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Source Rock Evaluation and Hydrocarbon Potential in the Tano Basin, South Western Ghana, West Africa

Received: 20 October 2014     Accepted: 4 November 2014     Published: 10 November 2014
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Abstract

Three exploratory oil wells (ST-9H, WCTP-2X and WT-1X) from the Tano Basin, south-western Ghana, have been evaluated for their hydrocarbon generation potential by the use of geochemical analysis (TOC, Rock-Eval pyrolysis). The analytical results of samples revealed that the wells have fair to good total organic carbon (TOC) contents, suggesting that there exist conditions in the Basin that favoured organic matter production and preservation. There is a variation in kerogen types and this may be attributed to the relative stratigraphic positions of the outcrops within the basin. Thermal maturity indicated that samples from the well WCTP-2X and WT-1X, are immature and that from ST-9H show late immature to mature stage of the hydrocarbon generation process. Most of the samples from the wells with the exception of two samples from ST-9H are non-indigenous (migrated). Hydrocarbon generation potential from all three wells particularly ST-9H display sufficient organic matter contents to produce oil and gas. The hydrocarbon potential is good and capable to make expulsions of oil and gas from the wells. Kerogen Type IV, III and II are present in well ST-9Hand Types II and III kerogen in wells WCTP-2X and WT-1X.

Published in International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering (Volume 2, Issue 5)
DOI 10.11648/j.ogce.20140205.11
Page(s) 66-77
Creative Commons

This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

Copyright

Copyright © The Author(s), 2014. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Total Organic Carbon (TOC), Tano Basin, Vitrinite Reflectance, Hydrocarbon Potential, Genetic Potential, Kerogen

References
[1] Kesse, G. O. (1985) Mineral and Rock Resources of Ghana. A. A. Balkema Publishers. Rotterdam, The Netherlands. 610 pp.
[2] Atta-Peters, D., and Kyorku, N. A.(2013) Palynofacies analysis and sedimentary environment of Early Cretaceous sediments from Dixcove 4-2x well, Cape Three Points, offshore Tano Basin, western Ghana, International Research Journal of Geology and Mining, 3(7), pp. 270-281.
[3] Adda, W. G. (2013) The Petroleum Geology and Prospectivity of the Neo- Proterozoic, Paleozoic and Cretaceous Sedimentary Basins in Ghana: Search and Discovery Article #10544. Website accessed on July 5, 2014. http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/documents/2013/10544adda/ndx_adda.pdf
[4] Atta Peters, D., and Salami, M. B.(2004) Late Cretaceous to Early Tertiary Pollen Grains from offshore Tano Basin, southwestern Ghana, Revista Española de Micropaleontología, 36(3), pp. 451-465.
[5] Tissot, B.P., and Welte, D.H. (1984) Petroleum formation and occurrence (2nd edition) Berlin, Springer-Verlag, pp: 223, 509-523
[6] Peters, B., Bui, H. H., Sidney, J., Weng, Z., and Loffredo, J. T. ( 2005) A computational resource for the prediction of peptide binding to Indian rhesus macaque MHC class I molecules, 23, pp 5212–5224.
[7] Peters, K. E. and Moldowan, J. M. (1993) The biomarker guide: Interpreting molecular fossils in petroleum and ancient sediments. Prentice Hall Englewood Cliffs, N. J., 363 pp
[8] Epstein, A.G., Epstein, J.B. and Harris, L. D. (1977) Conodont color alteration—an index to organic metamorphism: U.S. Geological Survey Professional Paper, 995, pp 27.
[9] Espitalié J., Marquis, F., Barsony, I. (1984) Geochemical logging, In: Voorhees KJ (ed) Analytical pyrolysis: techniques and applications. Butterworth, London, pp 276–304
[10] Peters K.E. (1986) Guidelines for evaluating petroleum source rock using programmed pyrolysis: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 70, pp. 318-329.
[11] Traverse, A. (1988) Paleopalynology, Unwin Hyman, Boston, 512 pp
[12] Peters K.E., and Cassa, M.R. (1994) Applied source rock geochemistry.In Magoon, L.B., and Dow, W.G., (eds.), The petroleum system – from source to trap: American Association of Petroleum Geologists, 60, pp. 93-120.
[13] Fowler, M., Snowdon, L. and Stasiuk, V. (2005) Applying petroleum geochemistry to hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation. American Association of Petroleum Geologists Short Course Notes, June 18-19, 2005, Calgary, Alberta, 224 pp.
[14] Waples, D. W., H. Kamata, and M. Suizu. (1992) The art of maturity modeling: Part 1. Finding a satisfactory geological model: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Bulletin, 76, pp 31–46.
[15] Obaje, N.G., Wehner, H., Scheeder, G., Abubakar, M.B., and Jauro, A. (2004) Hydrocarbon prospectively of Nigeria’s inland basins: organic geochemistry and organic petrology, American Association of Petroleum GeologistsBulletin, 88 (3), pp.325-353.
[16] Jacobson, S. R. (1991) Petroleum source rocks and organic facies.In Merrill, R.K., (ed.), Source and migration processes and evaluation techniques: American Association of Petroleum Geologists Handbook of Petroleum Geology, pp. 1–11.
[17] Hunt, J. M. (1996) Petroleum geology and geochemistry, second edition: W.H. Freeman and Company, New York, 743 pp.
[18] Whelan, J. K. and Thompson-Rizer, C. (1993) Chemical methods for assessing kerogen and protokerogen types and maturity: Organic geochemistry principles and applications. In M. H. Engle and S. A. Macko, (eds.), New York Plenum 130, pp 289-353.
[19] Bacon, C. A., Calver, C. R., Boreham, C. J., Leaman, D. E., Morrison, K. C., Revill, A. T. and Volkman, J. K.(2000) The petroleum potential of onshore Tasmania: a review. Mineral Resources Tasmania, Geological Survey Bulletin, pp 71-9.
[20] Dow, W. G. (1977) Kerogen studies and geological interpretations: Journal of Geochemical Exploration, 7, pp 77– 99, doi: 10.1016/0375-6742 (77)90077-2.
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Cite This Article
  • APA Style

