ABSTRACT: Petroleum Geochemistry as a Diagnostic Tool in Production-Related Problem Solving

Stephen Creaney, James Allen, Allen Ponczek

The sophisticated tools used in petroleum geochemistry to correlate oils and gases to each other and to their sources have equal applicability in locating the origin of leaking fluids in old wells. For example, the Rainbow-Zama area of northern Alberta illustrates how routine gas analyses were used to resolve the possible sources of gas that were pressurizing the surface casing. Another example, from the Redwater field of central Alberta, describes the identification of the source of oil leakage to surface in this multi-pay field. In both examples, a detailed knowledge of the hydrocarbon systems operating in that part of the Western Canada basin was critical in solving the particular production problem.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #91003©1990 AAPG Annual Convention, San Francisco, California, June 3-6, 1990