Understanding the plumbing of the Gippsland Basin: new results on fluid migration and reservoir quality*
P. Tingate A , M. Campi A , G. O'Brien A , J. Miranda A , L. G. Divko A , K. Liu B , D. Mills B , H. Volk C , D. Hall D and J. Hamilton EA GeoScience Victoria.
B CSIRO.
C CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering.
D Fluid Inclusion Technologies.
E AMMTEC Ltd.
The APPEA Journal 51(2) 693-693 https://doi.org/10.1071/AJ10073
Published: 2011
Abstract
Understanding the CO2 storage potential and petroleum prospectivity of the Gippsland Basin are critical to managing the resources of this region. Key controls on determining the prospectivity for CO2 storage and petroleum include understanding the fluid migration history and reservoir characteristics in the basin.
Gippsland Basin hydrology, reservoir characteristics and petroleum systems are being studied to better understand how CO2 can be safely stored in the subsurface. Hydrocarbon migration pathways have been delineated using petroleum systems modelling. The latest hydrocarbon charge history data has been acquired to test the containment potential of individual structures along these migration pathways.
The charge history results indicate the Golden Beach gas field has had a complex hydrocarbon fill history, and that early charge has migrated through the regional seal. The results also indicate that early oil charge was very common in the basin, including large structures that are now filled with gas (e.g. Barracouta). The results allow the regions with good CO2 containment potential to be delineated for further storage investigations.
A new evaluation of the reservoir characteristics of the Latrobe Group—through porosity/permeability analysis and automated mineral analysis (AMA)—has provided insights into CO2 injectivity and capacity. The AMA results constrain the mineralogy and diagenetic history of the reservoirs and seals. In addition, the data highlights the presence of carbonates, glauconite and K-feldspar that are potentially reactive with injected CO2.
Peter Tingate is a senior geologist with the Energy Geoscience Group at GeoScience Victoria. He works on the carbon dioxide sequestration potential of Victoria's sedimentary basins, as well as their petroleum systems. Peter received his BSc (Hons) and PhD from the Melbourne University and worked at the Australian School of Petroleum (formerly NCPGG) until joining GeoScience Victoria in 2008. He has published papers on basin modelling, diagenesis of sedimentary rocks and geological storage of CO2. Member: PESA, AAPG. |
Dr Monica Campi has an honours degree in science from Monash University and a PhD in marine palaeoecology and biostratigraphy from Deakin University. She was a member of the academic staff at Deakin University before joining the Victorian State Government. She is now employed at GeoScience Victoria as a petroleum geoscientist/sedimentologist and is managing the Victorian petroleum acreage release, while also contributing to the Victorian Geological Carbon Storage (VicGCS) Initiative. Member: PESA (Victoria/Tasmania Branches), GSA. |
Dr Geoffrey O'Brien has a first-class honours degree and PhD in earth sciences. He has worked in the petroleum exploration sector for more than 20 years. Geoff has worked for BHP, Western Mining Petroleum, AGSO/Geoscience Australia, Adelaide University and has consulted numerous companies in Australia and overseas. Dr O'Brien is the manager of the energy geoscience group at GeoScience Victoria. His key technical specialities include the application of integrated petroleum systems approaches to basin evaluation, with an emphasis on basin and migration modelling (1D, 2D and 3D), charge history analysis, remote sensing, fault and top seal analysis and seismic interpretation of hydrocarbon leakage and seepage. He has won numerous industry awards and was the 1992 PESA Australia Lecturer; he has also published more than 170 papers and abstracts. |
Dr John Miranda has an honours degree and PhD in geology from Melbourne University. His research focused on the Pliocene stratigraphy of the Murray Basin in southeast Australia and its evolution since that time. John is working for GeoScience Victoria and is a key member of the Victorian Geological Carbon Storage Initiative team. Member: PESA (Victoria/Tasmania branches). |
