Abstract: Basin Modeling, Methane and Nitrogen Generation, and Migration Problems; Industry Cooperation with Research at KFA Julich

H. S. Poelchau, J. Frielingsdorf, B. Krooss, R. Littke, D. H. Welte

Research definition and selection of projects at the Institute of Petroleum and Organic Geochemistry (KFA Julich) have always been driven by the need of industry. This poster presents a summary of three studies involving industry collaboration.

Gas Generation in the West Siberian basin and Atmospheric Methane Balance: This collaborative project of KFA Julich and VNII Geosystems (Moscow) with a Russian gas company Urengoy Nefte Gas Geologiya) is funded by several German gas companies (Ruhrgas, Veba and Wintershall). The objective is the understanding of methane generation and accumulation in the crust, and of methane release to the atmosphere. The area chosen for study in NW Siberia contains the largest gas fields on earth and supplies a large portion of natural gas used in Germany. basin modeling using well data supplied by the Russian partners provides quantitative volume estimates of gas generation over time from three major groups of source rocks. Measurements of soil gas emanation rates and in-flight atmospheric methane oncentrations are used to calculate the methane balance between lithosphere and atmosphere and possible anthropogenic pollution (pipeline leaks, etc.).

Nitrogen-Rich Natural Gas in the North German basin - Origin, Kinetics and Numerical Simulation: Many gas reservoirs in the North German basin contain high concentrations (<10 to >90%) of nitrogen, making these accumulations non-commercial In order to reduce the exploration risk, BEB Erdgas und Erdol GmbH and KFA Julich jointly studied the occurrence and origin of nitrogen-rich gases. Pyrolysis of Carboniferous coals showed that not only methane but also significant amounts of nitrogen are generated from the coaly organic matter. Methane is generated at lower temperatures than nitrogen. Using these pyrolysis kinetics in a basin modelling study, nitrogen concentrations were predicted which closely correlate with observed nitrogen concentrations.

German-Norwegian Geoscientific Cooperation: The main goals of this joint effort between the Norwegian and German petroleum industry and research organizations are to: understand and reconstruct the processes involved in the dynamic evolution of the lithosphere; promote the collaboration of scientists of different background and integrate their know-how into a geoscientific framework; address open questions of basin evolution and reservoir formation in a common study area (North Sea). Phase II of the German-Norwegian Geoscientific Cooperation started in 1993. KFA Julich and Statoil jointly coordinate the program. Among the achievements of the first phase of this project was the construction and successful test of a high-pressure, high-temperature experimental set-up for petroleum migra ion and generation experiments.

AAPG Search and Discovery Article #90956©1995 AAPG International Convention and Exposition Meeting, Nice, France