Download Petroleum Genesis

R.B.Seyful-Mulyukov, E.N.Arutyunov
Genezis nefti. Analiticheskiy obzor
Petroleum Genesis
Analytical Review. Extended Summary of Russia publication
DOI: 10.14357/seyfulbook2013
The analysis of modern conceptions of the genesis of petroleum and hydrocarbon gases
is presented. The analysis is exposed through two existing models of their genesis: organic and
inorganic ones.
They contradict each other concerning the mother matter and the processes of its
transformation into petroleum and gas. During last 50 years, the organic model is dominating in
petroleum geology, as well as in companies carrying out petroleum and gas exploration and
in universities teaching petroleum geology to students. The organic model is based on the
assumption that the source of mother matter is the remainders of bacteria, plants, and animals.
Such assumption leads to logical consequences that are forced to be doubt about this model in
whole. Let consider them.
1. In organic model, the mother matter is the lipid reminders of microorganisms and
lignin reminders of plants lived in the past geological periods. So, starting from Precambrian
(650 million years ago), biosphere was capable to reproduce itself such amount of organic
matter to deposit into sediments to form mother matter from which billion tones of petroleum and
trillion cubic meters of gas were generated later on. The weight of all lipids and lignins
composed from terrestrial and marine organisms is by several thousand times less than
hydrocarbon spreading into Earth￡s crust. The calculations show that all organic matter
accumulated during 1 million years is not enough to produce petroleum to fill up one giant oil
field. The idea of organic nature of mother matter was not proved and it is the first dogma of
organic hypothesis.
2. In organic model, the organic reminders are accumulated in marine bottom sediment.
Later on, they form kerogen that is the raw material for petroleum and gas generation. The main
process of kerogen transformation into petroleum is kerogen katagenesis or slow heating while
mother matter is slowing down into hot depth strata of Earth. This process has not been proved
according to thermodynamic principles (entropy change). However, mother beds of some
regions have never reached the depth with the temperature necessary for kerogen katagenesis.
Romashka petroleum field in Tatarstan Republic and most of Persian Gulf petroleum giants can
be served as examples. Their mother matter has never reached the temperature level required
by katagenesis. It is the second dogma of organic model.
3. Organic model followers consider that petroleum and gas have been generated into
mother bed or in some sort of generating natural kettle when migrated, mainly, horizontally
through sedimentary formations and finally accumulated into reservoirs. The distance of this
petroleum and gas migration could be hundreds of kilometers. But experimentally and
theoretically, it was proved that the long distance migration of hydrocarbon fluids through
horizontal formation is impossible due to diffusion, filtration, and any other mode of movement
as well as interaction with geological media. Petroleum and gas horizontal migration is
impracticable and can be considered as a dogma only.
4. Currently, petroleum industry specialists say: Devonian crude, oil, Pennsylvanians
crude and so on. This statement obviously means that petroleum and gas after have being
generated can stay into reservoir or somewhere else during hundreds of million years without
changing its chemical composition. Such ability is not compatible with petroleum as
thermodynamic system as its entropy is changing. Such ability of petroleum contradicts
to its physical and chemical instability as the solutions of the complex composition.
Let analyze the correspondence of petroleum organic nature to its chemical composition
and occurrence in the Earth crust.
Ninety percent of petroleum is composed by the molecules that consist of carbon and
hydrogen atoms only. They are the pure hydrocarbons which are not presented in any living
organism. But the molecules of lipids and lignin as organic acids could not be transferred into
pure hydrocarbon ones under katagenesis condition due to the lack of energy. Obviously, it
means that at least 90% of petroleum hydrocarbons do not have organic nature.
Color and aggregate state of hydrocarbons change from deep strata to surface in
consecutive order. Color changes from light condensate and light petroleum to dark heavy oil
and black bitumen. In the same order, aggregate state of hydrocarbons changes from gas,
condensate to petroleum, heavy oil, and, finally, bituminous rocks. Vertical differentiation of
hydrocarbons reflects their genesis as the process directed from Earth`s deep strata to the
surface (Figs. 1 and 2).
