An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Petroleum Geochemistry Fundamentals
Reading Source Rocks, Oils and Gases
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 3,000
Starting From
18 Oct 2027
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Petroleum Geochemistry Fundamentals
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Petroleum Geochemistry Fundamentals - GG-GCH-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GG-GCH-PEA27 | 18 - 22 Oct 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
3000 |
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Petroleum Geochemistry Fundamentals
This training covers petroleum geochemistry fundamentals. It works through organic matter origin and preservation, kerogen types and composition, source rock screening and analysis, maturation and generation, oil and gas composition, basic biomarker and isotope concepts, alteration processes, sampling and analytical methods, and the application of geochemistry across exploration and production.
Description
Petroleum geochemistry answers questions no other discipline can. Which source rock generated this oil, how mature is it, has it been altered, are these two reservoirs connected, where did this gas come from, is this shale worth completing. The measurements are made on small samples in a laboratory and they produce answers that constrain exploration decisions, reservoir management and production allocation. The limiting factor is usually not the analysis but whether the people commissioning it know what to ask for and how to read the result.
This training builds that understanding from the beginning. Organic matter is established first: its sources, the conditions required for its accumulation and preservation, and the processes that convert it to kerogen. Kerogen types and their composition follow, with the generative behaviour of each. Source rock analysis is then developed, covering screening methods, total organic carbon, pyrolysis and the interpretation of the standard parameters. Maturation and generation follow, covering the processes, the maturity indicators and the timing of generation. Oil and gas composition is then addressed, covering the main compound classes, bulk properties and the controls on them. Biomarkers and isotopes are introduced at a level that allows reports to be read and understood. Alteration processes follow, covering biodegradation, water washing, cracking and souring. Sampling and analytical methods are covered practically. The training closes with applications across exploration, appraisal and production.
Kerogen type determines what a source rock makes. Type I kerogen, typically from lacustrine algal material, is hydrogen rich and generates oil in large quantities. Type II, from marine planktonic and bacterial material, generates oil and associated gas. Type III, from terrestrial higher plant material, generates mainly gas with some waxy condensate. Type IV is inert. A source rock with high organic carbon but Type III kerogen is a gas source regardless of its richness, and knowing this before drilling changes what the prospect is worth.
Maturity is temperature and time, not depth. Two source rocks at the same depth in different basins can be immature and overmature respectively, because the thermal histories differ. Maturity indicators, vitrinite reflectance, Tmax from pyrolysis, biomarker ratios, measure the integrated thermal exposure directly, which is why they are the calibration for any thermal model. Depth based maturity assumptions are one of the more common and consequential errors in frontier evaluation.
Alteration can turn a good discovery into a poor one. A reservoir shallower than about eighty degrees Celsius, in contact with meteoric water carrying bacteria, will biodegrade: the lighter and more easily consumed compounds are removed, leaving heavier, more viscous, higher sulphur oil with reduced value and more difficult production. Water washing removes soluble compounds, thermal cracking at depth converts oil to gas and pyrobitumen, and thermochemical sulphate reduction near evaporites generates hydrogen sulphide. Each is predictable from reservoir conditions.
Finally, geochemistry is a measurement discipline and sampling governs its value. A fluid sample contaminated with oil based mud, a cuttings sample with caved material from above, a core sample that has been allowed to dry or oxidise, or a gas sample that has lost its light ends will all produce confident analytical results that mean something other than what is intended. Specifying and supervising the sampling is as important as choosing the analysis.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Explain organic matter origin, preservation and conversion to kerogen
- Identify kerogen types and predict their generative products
- Interpret source rock screening and pyrolysis data
- Assess maturity from the standard indicators
- Explain generation, expulsion and their timing
- Interpret oil and gas composition and bulk properties
- Read biomarker and isotope data at a working level
- Identify alteration processes and predict where they occur
- Specify sampling and analytical programmes correctly
- Apply geochemical results across exploration, appraisal and production
The training works through real geochemical data sets, with participants interpreting source rock screening data, maturity profiles, oil and gas analyses and alteration indicators. Reports from commercial laboratories are read and critiqued. Sampling programmes are specified against defined questions, and the consequences of poor sampling are demonstrated using contaminated and compromised data sets. Applications are worked through exploration and production cases.
