Unconventional gas prospectivity of the Cooper Basin

2015 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa Hall ◽  
Tony Hill ◽  
Liuqi Wang ◽  
Dianne Edwards ◽  
Tehani Kuske ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Source Rocks ◽  
System Modelling ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Unconventional Gas ◽  
Upper Carboniferous ◽  
Gas Market ◽  
Intracratonic Basin ◽  
Exploration Activity ◽  
Cooper Basin

The Cooper Basin is an Upper Carboniferous–Middle Triassic intracratonic basin in northeast SA and southwest Queensland. The basin is Australia's premier onshore hydrocarbon-producing province and is nationally significant due to its provision of domestic gas for the east coast gas market. Exploration activity in the region has recently expanded with numerous explorers pursuing newly identified unconventional hydrocarbon plays. While conventional gas and oil prospects can usually be identified by 3D seismic, the definition and extent of the undiscovered unconventional gas resources in the basin remain poorly understood. This extended abstract reviews the hydrocarbon prospectivity of the Cooper Basin with a focus on unconventional gas resources. Regional basin architecture, characterised through source rock distribution and quality, demonstrates the abundance of viable source rocks across the basin. Petroleum system modelling, incorporating new compositional kinetics, source quality and total organic carbon (TOC) map, highlight the variability in burial, thermal and hydrocarbon generation histories between depocentres. The study documents the extent of a number of unconventional gas play types, including the extensive basin-centred and tight gas accumulations in the Gidgealpa Group, deep-dry coal gas associated with the Patchawarra and Toolachee formations, as well as the less extensive shale gas plays in the Murteree and Roseneath shales.

HYDROCARBON HABITAT OF THE COOPER/EROMANGA BASIN, AUSTRALIA

1983 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 75 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. J. Kantsler ◽  
T. J. C. Prudence ◽  
A. C. Cook ◽  
M. Zwigulis
Keyword(s):  
Geothermal Gradient ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Oil Generation ◽  
Late Tertiary ◽  
Modelling Studies ◽  
Permian Coal ◽  
Intracratonic Basin ◽  
Hydrocarbon Charge ◽  
Eromanga Basin

The Cooper Basin is a complex intracratonic basin containing a Permian-Triassic succession which is uncomformably overlain by Jurassic-Cretaceous sediments of the Eromanga Basin. Abundant inertinite-rich humic source rocks in the Permian coal measures sequence have sourced some 3TCF recoverable gas and 300 million barrels recoverable natural gas liquids and oil found to date in Permian sandstones. Locally developed vitrinitic and exinite-rich humic source rocks in the Jurassic to Lower Cretaceous section have, together with Permian source rocks, contributed to a further 60 million barrels of recoverable oil found in fluvial Jurassic-Cretaceous sandstones.Maturity trends vary across the basin in response to a complex thermal history, resulting in a present-day geothermal gradient which ranges from 3.0°C/100 m to 6.0°C/100 m. Permian source rocks are generally mature to postmature for oil generation, and oil/condensate-prone and dry gas-prone kitchens exist in separate depositional troughs. Jurassic source rocks generally range from immature to mature but are postmature in the central Nappamerri Trough. The Nappamerri Trough is considered to have been the most prolific Jurassic oil kitchen because of the mature character of the crudes found in Jurassic reservoirs around its flanks.Outside the central Nappamerri Trough, maturation modelling studies show that most hydrocarbon generation followed rapid subsidence during the Cenomanian. Most syndepositional Permian structures are favourably located in time and space to receive this hydrocarbon charge. Late formed structures (Mid-Late Tertiary) are less favourably situated and are rarely filled to spill point.The high CO2 contents of the Permian gas (up to 50 percent) may be related to maturation of the humic Permian source rocks and thermal degradation of Permian crudes. However, the high δ13C of the CO2 (av. −6.9 percent) suggests some mixing with CO2 derived from thermal breakdown of carbonates within both the prospective sequence and economic basement.

