An Interactive 5-Day Training Course
Reservoir Geochemistry
Fluid chemistry analysis for reservoir characterisation
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Duration
5 Days
Price
$ 4,500
Starting From
19 Apr 2027
Reservoir Geochemistry
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Reservoir Geochemistry - RE-RGM-PEA27
| Code | Date | Time | Duration | Location | Currency | Early Bird Fee Per Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| RE-RGM-PEA27 | 19 - 23 Apr 2027 | 10 AM CST | 4 Hours Per Day |
Online |
USD |
4500 |
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Reservoir Geochemistry
A complete course on the use of fluid composition to answer reservoir questions. It covers oil and gas fingerprinting, filling history and compositional gradients, compartmentalisation and connectivity, biodegradation and tar mat formation, allocation of commingled production, formation water chemistry, reservoir souring and scale, and time-lapse geochemical surveillance. The emphasis is on turning laboratory data into decisions that reservoir and production engineers can act on.
Description
Every reservoir fluid carries a record of where it came from, how it filled the trap, what happened to it after arrival, and which part of the reservoir it is currently flowing from. That record is written in the molecular and isotopic composition of the oil, gas and formation water, and it can be read at a level of detail that no other measurement approaches. Two samples taken from the same field can be distinguished with high confidence if they have followed different paths, and that distinction answers questions — are these sands connected, which zone is producing the water, is this the same accumulation — that would otherwise require a well test, a tracer programme or a new well.
This course covers the discipline from its analytical foundations through to its production applications. It begins with source rock character, generation, expulsion and migration, and the analytical methods that describe petroleum composition, then moves into oil fingerprinting and correlation, gas composition and stable isotope interpretation, reservoir filling history and vertical and lateral compositional gradients, compartmentalisation and connectivity assessment, secondary alteration processes including biodegradation, water washing and tar mat formation, allocation of commingled production from multiple zones and multiple wells, formation water chemistry with its implications for souring and scale, and time-lapse surveillance for injection monitoring and breakthrough detection. Sampling practice and data quality run through the whole course, because geochemistry answers are only as good as the sample that produced them.
Reservoir geochemistry sits between organic geochemistry, which explains where petroleum comes from, and reservoir engineering, which needs to know how the reservoir behaves. It uses the composition of produced and sampled fluids as a direct observation of reservoir architecture and dynamics. Where a seismic interpretation infers a fault seal and a pressure measurement suggests two compartments, a geochemical comparison of the oils either side of that fault gives independent evidence of whether the two volumes have been in communication over geological time.
The technique is powerful because petroleum composition is enormously detailed. A crude oil contains thousands of resolvable compounds, present in ratios controlled by the source organic matter, the thermal maturity at which it was generated, the migration path it followed and any alteration it experienced in the reservoir. Comparing those ratios between samples reveals differences far below the resolution of bulk properties such as API gravity or gas-oil ratio. The same principle applies to gases, where molecular composition and carbon and hydrogen isotope ratios distinguish thermogenic from biogenic gas, identify mixing and indicate maturity of the source.
The applications are practical and commercial. Connectivity assessments change well counts and development concepts. Compartment detection explains why a well underperformed. Allocation of commingled production determines how revenue is split between partners and how zonal performance is tracked without intervention. Souring prediction changes facility specification and materials selection. Tar mat identification explains why an aquifer is not providing the support the model assumed. In each case the geochemistry supplies evidence that is independent of the dynamic data, and the strongest conclusions come from combining the two.
By the end of this training, participants will be able to:
- Explain how petroleum composition is controlled by source, maturity, migration and post-accumulation alteration
- Select appropriate sampling procedures and assess whether a sample is fit for geochemical interpretation
- Interpret the standard analytical outputs used in reservoir geochemistry, including chromatographic and isotopic data
- Correlate oils and gases between wells and zones and determine whether they share a common origin
- Assess reservoir compartmentalisation and connectivity from compositional differences between samples
- Interpret vertical and lateral compositional gradients in terms of filling history and current equilibrium state
- Identify biodegradation, water washing and tar mat development and evaluate their effect on production behaviour
- Allocate commingled production to contributing zones or wells using compositional fingerprinting
- Interpret formation water chemistry and evaluate reservoir souring, scaling and injection water compatibility
- Design a time-lapse geochemical surveillance programme and integrate its results with reservoir and production data
Organisations sending participants to this training will:
- Resolve connectivity and compartmentalisation questions without the cost of additional wells or extended well tests
- Allocate commingled production between zones, wells and partners on defensible technical evidence
- Explain underperformance and unexpected fluid behaviour that dynamic data alone cannot account for
- Anticipate souring, scaling and fluid compatibility problems before they affect facilities and integrity
- Improve reservoir surveillance through time-lapse monitoring of injection and breakthrough
- Strengthen development decisions by adding an independent line of evidence to the subsurface interpretation
Participants will:
- Read and interpret geochemical reports with confidence rather than passing them to a specialist
- Understand what fluid composition can and cannot establish about a reservoir
- Specify sampling and analytical programmes that answer the question being asked
- Diagnose connectivity, alteration and allocation problems from compositional evidence
- Combine geochemical results with pressure, production and geological data into one interpretation
- Contribute a distinct technical capability to subsurface and production teams
- Reservoir engineers and production engineers using surveillance and allocation data
- Development and production geologists
- Geochemists and laboratory specialists working with operating companies
- Petrophysicists and subsurface staff involved in fluid characterisation