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Specify geochemical programmes that answer the question asked
- Interpret laboratory reports critically rather than accepting them
- Improve source rock and charge assessment
- Predict fluid type and quality before drilling
- Avoid wasted analysis from poor sampling
- Build geochemical literacy across subsurface teams
Participants will:
- Interpret source rock and fluid geochemical data
- Assess maturity and generative potential
- Predict and recognise alteration effects
- Specify sampling and analysis competently
- Read and challenge geochemical reports
- Build a capability that supports exploration and production work
- Exploration geologists and geophysicists
- Reservoir geologists and engineers
- Operations geologists specifying sampling
- Basin modellers requiring geochemical input
- Production staff dealing with fluid quality issues
- Technical staff commissioning geochemical work
- Graduate geoscientists entering the industry
Module 1 - Organic Matter and Its Preservation
- Organic matter sources: marine, lacustrine, terrestrial
- Primary productivity and its controls
- Preservation and oxygen conditions
- Anoxia development mechanisms
- Sedimentation rate and dilution
- Sulphate reduction and early diagenesis
- Humic and sapropelic organic matter
- Conversion to kerogen
- Bitumen and its distinction from kerogen
- Depositional settings favouring preservation
- Organic matter distribution through geological time
Module 2 - Kerogen Types and Composition
- Kerogen definition and isolation
- Type I kerogen and its sources
- Type II kerogen and marine sources
- Type IIS and sulphur rich kerogen
- Type III kerogen and terrestrial input
- Type IV and inert organic matter
- Van Krevelen diagram and its use
- Elemental composition and ratios
- Maceral composition and optical identification
- Generative potential by type
- Products expected from each type
- Mixed kerogen assemblages
Module 3 - Source Rock Analysis
- Sample types and their suitability
- Total organic carbon measurement
- Organic carbon thresholds for source quality
- Rock-Eval pyrolysis method
- S1, S2, S3 and Tmax parameters
- Hydrogen index and oxygen index
- Production index and its meaning
- Interpreting pyrolysis data
- Pyrolysis artefacts and their recognition
- Source potential classification
- Source rock thickness and net source
- Screening programmes and their design
Module 4 - Maturation and Generation
- Thermal maturation processes
- Diagenesis, catagenesis and metagenesis
- Vitrinite reflectance and its measurement
- Tmax as a maturity indicator
- Biomarker maturity parameters
- Spore colouration and thermal alteration index
- Maturity indicator agreement and conflict
- Oil and gas windows
- Generation kinetics in outline
- Expulsion and its efficiency
- Retained hydrocarbons in the source
- Maturity profiles and their interpretation
Module 5 - Oil and Gas Composition
- Hydrocarbon compound classes
- Saturates, aromatics, resins and asphaltenes
- Gas composition and wetness
- API gravity and its controls
- Sulphur content and its origin
- Wax content and pour point
- Gas oil ratio and its geochemical meaning
- Non-hydrocarbon gases: carbon dioxide, nitrogen
- Hydrogen sulphide and its origins
- Whole oil gas chromatography
- Compositional variation within a field
- Fluid property prediction from source and maturity
Module 6 - Biomarkers and Isotopes
- Biomarker concept and preservation
- Common biomarker families
- Steranes and triterpanes
- Source and depositional environment indicators
- Age diagnostic biomarkers
- Maturity sensitive biomarker ratios
- Gas chromatography mass spectrometry in outline
- Stable carbon isotopes and their measurement
- Isotopes in oil source correlation
- Gas isotopes and origin determination
- Compound specific isotope analysis
- Reading biomarker and isotope reports
Module 7 - Alteration Processes
- Biodegradation mechanism and conditions
- Temperature limit for bacterial activity
- Biodegradation sequence and severity scales
- Effects on oil quality and value
- Water washing and soluble compound loss
- Evaporative fractionation
- Thermal cracking of oil to gas
- Pyrobitumen formation
- Thermochemical sulphate reduction
- Souring mechanisms and prediction
- Gas deasphalting
- Predicting alteration from reservoir conditions
Module 8 - Sampling, Methods and Application
- Sample types: cuttings, core, sidewall, fluid
- Contamination sources and their effects
- Oil based mud contamination
- Caving in cuttings samples
- Sample preservation and storage
- Fluid sampling methods and quality
- Gas sampling and light end loss
- Specifying an analytical programme
- Laboratory selection and turnaround
- Applications in exploration
- Applications in appraisal and development
- Applications in production operations
Upon successful completion of this training course, delegates will be awarded an official Certificate of Completion issued by the Petroleum Engineers Association (PEA), an ISO 9001:2015 certified training organization. The certificate carries 10 Credits and formally records the total learning hours completed.
Each certificate is signed by the Course Facilitator and the CEO of the Petroleum Engineers Association, and serves as verifiable proof of professional training that delegates can present to employers and professional bodies worldwide.
Frequently Asked Questions
All course bookings made through PEA are strictly non-refundable. By registering for a course, you acknowledge and accept that all fees are payable in full and are not subject to refund under any circumstances, including changes in personal or professional commitments or partial attendance.
PEA reserves the right to make reasonable adjustments to course content, trainers, or schedules where necessary, without entitling delegates to a refund. Comprehensive details of each course — including objectives, target audience, and content — are clearly outlined before enrolment, and it is the responsibility of the delegate to ensure the course's suitability prior to booking.
For any inquiries related to cancellations or bookings, please contact our support team, who will be happy to assist you.