Occurrence of petroleum and gas commercial accumulations is very indicative.
Accumulations are located in the rocks of any composition, any age, in all continents and
continental shelves. Global occurrence of petroleum and gas accumulations is the reflection of
unique mechanism of their generation and deep unique source encircling of all the Earth￡s
crust. The generation of petroleum and gas into isolated sedimentary lenses, existed in the past
geological periods, completely does not correspond to global, over all occurrence of petroleum
and gas accumulations. Summing up, it can be stated that petroleum composition, color, and
aggregate states as well as its occurrence do not prove the main points of organic model.
One may ask why there are so many contradictions in organic model. Why are their
basic points that became dogmas still in use by all petroleum exploration companies in the
processes of petroleum and gas accumulations exploration and risk assessment?
The answer is simple. Because of the tradition which came from petroleum colleges and
universities. During last 60 years, the petroleum geology as the discipline teaching to students
is based on organic model only. It became the only truth like the Bible.
In reality, petroleum field geologist has never fitted the basic conditions of any model
with main element that provides petroleum and gas accumulations. They are structure,
reservoir, shield of impenetrable rocks, and canal of fluid migration. The problem is that
elements as petroleum geology alphabet do not run out logically from mechanism of petroleum
and gas generation in mother rocks. That is why, for geologist, the assumption that petroleum
and gas have been generated, for example, 100 miles away and 100 million years ago cannot
be and is not in reality interesting and important.
Figure 1 Gaseous hydrocarbons generation and migration
Figure 2 The main stages of hydrocarbon molecules generation
Many Russian geologists and geochemists step by step begin supporting the idea on the
deep, inorganic petroleum and gas genesis. The main substitution of deep petroleum origin
proceeds from basic things.
First point. Petroleum is the complex system of the hydrocarbon molecules organization.
Ninety five percent of them consist of carbon and hydrogen atoms. Atoms appeared in the
mantle as the result of decompression its super compressed homogeneous substance existing
in the state of elementary particles [1, 2].
Second point. The further transformation of carbon and hydrogen atoms has happened
according to general development of matter. It was established by V. Ambartsumyan in 1960 [3]
on the basis of astrophysical observation and has universal meaning. The matter is developing
from simple state to the mode of complex organization from more condense state to less one,
from more heated to cold state. As far as it is universal law, it could be applied to the
development of complex system that petroleum is. Petroleum genesis is a consecutive process
of the transformation of simplest hydrocarbon molecules that appeared in the upper mantle into
the complex ones during their migration. For the first time, the present authors introduced the
idea about information content of hydrocarbon molecule calculated in bit because it directly
concerns the petroleum genesis process. Physicists and mathematicians proved that
information is one of the fundamental attributes of matter intrinsic to all atoms including carbon
and hydrogen ones. The cognition of information as the phenomena from physical,
mathematical, philosophical, and biological points of view was presented by Tisso and Velte [4]
much earlier than the organic model. In 1900, Planck stated the hypothesis on the quantum
behavior of the elementary particles. It means that particles beside corpuscular properties
irradiate quant of energy and possess wave function. Later, Heisenberg [5] established
kinematics and dynamics of elementary particles in the form of quantum field theory. Brilluen [6]
introduced notion .bound information\ and .information entropy\ that meant the application of the
physical value to express the thermodynamic state of complex system. Ashby [7] contributed
into the cognition of the relation between information and variety, complicity, and organization.
These notions refer to organic and inorganic systems in biology, geology, geography, and
topology as well as in many others sciences. Ursul [8] presented the analysis of information
phenomena from philosophical, mathematical, physical, and biological points of view. Zeilinger
[9] taking into consideration the features and performance of elementary particles in quantum
field formulated the principles of information quantization and connection between elementary
systems and information. He concluded: .An elementary system carries 1 bit of information.
