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Abstract
The main objective of this research is to identify petroleum source rock and the petroleum
migration path of the Mergui basin, Andaman Sea, Thailand. An assessment of the petroleum
generation was performed by a geochemical analysis of the rock and running the basin modelling
using commercial computer software named PetroMod, whilst the migration path was determined
by the porosity of the Ranong Formation and the thermal maturity of the sediments. The results of
the study indicated that source rocks were present in the Yala, Kantang, and Trang Formations but
were immature throughout the basin. Only the Yala Formation could be properly exploited to
generate petroleum. The petroleum source rock of the Yala Formation is marine shale which has
total organic carbon values ranging between 0.5 and 1.5%. Its organic matter is Type III terrestrial,
which represents a gas prone kerogen, whilst its thermal maturity has a vitrinite reflectance (Ro)
range between 0.6 and 1.0; the Tmax of the Yala formation is in the range between 430oC to nearly
450oC and its production index ranges between 0.1 and 0.4. The oil window lies around 2100 m, 3000 m,
and 4500 m in the north Mergui basin, main Mergui basin, and Andaman slope areas, respectively.
The Oligocene to early Miocene period Yala Formation is mature over most of the basin. From the
results of the potential of the reservoir in the Ranong Formation with its thermal maturity, the
geothermal gradient in the basin indicated that the hydrocarbons expulsion and migration were
believed to have taken place mainly beginning around the middle Miocene period and still continue
today. Hydrocarbons are primarily being generated and are migrating from the deep east Mergui,
west Mergui, and Ranong troughs.
Keywords: Petroleum source rock, migration pathway, PetroMod, Mergui basin, the Andaman Sea
Introduction
Suranaree J. Sci. Technol. Vol. 21 No. 3; July - September 2014 163
Tertiary basins are the main target of petroleum basins located in the Andaman Sea, offshore
exploration and production in Thailand. The from western Thailand. Many studies have
Mergui basin is one of the important tertiary reported that the Mergui basin is comprised
DOI: 10.14456/sjst.2014.12
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Materials
Figure 1. Map of study area showing its entire area and its location, and the exploration wells the data of
which were used in this study
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Figure 2. Generalized stratigraphy of the Mergui basin and stratigraphic correlation to the North
Figure 3. Results of pyrolysis (Rock-Eval) cutting samples of the Yala Formation; (a) TOC in wt%,
(b) Tmax (oC), (c) Production Index (PI) [S1/ (S1 + S2), and (d) Vitrinite reflectance (%Ro)
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Figure 4. A plot of the Hydrogen Index (HI) versus the Oxygen Index (OI) of the Yala Formation
indicating Type III kerogen
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Figure 5. Results of pyrolysis (Rock-Eval) cutting samples of the Kantang Formation; (a) TOC in wt%,
(b) Tmax (oC), (c) Production Index (PI) [S1/ (S1 + S2)], and (d) Vitrinite reflectance (%Ro)
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Figure 6. A plot of the Hydrogen Index (HI) versus the Oxygen Index (OI) of the Kantang Formation
indicating a mix of Type II and Type III kerogen
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Figure 7. Results of pyrolysis (Rock-Eval) cutting samples of the Trang Formation; (a) TOC in wt%,
(b) Tmax (oC), (c) Production Index (PI) [S1/ (S1 + S2)], and (d) Vitrinite reflectance (%Ro)
174 Petroleum Source Rock and
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prone kerogen (Figure 4). This is like the (percentage) versus the depth of the Yala,
early Miocene Kantang Formation that has a Kantang, and Trang Formations are shown in
fair to good TOC value range between 0.5 and Figures 3, 5, and 7, respectively.
1.5% (Figure 5(a)) and consists of a mixture Res ults fr om the T m a x and R o plo ts
of type II and type III kerogen (Figure 6), indicated that the Yala Formation (Figure 3)
where as the middle Miocene Trang Formation has a Tmax range between 430oC to nearly
has a fair to very good TOC range between
450oC (Figure 3(b)), and an Ro range between
0.5 and 2.0%(Figure 7(a)), which consists of
type II and type III kerogen as it is an older 0.6 and 1.0% (Figure 3(d)). The Kantang
formation (Figure 8). Formation has a T max very close to the Yala
Formation being in a range between 420 oC
and 440 oC (Figure 5(b)), whereas it has a
Th ermal Matu rity an d Timin g of lower Ro than the Yala Formation with a range
between 0.2 and 0.6% (Figure 5(d)). The
Hydrocarbon Generation and Migration Trang Formation has a Tmax and Ro less than
both the Yala and the Kantang Formations as
its Tmax is in a range between 400 oC and
Thermal maturity of source rocks can
be evaluated by us ing the Rock-Eval 430oC (Figure 7(b)) and its Ro is in a range
pyrolysis, hydrocarbon geochemistry, and between 0.2 and 0.4% (Figure 7(d)).
