PETE 665: Petroleum Reservoir

Engineering- Module 1, Lecture 2

Components of Naturally
Occurring Petroleum Fluids
Dr William McCain,
Dr. McCain Jr.
Jr
Professor

Components of Naturally Occurring Petroleum Fluids

„ Paraffin Hydrocarbons
„ Cycloparaffins
„ Aromatic Hydrocarbons
„ Polynuclear Hydrocarbons

1
Other Organic Components
„ Sulphur/Sulfur compounds relatively
common – H2S
„ Nitrogen – pyridine – most others
unstable
„ Oxygen – aromatic alcohols, aldehydes,
carboxylic acids
„ Organo – metallic – trace amounts

Sulfur Compunds
„ Hydrogen Sulfide
{ H2S
{ Colorless gas
{ Extremely bad odor
{ Poisonous…fatal

2
Mercaptans
„ General formula: RSH
{ R represents any organic group
„ More disagreeable odor
„ Sour crude
„ Known also as thiols

Mercaptans, continued

3
Alkyl Sulfides
„ thio ethers or monosulfides
{ General formula: RSR

allylsulfide
„ Disulfides
{ General formula: RSSR

ethylmethyldisulfide

Sulfur Compounds

methanethiol
(methylmercaptan)
thiophenyl

thiocyclohexane thiobenzene

dibenzothiophene methylbenzothiophene

4
Oxygen Compounds

cyclopentane
phenol carboxylic acid

benzaldehyde
cyclohexanone

coumarone

Nitrogen Compounds

carbazole ethylpyridine

5
Organometallic Compounds

vanadium porphyrin complex

Resins and Asphaltenes

„ Large molecules, primarily hydrogen
and carbon, with 1 to 3 sulfur, oxygen,
or nitrogen atoms per molecule
„ Basic structure: rings, primarily
aromatic, with 3 to 10 or more rings in
each molecule
„ Nonhydrocarbon atoms can be part of
ring structure or can be located in links
connecting the rings

6
Resins and Asphaltenes, continued
„ The basic structures of resins and
asphaltenes are similar
„ Both can be reduced to hydrocarbons by
hydrogenation, which yields moderate
to large hydrocarbon molecules,
hydrogen sulfide, and water

Resins and Asphaltenes, continued

„ Important differences
{ Asphaltenes do not dissolve in petroleum
but are dispersed as colloids
{ Pure asphaltenes are solid, dry, black
powders and are nonvolatile
{ Resins readily dissolve in petroleum
{ Pure resins are heavy liquids or sticky
solids
{ Pure resins are as volatile as hydrocarbons
of the same size

7
Resins and Asphaltenes, continued
„ Important differences, continued
{ Resins of high molecular weight are red
{ Lighter resins are less colored
{ Color of petroleum determined largely by
quantity of resins and asphaltenes present

8
Origin of Petroleum
„ Origin of petroleum is organic material
preserved in Sedimentary rock
{ Plant and animal remains
{ Oxygen deficient environment
„ Subject to temperature and burial
history
{ Pressure and (geological) time have little
effect
„ Oil window: 5000 to 20000 ft.

Origin – 1
„ At relatively modest depths and
p
temperatures, (less
( than 5,000 feet))
anaerobic bacterial action forms
kerogen from remains of plant and
animal matter
„ It is the subsequent effect of
p
temperature on the kerogen
g which
determines the properties of the
petroleum system which will ultimately
result

9
Origin – 2
„ At temperatures about 120 F, the
system will begin to generate lighter
hydrocarbons, and hence lighter oil
„ At around 350 F, the amount of
remaining C7+ molecules in the system
will be small, and it will have the
properties
ti off a gas condensate
d t

Origin – 3
„ A further increase in temperature will
further break down the intermediate
paraffins to methane, which will be all
that remains above 400 F
„ Any organic material descending below
21,000 feet is likely to produce only
methane,
th and
d coal-like
l lik residues
id

10
Origin – 4
„ The properties of any petroleum
therefore depend on
{ (1) the nature of the organic source
material and
{ (2) the degree of ‘cooking’ to which it has
been subjected

11
12
Identifying Components in a Complex
Hydrocarbon Mixture

13
14
15
16
17
List of Hydrocarbon Peaks

18
19
continued

20
21
22
PETE 665: Petroleum Reservoir
Engineering
Dr. William McCain, Jr.
Professor

23