An overview of the new Geological and Bioregional Assessments Program

2018 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 625 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anthony Swirepik ◽  
Andrew Stacey ◽  
Rod Dann
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Impacts ◽  
East Coast ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
New Energy ◽  
Exploration And Production ◽  
Building Community ◽  
Three Stages ◽  
Gas Market ◽  
Cooper Basin

As part of the AU$86.3 million ‘Towards a New Energy Future’ package, the Australian Government has committed AU$30.4 million to undertake the Geological and Bioregional Assessments Program. This program aims to encourage sustainable gas development through a series independent scientific studies into the potential environmental impacts of shale and tight gas exploration and production. These studies, conducted by Geoscience Australia and CSIRO, supported by the Bureau of Meteorology and managed by the Department of the Environment and Energy, will focus on three basins (regions) that are prospective, but underexplored for shale and tight gas. The program seeks to encourage exploration to bring new gas resources to the East Coast Gas Market within the next 5–10 years, increase the understanding of the potential environmental impacts posed by gas developments and increase the efficiency of assessment, monitoring and ongoing regulation, including improved data capture and reporting. The Cooper Basin and the Isa Superbasin have been selected for investigation with a third basin expected to be announced by mid-2018. The program will be delivered in three stages over 4 years and will investigate areas prospective for shale and tight gas within these regions. This independent, transparent, science-based approach aims to assist in building community understanding of, and confidence in, the capacity for safe and environmentally sustainable unconventional gas developments.

Geological and Bioregional Assessments: assessing the prospectivity for tight, shale and deep-coal resources in the Cooper Basin, Beetaloo Subbasin and Isa Superbasin

2021 ◽  
Vol 61 (2) ◽  
pp. 477
Author(s):  
Lisa S. Hall ◽  
Meredith L. Orr ◽  
Megan E. Lech ◽  
Steven Lewis ◽  
Adam H. E. Bailey ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
East Coast ◽  
Sedimentary Basins ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Department Of Agriculture ◽  
Development Scenarios ◽  
Causal Pathways ◽  
Detailed Assessment ◽  
Gas Market ◽  
Stage 1 ◽  
Cooper Basin

The Geological and Bioregional Assessment Program is a series of independent scientific studies undertaken by Geoscience Australia and the CSIRO, supported by the Bureau of Meteorology, and managed by the Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment. The program consists of three stages across three regions with potential to deliver gas to the East Coast Gas Market. Stage 1 was a rapid regional prioritisation conducted by Geoscience Australia, to identify those sedimentary basins with the greatest potential to deliver shale and/or tight gas to the East Coast Gas Market within the next 5–10 years. This prioritisation process assessed 27 onshore eastern and northern Australian basins with shale and/or tight gas potential. Further screening reduced this to a shortlist of nine basins where exploration was underway. The shortlisted basins were ranked on a number of criteria. The Cooper Basin, the Beetaloo Subbasin and the Isa Superbasin were selected for more detailed assessment. Stage 2 of the program involved establishing a baseline understanding of the identified regions. Geoscience Australia produced regional geological evaluations and conceptualisations that informed the assessment of shale and/or tight gas prospectivity, ground- and surface-water impacts and hydraulic fracturing models. Geoscience Australia’s relative prospectivity assessments provide an indication of where viable petroleum plays are most likely to be present. These data indicate areal and stratigraphic constraints that support the program’s further work in Stage 3, on understanding likely development scenarios, impact assessments and causal pathways.