- Field development planners assessing connectivity and compartmentalisation
- Flow assurance, integrity and facilities engineers dealing with souring and scale
- Subsurface team leads and technical managers commissioning geochemical studies
Module 1 — Foundations of Petroleum Geochemistry
- Organic matter deposition, preservation and kerogen types
- Source rock quality, richness and hydrogen index
- Thermal maturity, the oil window and generation kinetics
- Expulsion, primary and secondary migration
- Accumulation, trapping and the composition that results
- Terminology and units used in geochemical reporting
- The place of geochemistry within reservoir characterisation
Module 2 — Sampling and Analytical Methods
- Sampling points: separator, wellhead, downhole and core extracts
- Sample handling, storage, preservation and contamination risk
- Drilling fluid contamination and its recognition and correction
- Whole oil and gas chromatography and the chromatographic fingerprint
- Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and biomarker analysis
- Stable carbon and hydrogen isotope measurement
- Bulk property measurements and their limited discriminating power
- Analytical precision, repeatability and what differences are meaningful
Module 3 — Crude Oil Composition and Fingerprinting
- Compound classes in crude oil and their diagnostic value
- Whole oil chromatogram interpretation and peak identification
- Peak height and peak ratio methods for oil correlation
- Star diagrams and multivariate treatment of fingerprint data
- Biomarker parameters for source, depositional environment and maturity
- Distinguishing genuine compositional differences from analytical scatter
- Building a field fingerprint database and correlation framework
Module 4 — Gas Geochemistry and Stable Isotopes
- Molecular composition and gas wetness parameters
- Thermogenic, biogenic and mixed gas signatures
- Carbon isotope ratios of methane through butane
- Hydrogen isotopes and their diagnostic use
- Isotope reversals and their interpretation
- Non-hydrocarbon gases: carbon dioxide, nitrogen and hydrogen sulphide
- Mud gas isotope logging and while-drilling applications
- Gas correlation and its use in connectivity assessment
Module 5 — Reservoir Filling History and Compositional Gradients
- Charge history and multiple charge episodes
- Vertical compositional gradients and gravity-chemical equilibrium
- Thermal diffusion and its contribution to gradients
- Lateral compositional variation across a field
- Distinguishing equilibrium gradients from filling artefacts
- Density inversions, gas-oil ratio gradients and near-critical fluids
- Implications for fluid contacts and volumetric estimation
Module 6 — Compartmentalisation and Connectivity
- Static versus dynamic connectivity and the timescales involved
- Geochemical evidence for barriers to lateral and vertical communication
- Interpreting compositional discontinuities across faults and shales
- Combining geochemistry with pressure and fluid contact data
- Cases where geochemical and pressure evidence disagree
- Sampling density required to establish connectivity confidently
- Consequences for well count, drainage strategy and development concept
Module 7 — Secondary Alteration: Biodegradation and Water Washing
- Microbial degradation processes and reservoir temperature limits
- Sequence of compound removal and biodegradation scales
- Effect on API gravity, viscosity, sulphur content and gas-oil ratio
- Water washing and its compositional signature
- Evaporative fractionation and gas stripping
- Thermochemical sulphate reduction and its products
- Mixing of degraded and fresh charge and its recognition
Module 8 — Tar Mats and Heavy Oil Zones
- Tar mat formation mechanisms and their distribution
- Asphaltene instability, gravity segregation and gas charging
- Identification from core, log and fluid data
- Effect of tar mats on aquifer support and vertical communication
- Consequences for waterflood design and well placement
- Predicting tar mat presence before drilling
- Reconciling tar mat evidence with reservoir model assumptions
Module 9 — Production Allocation by Geochemical Fingerprinting
- Principles of allocating commingled production to contributing sources
- End member characterisation and requirements for a valid end member
- Two component and multi component mixing calculations
- Selecting discriminating parameters for the mixing model
- Precision, detection limits and allocation uncertainty
- Comparison with production logging and downhole gauge allocation
- Application to commingled zones, multilateral wells and shared facilities
- Partner allocation, unitisation and equity determination applications
Module 10 — Formation Water Geochemistry
- Formation water composition, salinity and ionic ratios
- Distinguishing formation water from injected and condensed water
- Water fingerprinting for zonal water entry identification
- Water source identification in commingled production
- Scale prediction from water composition and mixing
- Injection water compatibility assessment
- Sampling and analytical requirements for water studies
Module 11 — Reservoir Souring, Sulphur and Integrity Implications
- Sources of hydrogen sulphide: biogenic and thermochemical
- Sulphate reducing bacteria, nutrient supply and the souring mechanism
- Souring associated with seawater injection
- Prediction of souring onset and severity
- Mitigation options and monitoring programmes
- Consequences for materials selection, integrity and facility design
- Sulphur species in crude oil and their processing implications
Module 12 — Time-Lapse Surveillance and Integrated Application
- Designing a baseline and repeat sampling programme
- Monitoring compositional change through field life
- Detecting injection breakthrough and flood front movement
- Tracer programmes and their relationship to natural fingerprinting
- Geochemical monitoring for gas injection and carbon dioxide storage
- Application to unconventional reservoirs and stage contribution assessment
- Integrating geochemical results with pressure, production and geological data
- Reporting standards, data management and interpretation review
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.
Your expert course leader is a senior petroleum engineering consultant, certified trainer and university lecturer with more than 25 years of experience, specialising in reservoir geochemistry.
His technical expertise covers oil and gas fingerprinting, compartment detection, charge history, biodegradation and tar mats, commingled production allocation, water chemistry, souring and time lapse surveillance.
He has provided consulting and technical support to international operators and national oil companies across the Middle East, North Africa, Asia Pacific and the Americas, working on reservoir compartmentalisation studies, oil and gas fingerprinting analysis, production allocation and souring risk assessment projects across a range of asset types.
He has designed and delivered technical training programmes on reservoir geochemistry topics for operating companies and service providers, conducting both classroom and online sessions for engineers and technical staff across the Middle East, Asia Pacific, Africa and Europe.
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.
