Geochemistry And Chemistry Of Oil Shales

Oil shales are broadly dermed as petroleum source rocks containing sufficiently high contents of organic matter (above ca 10-15 wt. %) to make utilisation a possibility. Like coal, the world's reserves of oil shales are vast being many times larger than those proven for crude oil. Indeed, some of the largest deposits occur in the USA and Europe where Estonia and Turkey have large reserves. The first recorded interest in oil shale retorting was an English patent in 1694 (Eele, Hancock and Porter, No. 330) which refers to distilling noyle from some kind of stone". The oil shale retorting industry dates back to the middle of the last century, notably Scotland, Estonia, France and Sweden in Europe. Indeed, my own Department at the University of Strathclyde has a historical link with James "Paraffin" Young, the founder of the Scottish oil shale industry who endowed a chair in Applied Chemistry. The growth of the oil industry saw the demise of the oil shale industry in most countries with the notable exception of Estonia, where kukersite has continued to be used for power generation and retorting. However, oil shale utilisation has attracted renewed attention since the early 1970s as a source of transport fuels and chemical feedstocks due to the the long term uncertainties over crude oil supplies.

Shale oil and gas have altered the energy landscape, possibly permanently. They burst upon the fossil energy scene with a suddenness that initially defied prediction. Even the political balance of the world has changed. But, with the methods employed, the vast majority of the oil and gas remains in the ground. At the same time, serious environmental impact issues have been raised. A new volume in the Emerging Issues in Analytical Chemistry series, Sustainable Shale Oil and Gas Production: Analytical, Biochemical, and Geochemical Methods was written on the premise that analytical methods to inform these areas were wanting. While not attempting to be comprehensive, it describes important analytical methods, some still in development. These methods are underpinned primarily by chemistry, but geochemistry and even biochemistry play significant roles. The book has a solutions flavor; problems are posed together with approaches to ameliorate them. Provides a clear understanding of the potential environmental issues as well as a path to solutions Includes background information for understanding potential impacts of shale operations from both an environmental and public health perspective Authored by leaders from diverse disciplines with expertise in a variety of areas: groundwater quality, petroleum-related operations, microbial ecology, and electronic technologies Reviews new sensing and evaluation methods that could be key enablers to sustainable fracking: portable mass spectrometry, microbiome analysis, DNA as tracers, and a microparticulate matter detector

This book discusses the progress that is being made through innovations in instrumental measurements of geologic and geochemical systems and their study using modern mathematical modeling. It covers the systems approach to understanding sedimentary rocks and their role in evolution and containment of subsurface fluids. Fundamental aspects of petroleum geology and geochemistry, generation, migration, accumulation, evaluation and production of hydrocarbons are discussed with worldwide examples. Various physical and chemical properties of subsurface waters, crude oils and natural gases are described which is especially important to production engineering. Among various properties of liquid and gaseous hydrocarbons the most important are wettability affecting production characteristics and ultimate recovery: relative permeability affecting reservoir fluid flow to the production wells; density differences between immiscible fluids which affects gravity drainage; viscosity of subsurface fluids affecting the relative mobility of each fluid; and fluid chemistry, which affects the absorption, ultimate recovery and monetary value of produced hydrocarbons. Discussion of the formation and accumulation of hydrocarbons includes (1) the changes in the chemical composition of hydrocarbons that originate from the debris of living plants and organisms to form crude oil and natural gas; (2) the origin of hydrocarbons in different areas of a single reservoir; (3) the conditions, which determine the distribution of water, oil and gas in the reservoir; (4) the migration of subsurface fluids until they eventually accumulate in isolated traps; (5) discussion of the traps as a function of sedimentary geology and tectonics. This is based on the systems approach to the specific geologic and geochemical systems using analytical and statistical principles and examples of modern mathematical modeling of static and dynamic systems. * Discusses fundamental aspects of petroleum geology and geochemistry, and generation, migration, accumulation, evaluation and production of hydrocarbons * Presents a systems approach to the specific geologic and geochemical systems

Oil Shale

The application of surface geochemical methods to finding petroleum is based on the detection of hydrocarbons in the soil that have leaked from a petroleum reservoir at depth. While the seal over the deposit was once considered impermeable, surface geochemistry data now show that such leakage is a common occurrence. Despite its simplicity and low costs, surface geochemistry remains controversial because, until now, there was no objective and in-depth treatment of the various methods of surface geochemistry for oil exploration. Written by a successful oil finder, this practical guide: * surveys a broad array of surface geochemistry techniques, from soil gases to microbiology, and provides clear strategies for applying them to the high-stakes art of petroleum exploration * offers numerous case studies, both successes and failures, to show the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches * examines statistical and spatial variation, surveys and models in surface geochemistry, demonstrating how each analytical tool can be used to optimize accuracy * integrates surface geochemistry data interpretation with data from conventional methods of oil exploration, and considers the economics of surface geochemical approaches * discusses key topics that have been neglected in the literature, such as grid design and the effects of soils. Geologists, geophysicists, geological engineers and exploration managers involved in petroleum exploration will gain valuable insights from this volume. By presenting and evaluating each method of surface geochemistry in a neutral tone, this book enables the reader to select and employ these methods with greater confidence.