Implementation of an Integrated Geochemical Approach Using Polar and Nonpolar Components of Crude Oil for Reservoir-Continuity Assessment: Verification with Reservoir-Engineering Evidences

Abstract

Summary The ability of geochemistry techniques in reservoir-continuity studies has already been proved. Most of the traditional methods mainly involve analyzing nonpolar components of crude oil and overlooking polar components. Despite valuable information obtained from nonpolar components, these compounds are sometimes affected by various alterations or likely provide only a piece of the reservoir-compartmentalization puzzle. In this paper, an integrated geochemical approach that uses nonpolar (i.e., saturates and aromatics) and polar (i.e., asphaltenes) components of crude oil was performed to evaluate reservoir continuity efficiently. The Shadegan Oil Field in the Dezful Embayment in southwest Iran was investigated for reservoir-continuity studies to show the efficiency of this proposed technique. The selected interparaffin peak ratios and light hydrocarbons [the C7 oil correlation star diagram (C7CSD)] from whole-oil gas chromatography (GC) (WOGC) chromatograms were used to obtain oil fingerprints from the nonpolar fraction of crude oils. The Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of asphaltenes was applied to obtain oil fingerprints from the polar fraction of crude oils. The pairwise comparison of studied wells by each technique was summarized in a similarity matrix with green, yellow, and red colors to show connectivity, limited connectivity, and disconnectivity according to oil fingerprints. Finally, a compartmentalization model was prepared from the integrated results of different techniques considering the worst-case scenarios regarding the occurrence or absence of reservoir continuity when relying on individual methods for the studied field. Results show that the Shadegan Oil Field comprises three zones in the Asmari Reservoir and two zones in the Bangestan Reservoir. Reservoir-engineering data, including pressure data and pressure/volume/temperature (PVT), completely corroborated the obtained results from the geochemical approach. The consistency of results suggested FTIR oil fingerprinting of asphaltene as a novel and straightforward technique, which is a complementary or even alternative method with respect to previous geochemical methods.