Let apply the information characteristics to the hydrocarbon molecules. As it was
calculated by Gurevich [10], the information content of five atoms constituting 99% of petroleum
is as follows: C - 109, H - 10, S - 317, N - 139, and O - 149 bit.. Petroleum genesis is a
consecutive process of simplest hydrocarbon molecules transformation into complex ones. It
means that the sequence of hydrocarbon molecules created in the process could be expressed
by the formulas as well as by the bit of information.
Carbon and hydrogen atoms and some hydrocarbon molecules created during the process
have been considered as an example just demonstrate the idea:
Hydrogen and carbon atoms - hydrocarbon protomoles - (aliphatic) methane - izopentane (aromatic) benzene - . . .. . . - (heteroatomic) pyridine - light petroleum - bitumen.
If one express this sequence by the formulas it will looks like:
H,C - CH - CH4 - C5H10 - C6H6 - C5H5NO - . . . . . . -C32H66OSN - C45H51O2SN.
The same sequence expressed by bit of information looks like:
10 - 109 - 119 - 154 - 605 - 711 - 883 - 4862 – 6219 bit.
The substantiation of deep inorganic petroleum genesis needs to take into account two more
important factors that are usually beyond consideration.
1. During the genesis process, independently whether it is organic or inorganic one,
carbon and hydrogen atoms are not additionally retried from any carbon-containing rocks. In
organic model, initial quantity of carbon and hydrogen atoms consists of organic reminders and
while passing to kerogen does not change during all kathagenesis stages. Their initial quantity
provides the genesis process. In inorganic model, carbon and hydrogen atoms are continuously
supplying by mantle substance decompression. During hydrocarbon molecules transformation
in lithosphere, carbon and hydrogen atoms are also not retrieved from any rocks that contain
them. The constancy of initial carbon and hydrogen atoms during all genesis process shows
that petroleum is the self-development process of matter (in this case, of the hydrocarbons
system) without input of carbon and hydrogen atoms from other lithosphere systems.
2. Petroleum consists of three types of molecules: aliphatic, aromatic and heteroatomic
[11]. The molecules were created on different stages of genesis process. In this case, the
question arises why, finally, more than 500 molecules, from which petroleum consists, created
on different stages of the process did not change their composition and structure? The answer
is in quantum behavior of the elementary particles of carbon and hydrogen atoms that compose
all hydrocarbon molecules. Initial hydrocarbon protomoles formation just after atoms
appearance means consecutive overlapping of their atoms orbitals. The order of overlapping
keeps quantum state of atoms in the initial hydrocarbon molecule. In this way, the invariable
quantum matrix of hydrocarbon molecules was created which has information content as well
(see below). During further molecules transformations, the matrix does not change. That is why,
one type of molecules does not disappear during further genesis process but in primeval form
are included in the system composition. Matrix or the main quantum state of carbon and
hydrogen atoms wave field did not change under any state of the system.
All the facts, considerations, and logical consequences set forth above allow believe that
petroleum genesis is a process of consecutive transformation of carbon and hydrogen
molecules (see Fig. 1).
Joining of carbon and hydrogen atoms into simplest methane molecule on the deep interior
corresponding to about +1500 ◦C is the starting point for all variety of hydrocarbon molecules
formation. Methane formation is the modern process embracing all Earth￡s sphere between
mantle and lithosphere. From this level of energy, methane gives birth to two branches of
hydrocarbons stream (see Fig. 1). The fist one is the vertical transit of gaseous hydrocarbons
without loss of their chemical composition. Due to small size of molecule (gas kinetic diameter
of methane molecule is less than 5.88 ’A), methane can migrate through cracks, split, faults,
and fractures keeping its chemical composition. Kadik and Lukanin [12] established that
methane is magma phobic and can be carried by magma plumes without solving into magma
melt.
By one way or another, methane migrates up constituting the main ascending
hydrocarbon flow. Its scale exceeds atmosphere- biosphere- ocean carbon cycle by many
times. Methane vertical flow is formed by its scattering into atmosphere, accumulation on ocean
bottom as gas hydrate and the accumulation into reservoirs as gas fields.