    D. Atta-Peters, P. Garrey. (2014). Source Rock Evaluation and Hydrocarbon Potential in the Tano Basin, South Western Ghana, West Africa. International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering, 2(5), 66-77. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ogce.20140205.11

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    ACS Style

    D. Atta-Peters; P. Garrey. Source Rock Evaluation and Hydrocarbon Potential in the Tano Basin, South Western Ghana, West Africa. Int. J. Oil Gas Coal Eng. 2014, 2(5), 66-77. doi: 10.11648/j.ogce.20140205.11

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    AMA Style

    D. Atta-Peters, P. Garrey. Source Rock Evaluation and Hydrocarbon Potential in the Tano Basin, South Western Ghana, West Africa. Int J Oil Gas Coal Eng. 2014;2(5):66-77. doi: 10.11648/j.ogce.20140205.11

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  • @article{10.11648/j.ogce.20140205.11,
      author = {D. Atta-Peters and P. Garrey},
      title = {Source Rock Evaluation and Hydrocarbon Potential in the Tano Basin, South Western Ghana, West Africa},
      journal = {International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering},
      volume = {2},
      number = {5},
      pages = {66-77},
      doi = {10.11648/j.ogce.20140205.11},
      url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ogce.20140205.11},
      eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ogce.20140205.11},
      abstract = {Three exploratory oil wells (ST-9H, WCTP-2X and WT-1X) from the Tano Basin, south-western Ghana, have been evaluated for their hydrocarbon generation potential by the use of geochemical analysis (TOC, Rock-Eval pyrolysis). The analytical results of samples revealed that the wells have fair to good total organic carbon (TOC) contents, suggesting that there exist conditions in the Basin that favoured organic matter production and preservation. There is a variation in kerogen types and this may be attributed to the relative stratigraphic positions of the outcrops within the basin. Thermal maturity indicated that samples from the well WCTP-2X and WT-1X, are immature and that from ST-9H show late immature to mature stage of the hydrocarbon generation process. Most of the samples from the wells with the exception of two samples from ST-9H are non-indigenous (migrated). Hydrocarbon generation potential from all three wells particularly ST-9H display sufficient organic matter contents to produce oil and gas. The hydrocarbon potential is good and capable to make expulsions of oil and gas from the wells. Kerogen Type IV, III and II are present in well ST-9Hand Types II and III kerogen in wells WCTP-2X and WT-1X.},
     year = {2014}
    }
    

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    AU  - D. Atta-Peters
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    T2  - International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering
    JF  - International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering
    JO  - International Journal of Oil, Gas and Coal Engineering
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    AB  - Three exploratory oil wells (ST-9H, WCTP-2X and WT-1X) from the Tano Basin, south-western Ghana, have been evaluated for their hydrocarbon generation potential by the use of geochemical analysis (TOC, Rock-Eval pyrolysis). The analytical results of samples revealed that the wells have fair to good total organic carbon (TOC) contents, suggesting that there exist conditions in the Basin that favoured organic matter production and preservation. There is a variation in kerogen types and this may be attributed to the relative stratigraphic positions of the outcrops within the basin. Thermal maturity indicated that samples from the well WCTP-2X and WT-1X, are immature and that from ST-9H show late immature to mature stage of the hydrocarbon generation process. Most of the samples from the wells with the exception of two samples from ST-9H are non-indigenous (migrated). Hydrocarbon generation potential from all three wells particularly ST-9H display sufficient organic matter contents to produce oil and gas. The hydrocarbon potential is good and capable to make expulsions of oil and gas from the wells. Kerogen Type IV, III and II are present in well ST-9Hand Types II and III kerogen in wells WCTP-2X and WT-1X.
    VL  - 2
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Author Information
  • Department of Earth Science, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 58, Legon, Accra, Ghana

  • Department of Earth Science, University of Ghana, P. O. Box LG 58, Legon, Accra, Ghana

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