CAOG - PhD Student

Mr Christian Hallmann

Alteration of Petroleum Composition by the Subsurface Interaction with Water

Petroleum and water coexist in the subsurface. Interaction between the two fluids is inevitable and occurs at several different stages in the lifetime of petroleum. While the mechanisms and effects of oil-water interactions have been discussed in the literature, the evidence presented is mostly circumstantial, whereas laboratory experimental evidence does not seem to represent the subsurface conditions adequately. This project aims to develop a better understanding of the interaction between oil and water that alters the molecular composition of petroleum in the subsurface.

Focussing on oil-water interactions that take place during the residence of oil in subsurface reservoirs and during various stages of its production (4D reservoir geochemistry), molecular analyses of polar petroleum constituents (phenols, furans and carboxylic acids) will be accompanied by hydrocarbon molecular analyses and the evaluation of gases (hydrocarbons and CO2). The aim will be to describe the processes and to develop practical applications in the form of molecular parameters derived from the composition of petroleum. Special attention will also be paid to the effects of biological petroleum degradation.

Understanding the processes and results of oil-water interaction can aid in exploration and during production, potentially leading to critical information such as reservoir residence time, changes in OWC proximity during production, controls on petroleum viscosity by the loss of dissolved gases, and mass balances for the studied processes.

Supervisors

Professor Kliti Grice, Ben van Aarssen (Chevron), Andrew Murray (Chevron)

Funding

Curtin International Research Tuition Scholarship

PESA Federal Postgraduate Scholarship

AAPG award

Contact

Email C.Hallmann@curtin.edu.au

Tel +61 (0)8 9266 7949

Fax +61 (0)8 9266 3547

http://www.uni-koeln.de/math-nat-fak/geomin/hallmann.html