The second branch of methane stream is its migration resulted by the transformation of
one type of hydrocarbon molecule into another and the only way of it is the catalytic
transformation. Jarmain [13] showed many ways of hydrocarbon catalytic conversion occurred
during interaction of electron structures of carbon and hydrogen atoms with the catalyst ones.
The role of the last ones plays aluminum silicates and transitional metals that compose the
rocks.
Catalytic reactions under specific temperature and pressure lead to the formation of all variety of
hydrocarbon molecules. The reactions are progressing without changing the carbon atoms
number in the molecules (isomerization) or with their number changing (hydrogenization and
dehydrogenization),
alkylation,
or
polymerization.
The
generation
of
high
molecular
hydrocarbons during fluid migration can take place during any of four stages. The first stage is
the formation of the chain type of hydrocarbon molecule while carbon atoms are joining by one
bond and thus creating carbon skeleton. In that way, alkanes (paraffin or saturated
hydrocarbon) are generating. During the second stage, the chain of carbon atoms is closed up
to the circle forming alkenes (naphthenes or isoparaffin). They are capable to exist under less
tense thermodynamic conditions and are more volatile than alkanes with the same quantity of
carbon atoms. Naphthenes form many different stereo chemic molecules due to their volatility
(see Fig. 2).
The third stage is the aromatic molecules appearance. This type of carbon atoms joining
creates the molecular structure more stable compared to the chains and the circles ones. The
molecule of aromatic hydrocarbon (benzene) has no double bond between carbon atoms.
Valent bond role plays the valent orbital that consists of six electrons captured from each
carbon atoms these forming two electron cloud. Aromatic molecules can consist of two, three,
four, |ve, and more aromatic rings.
Summing up the model of the deep inorganic model of petroleum and hydrocarbon
natural gas genesis, one can state:
1. The petroleum and hydrocarbon natural gas genesis is the contemporary process that is the
privilege of modern geological period.
2. Petroleum is a final product of catalytic conversion of the simplest hydrocarbon molecules
into the complex ones. The process begins in the upper mantle by carbon and hydrogen atoms
appearance. They form the simplest hydrocarbons that are transferred into all variety of
petroleum hydrocarbons. Algorithm of hydrocarbons conversion is obeying to the law of the
energy conservation under matter conversion from one form to another. The process ends in
reservoir where immediately petroleum destruction starts. It is the law of evolution. The driving
force of the process is the change of thermodynamic conditions for ascending hydrocarbons
flow.
3. Hydrocarbon gases in the pools and gas hydrate on the ocean bottom are the finish strata of
gaseous hydrocarbons, mainly, methane migration.
4. Petroleum or/and gas is/are concentrating as commercial accumulations under obvious
presence of trap, reservoir, shield, and canal for fluid migration. Accumulation can take place in
the any geological object that is the combination of trap, reservoir, and shield. Geological object
can be seated in sedimentary, metamorphic, or magmatic rocks. Phase state of hydrocarbon in
accumulation (gas condensate, light crude oil, heavy crude oil, bitumen and others) depends
upon thermodynamic conditions and geologic media.
Finally, let consider how inorganic model of petroleum genesis effects on the exploration
work in the given license block. Recently, its geological structure was reconstructed by
compiling three-dimensional (3D) basin model that shows structural and rocks assemblage
interaction and heterogeneity. The model was compiled on the base of wells and geophysical
data. It is a 3D picture, some sort of the digital photo of Earth interior. Geological interpretation
of this 3D scheme is the reconstruction of the main factors of petroleum and gas accumulations.
They are geological structure and petroleum and gas source or the location of place they are
come from. Field geologist can recognize the first factor from the digital 3D model because they
are structure, reservoir, and shield. The reconstruction of petroleum source and genesis
process is the main problem in the practical application of the theory of petroleum geology.
Geologist having in mind organic model must determine the mother bed location and then
understand how fluids have migrated to reservoir. Both tasks have no solution neither from
theoretical nor practical points of view. Mother bed can gave birth to petroleum sometimes, may
be 100 million years ago, and somewhere locating 100 km away from the licensing block. That
is why geologist could not get anything valuable concerning the mother bed from digital 3D
model.
