas encompassing hundreds or thousands of square miles. Four main distinguishing characteristics are low permeability reservoirs, abnormal pressure (over- or underpressured), gas saturation and no downdip water leg. Two types of BCGS are recognized: direct and indirect having different types of source rock characteristics. In direct system source rock is mainly gas-prone and in indirect system it is liquid-prone. In future it can be considered as a good substitute of conventional energy resources. Thank you