Nikolais Lectures Flashcards
What is the definition of petroleum
Petra “rock” + oleum “oil”
“complex mixture of hydrocarbons that occur in the earth in liquid, gases, or solid forms … includes natural gas and the viscous or solid form now as bitumen.
What are conventional fuels.
Conventional fuels ate defined as easily recoverable liquid crude out and free flowing natural gas.
What are unconventional fuels include
Tar sands
Heavy fuel
Shale gas
Oil shale
Coal bed methane
Coal to liquids
Methane hydrate
Unconventional fuels require significant investment and advanced technology for exploration and recovery.
What is kerogen
“Is the polymeric organic material from which hydrocarbons are produced with increasing burial and heating.”
Bitumen
Naturally occurring solid or liquid hydrocarbon deposit the are soluble in an organic solvent.
What is Kerogen type 1
Relatively rare
High H/C ratio (>1,5) and low O/C ratio (<0.1)
Mainly aliphatic (straight chain branched and cyclic hydrocarbons structures)
Kerogen type 2
More common than type 1
Relatively high H/C and low O/C ratios
More aliphatic but fewer aromatic (containing the aromatic ring) structures than in type three.
Forms mainly in marine settings as a mixture between OM generated in surface water (plankton and bacteria) and higher plant material from land.
A major source of hydrocarbons in oil and gas fields.
Kerogen type 3
Quite common
Low H/C and high o/c (up to 0.3) ratios.
Lots of aromatics nd only minor amounts of aliphatic structures.
Formed from vascular plants on and.
Main source fo coal, but sometimes also of minor amount of gas (mainly methane, CH4)
Kerogen type 4
Black opaque particles
Lowest H/C and low O/C ratios
Most likely formed from highly oxidised higher plant remains
Minimum to no hydrocarbon generating potential.
Diagenesis
Biological and chemical changes to organic mayor prior to deposition and during the early stages of burial at low temperatures.
Catagensis
thermal influenced alteration of organic matter at higher T form 60 to 100 and P rule`se of petroleum (first) and gas (second)
Metagenesis
The final graphite stage of OM transformations at high T and P; the last hydrocarbons mainly methane - are expelled.
What are coal Macerals
Individual constituents of coal that represent the remain f plant material.
Vitrinite - lustrous, brown to black products of the alternation of woody tissue.
Inertinite - opaque modification fo vitrinite, dull brown to black, very friable, the product fo charring by forest fire.
Liptinite - translucent yellow/red components that derive from sore/ pollen casings, leaf cuticles, resins and algal remains.
Oxic Environment
Oxygen is present in sufficient quantities to support aerobic (oxygen - dependant) processes, such as the respiration of organisms, the oxidation of minerals, and the decomposition of organic matter. Example of areas include lakes, rivers, oceans, and the atmosphere are typical examples of oxic settings. Oxic aid in fossil preservation, mineral formation, and in geochemical cycles.
Anoxic Environment
Oxygen is absent or present only in trace amounts, and anaerobic processes dominate. In these environments, processes like methanogenesis (production of methane) or sulphate reduction (where bacteria use sulphate instead of oxygen) are common.
Typically found in deep marine sediments, swamps, marshes, and deep lakes where oxygen does not readily mix with the water. In these settings, organic matter is often preserved more effectively,a dn certain types of minerals, such a sulphides may form instead of oxides.