Dr Louise Goldie Divko has an honours degree in science, a diploma of education and a PhD in geology. She has worked in both the education and petroleum sectors at Deakin University, the Victorian State Government and Schlumberger. Louise is now employed as a geologist at GeoScience Victoria where her work focuses on the geological carbon storage potential and subsurface geology of Victoria's sedimentary basins. She is the PESA (Victoria/Tasmania branches) treasurer. |
Keyu Liu is a principal research scientist and research team leader of the Fluid History Analysis group at CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering in Perth. His principal research areas are clastic sedimentology, hydrocarbon migration and charge history of petroleum reservoirs and laboratory experiments on enhanced oil recovery. Keyu obtained a BSc from China Ocean University, an MSc from the University of Sydney, and a PhD from the Australian National University. Member: AAPG, SPE, AGU, IAS, PESA. |
David Mills is a research project scientist at CSIRO Earth Science and Resource Engineering. He obtained a BSc degree in Physics from the University of Newcastle (2001) and joined the Fluid History Analysis group at CSIRO in 2007 working on the quantitative grain fluorescence (QGF) project. He is presently undertaking an undergraduate course in geoscience at Curtin University. |
Herbert Volk was awarded an MSc (1996) in geology from the University of Erlangen, Germany, and a PhD (2000) from the University of Aachen, Germany. He works at CSIRO since 2000, where he leads the stream petroleum systems and a team of organic geochemists. He has experience with oils, source rocks and organic matter from the Proterozoic to the Holocene, fluid inclusion oil geochemistry, petroleum microbiology and basin modelling. Member: AAPG, EAOG, SPE, PESA. |
Dr Don Hall received BSc (1982) and MSc (1985) in geology from the University of California at Riverside, and a PhD (1989) in geology from Virginia Tech. He joined Amoco Production Research in 1990 as a research scientist and worked on development and implementation of novel fluid inclusion instrumentation and techniques. He left Amoco in 1997 and co-founded Fluid Inclusion Technologies, Inc., where he continues to develop and promote focused research and rock-based analytical programs to help solve hydrocarbon exploration and production problems. |
Dr Joseph Hamilton has BSc and PhD in geology from London and Oxford Universities. He has held positions as divisional deputy chiefs and Australian petroleum CRC research program manager for Exploration Technology while at CSIRO and as petroleum geoscience professor at the University of the West Indies. Since April 2009 he has been at AMMTEC as the technical leader for development and application of automated mineral analysis for the petroleum industry. His interests include isotope geochemistry, fluid inclusion microscopy, mineralogy and sedimentary petrography and their application to risk reduction in petroleum exploration and production. Member: PESA, FESAUS. |
References
Goldie Divko, L.M., O'Brien, G.W., Harrison, M.L., and Hamilton, P.J. (2010). Evaluation of the regional top seal in the Gippsland Basin; implications for geological carbon storage and hydrocarbon prospectivity. APPEA Journal 50, 463–86.Liu, K., Eadington, P., Mills, D., Volk, H., Gong, S., and Kempton, R., 2010—Hydrocarbon charge history of the Gippsland Basin. CSIRO Report EP106596. Clayton South, Victoria: CSIRO.
O'Brien, G.W., Tingate, P.R., Goldie Divko, L.M., Harrison, M.L., Boreham, C.J., Liu, K., Arian, N., and Skladzien, P., 2008—First order sealing and hydrocarbon migration processes, Gippsland Basin, Australia: implications for CO2 geosequestration. In: Blevin, J.E., Bradshaw, B.E., and Uruski, C. (eds.) EABS III: Energy security for the 21st century. PESA Special Publication, 1–28.
Watson, M.N., Boreham, C.J., and Tingate, P. (2004). Carbon dioxide and carbonate cements in the Otway Basin: implications for geological storage of carbon dioxide. APPEA Journal 44, 703–20.
Volk, H., Ahmed, M., Gong, S., Sherwood, N., Pinetown, K., McParland, L., Armand, S., Sestak, S., van Holst, J., Fuentes, D., and Boreham, C., 2010—Source, migration and secondary alteration of petroleum in the Gippsland Basin—phase 1. CSIRO Report EP106395. Clayton South, Victoria: CSIRO.