The scheme of deep inorganic genesis with dominating of the vertical hydrocarbons fluid
movement save geologist from the necessity to reconstruct the process. Genesis process as
well as the ways of the petroleum and gas migration are progressing deep inside Earth and
could not be registered by any means and expressed mathematically. Geologist has to be out of
this development. Geologist just must know that petroleum genesis is contemporary process,
occurring globally, on the depths corresponding to the Earth`s crust temperature interval from
+600 to +200 ◦C. The shortest way for petroleum and gas to reach the geological object where
they can accumulate is the vertical migration. Hydrocarbon fluids vertical flow could be stopped
up by shield rocks only but accumulation happened if trap and reservoir were available. Trap,
reservoir, shield, and canal of fluid migration are the main aims of geologist who explores
petroleum and gas accumulation.
Petroleum accumulation exploration is a two-stage process. The first stage is to find out
the trap, reservoir, cap rocks, and canal of fluid migration by seismic prospecting. The second
stage is final when geologist having 3D model determines the point of the well drilling and
assessing risk. The processes of petroleum formation and its migration are the discrete ones;
therefore, its result has no single-valued solution (yes- no). In this case, as it is proposed by
Zade [14], instead of Boolean logic with determined data (yes-no), geologist must apply to fuzzy
logic and its main instrument as fuzzy set because the last ones could be geochemical direct
and indirect evidences of petroleum and gas content and data on trap, reservoir, cap rocks, and
canal of fluid migration as the members of other fuzzy set. Computer performs all operations:
addition, crossing, integration, equality, and others stipulated by fuzzy set under both fuzzy sets
and geologist will get answer-recommendation on the rate of importance such as the
combination of evidences that identify more close the petroleum or gas system presence based
on calculation in addition to the geologist experience and intuition. The aim of this review is to
open the way for the critical acceptance of any existing model of petroleum and hydrocarbon
gas genesis.
The time has come to understand that petroleum genesis process is taking place not
only at the macro level objects. For the scientists involving in this process, the objects of that
level are mother rocks, reservoir, faults, mantle, and many others. Now, it is absolutely clear
that all processes, including petroleum genesis, begin and process on subatomic, atomic, and
molecular levels. Hydrocarbon molecules transformation started by interaction of electron
orbitales of carbon, hydrogen, and atoms of other elements. Any reaction stipulated by the
kerogen katagenesis or by the interaction of carbon-containing rocks of lithosphere must be
understood if one will take into consideration the interaction of molecules and crystals
composing the rocks and corresponding level of energy providing that interaction.
Until the discussion on mother substance for petroleum genesis and processes of its
transformation into petroleum are based on the geological and geochemical data only, the
theory of petroleum genesis will be limited by the discussions that have no solution. History of
the science development demonstrates that nothing does not break its development as the
dogmas that are supported by the traditions and some scientists authority. So, until in the
universities and colleges all over the world the dogma that the petroleum is derivate of
biosphere is dominated in teaching of petroleum geology, the science on petroleum genesis will
stand still and, consequently, the methods of its exploration.
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About Authors
Rustem Seyful-Mulyukov, Doctor of sciences in petroleum geology and professor in information
science. The chief of laboratory in the Institute of Informatics Problem the Russian Academy of
Sciences. He is the author of more than 130 publications covering the problem of petroleum
geology and application of information science principles and laws for natural complex systems
study. The most significant monographs on petroleum genesis problem are. ”Tectonics and
petroleum of the Eastern part of Russian platform” (1965), “Geology and petroleum and gas
content of Algerian Atlas” (1971), “.Paleotectonics factors of petroleum genesis and
accumulation” (1983), “Petroleum-hydrocarbon sequences: Analyses of their origin and
evolution” (2010), .”Petroleum and gas: Inorganic abiotic nature and its applicability” (2012).
Evgeniy Arutyunov, PhD in mathematics and physics. Senior scientist in the Institute of
Informatics Problem of the Russian Academy of Sciences.