THE SIGNIFICANCE OF HYDROCARBON SHOWS AND OIL RECOVERIES IN THE LONGREACH AREA, CENTRAL QUEENSLAND

1989 ◽  
Vol 29 (1) ◽  
pp. 157
Author(s):  
C.C. Hodge ◽  
N.J. Russell ◽  
M. Smyth
Keyword(s):  
Joint Venture ◽  
Oil And Gas ◽  
Vitrinite Reflectance ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Variable Nature ◽  
Water Well ◽  
Reflectance Measurements ◽  
Cooper Basin ◽  
Commercial Oil

In 1925, over 40 gallons of oil were recovered from the Longreach town- water well. More recently, Corona 1, drilled by the ATP 271P Joint Venture in 1984, recovered 9 m (0.5 bbls) of oil in the drill pipe.These oil recoveries, along with several water- bore oil and gas occurrences, are all located in the Longreach area, Central Queensland, over 100 km north- northeast of the Cooper Basin zero edge. The oil recoveries and shows are therefore considered to be the product of source rocks other than those of the Cooper Basin.The Birkhead Formation, the unit considered most likely to source the Longreach and Corona oils, has been studied with a view to understanding the nature of hydrocarbon generation in the vicinity of the Maneroo Platform. The variables measured include (1) thickness of the shale units, (2) volume and type of dispersed organic matter (DOM) and (3) maturity (vitrinite reflectance). Measurements were taken from 10 exploration wells through the whole formation to provide uniform comparative assessment.The Birkhead Formation in the Maneroo Platform area is shown to have an anomalously low sandstone- to- shale ratio, vitrinite reflectance values (Rm(o)) consistently greater than 0.7 per cent and a favourable petroleum generative geochemistry.These results emphasise the highly variable nature of the Eromanga Basin sequence, and therefore its diverse generative potential, and highlight the encouraging prospectivity of the Maneroo Platform area despite the present lack of commercial oil discoveries.

scholarly journals The magma thermal field and the shallow-level gas accumulation of tight gas reservoirs in the middle-eastern parts of the Qinshui Basin

2019 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-34
Author(s):  
Ke Sun ◽  
Shuheng Tang ◽  
Songhang Zhang ◽  
Zhaodong Xi ◽  
Jun Li
Keyword(s):  
Tectonic Evolution ◽  
Thermal Field ◽  
Middle Eastern ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Tight Gas ◽  
Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Tight Gas Reservoirs ◽  
Qinshui Basin ◽  
Heating Water

In this study, the metal-non-metal mineral gas-water hydrothermal concept is used to analyze the movement channels of magmatic heating water. Further, the concept of fractures-faults-cracks microfissures hierarchical configuration of the movement channels of magmatic heating water is proposed. In addition, the magma thermal field formed by magmatic heating water movement is studied and analyzed. Based on the basin simulation method, which is combined with the paleo-tectonic evolution analysis and restoration of the ancient burial depth in the middle-eastern parts of the Qinshui Basin, the tectonic evolution history, thermal evolution history, and hydrocarbon generation and exhaustion history of tight gas reservoirs in the Yushe-Wuxiang block in the middle-eastern parts of the Qinshui Basin have been investigated. On the basis of the theories and methods that are proposed in this study, the hierarchical configuration of fractures-faults-cracks microfissures movement channels of magmatic heating water in the Yushe-Wuxiang block in the middle-eastern parts of the Qinshui Basin was studied and analyzed. It is observed that the magmatic heating water rises to the source formation through the movement channels of hierarchical configuration, heats the source rocks, accelerates the evolution of the source rock in the shallow layer, and forms a tight gas reservoir. 

Kinetic study of the hydrocarbon generation from marine carbonate source rocks characterization of products of gas and liquid hydrocarbon

2006 ◽  
Vol 51 (23) ◽  
pp. 2885-2891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinhua Geng ◽  
Ansong Geng ◽  
Yongqiang Xiong ◽  
Jinzhong Liu ◽  
Haizu Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Kinetic Study ◽  
Liquid Hydrocarbon ◽  
Source Rocks ◽  
Hydrocarbon Generation ◽  
Marine Carbonate ◽  
Carbonate Source

Method of Early Prediction on Source Rocks in Basins with Low Exploration Activity

2007 ◽  
Vol 14 (4) ◽  
pp. 159-167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen LIU ◽  
Mai CHANG ◽  
Yang ZHAO ◽  
Yunzhen LI ◽  
Huailei SHEN
Keyword(s):  
Source Rocks ◽  
Early Prediction ◽  
Exploration Activity
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