There’s So Much Oil in the Ground
oil
“Fossilized Sunshine” photosynthesis => plant elements => preserved sedimentary rocks.
- small critters
- phytoplankton
- plant matter
maturation process
Carbon-rich organic features, deposited. Increased pressure. Eventually compressed into…
kerogen
A solid, seminary rock that’s carbon rich. With enough pressure, carbons join up and then you get a chain.
Oil: C16H34, C7H16 etc.
increase pressure
….oil gets squeezed out from the kerogen, and then density differences makes it rise.
oil cycle
Beaches in Santa Barbara: source rock can just leak through fractures and oil can leak. Bouyand oil and gas will rise and leak to the surface. So, for oil to accumulate, you need:
- resevoir rock (porous and permeable): to capture fluids
- sealing rock (impermiable): make sure it doesn’t run away
- geometry: the above two arranged correctly so that trapping actually happens
two measures
- porosity: amonut of open space
- permeability: connections between open space
requirements to have conventional oil
- temperature good (oil cooked)
- high organic carbon source rock (oil exists)
- rising to a good trap, good reservoir seal rocks, and good geometer (oil doesn’t move)
- no more tectonic movement again that breaks the trap (oil doesn’t move after)
unconventional oil
Bend the oil horizontally, and then inject water at high pressure.
- crack into source rock
- extract the water out
- extract gas and oil
This creates small cracks. Th ewastwater, when dumped can lubricate faultlines which is not gerat.