vitrinite reflectance (R o). Plots of the T max
(degree Celsius), production index, and R o
Figure 8. A plot of the Hydrogen Index (HI) versus the Oxygen Index (OI) of the Trang Formation
indicating a mix of Type II and Type III kerogen
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Figure 9. Bu rial h is tory of th e W9-B-1 w ell Figure 10. Temperature Index (oC) catculated using
calculated using PetroMod Software
PetroMod Software of the W9-B-1 well
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The PI is the ratio of already generated The temperature Index (oC) and TTI depicted
hydrocarbon to potential hydrocarbon the thermal conductivity of the rocks from the
[S1/ (S1 + S2)] derived from the Rock-Eval time of the first expulsion. The TTI value,
pyrolysis. The PI value in a range between which is in the range between 15 and 160 is
hydrocarbon generation, and the TTI value
0.15 and 0.40 indicates hydrocarbon generation.
A low PI value (less than 0.01) indicates 65 is the maximum expulsion of hydrocarbon
immaturity or extreme post-maturity organic from the source bed (Waples, 1980). Results
matter. High PI values indicate either the from the Temperature Index versus depth
mature stage or contamination by migrated plotting in the W9-B-1 wells indicated that the
hydrocarbons or drilling additives (Peters and Temperature Index increased regularly with
Cassa, 1994). Results from the PI versus the depth from 23.30 oC to nearly 134.96 oC
depth plotting of the Yala F ormation (Figure 10). Likewise, the TTI versus depth
(Figure 3(a)) indicated that its PI increased plotting of the W9-B-1 wells indicated that
regularly with the depth from 0.10 to nearly the TTI increased regularly with the depth
from 0.02 to nearly 25.47 (Figure 11). Thus,
0.4, whereas the Kantang Formation has a PetroMod evaluated that the W9-B-1 wells
lower PI value which is in the range between started early hydrocarbon generation at a
depth greater than 1900 m. The hydrocarbon
0.02 and 0.15 (Figure 5(a)), and the Trang
generation efficiency calculations and the
Formation has a very narrow PI value in the
measurement of Ro values are as determined
range between 0.1 and 0.14 (Figure 7(a)),
respectively. by EASY%Ro (Sweeney and Burnham, 1990).
Results from the Ro versus depth plotting of
the W9-B-1 wells indicated a mature (cut off:
PetroMod Computer Software Result Ro between 0.6 and 0.8) depth approximately
greater than 2500 m (Figure 12).
The PetroMod modeling of the burial A fter comparing the res ults f rom
an d thermal his tory r econs truction w as the analyzed available data s ources by
derived from the PWD, SWIT (using the geochemis try technique and P etroM od
Southeast Asia zone), and HF that were inputted computer software of the W9-B-1 wells, the
regularly with the age of subsidence in the available data source by the geochemistry
case of the Mergui basin study. The burial
history reconstruction subsidence was shown
generated on the W9-B-1 wells (Figure 9).
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Figure 11. Time Temperature Index (TTI) catculated using PetroMod Software of the W9-B-1 well
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technique w as chos en to build the bas in 4500 m in the north Mergui basin, main
modeling in this study. This was because the Mergui basin, and Andaman slope areas,
model res ulting fr om the geochemis try respectively. The Oligocene to early Miocene
technique worksheet has more suitable values period Yala Formation is mature over most
than that of PetroMod, hence it can generate of the basin, while the early Miocene Kantang
the best output. The thermal history and Formation is mature in the depocenters of
hydrocarbon generation information from the isolated sub-basins. The middle Miocene
P etroM od w as les s than that from the period Trang F ormation and younger
geochemistry technique worksheet. formations are immature over most of the
basin. The principal control on the distribution
According to the re-interpretation of the of mature s ource rocks appears to be a
geochemistry data, the PetroMod computer combination of the structural history and
software can predict immaturity throughout geothermal gradient.
the basin. In the study of the source rock of
the 18 wells the results showed almost all the
source rock was immature, while the mature Petroleum Migration Pathway
source rock which predicted the generation
of an oil w indow w as indicated by the
geochemis try technique and P etroM od. Based on the available porosity data
Vitrinite reflectance indicates that the oil which were collected from the selected wells,
window lies around 2100 m, 3000 m, and the relationship of porosity versus depth of
the Ranong Formation had plotted trends, as
shown in Figure 13.
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Figure 12. Maturity overlay Ro compare with temperature and depth catculated using PetroMod Software
of the W9-B-1 well
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Figure 13. Relationship between porosity versus depth of the Ranong Formation
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(b
)
Acknowledgement
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