Determination of hydrocarbon generation potential of a non-isothermal pyrolysis of Faraghun and Sarchahan Formations in Coastal Fars and the Persian Gulf, Iran

Abstract

Source rock assessment is a key step in any petroleum exploration activity. The results of Rock-Eval analysis showed that Sarchahan Formation was in the late oil window, while the Faraghun and Zakeen Formations were just in the early stages of the oil window. Furthermore, Sarchahan, Zakeen and Faraghun Formations exhibited different kerogen types (types-Ⅱ, types-Ⅲ and type-Ⅲ, respectively). Refining the kinetic parameters using the OPTKIN software, the error function returned error values below 0.1, indicating accurate optimization of the kinetic parameters. Based on the obtained values of activation energy, it was clear that Sarchahan Formation contained type-Ⅱ kerogen with an activation energy of 48–52 kcal/mol, while Zakeen and Faraghun Formations contained type-III kerogen with activation energies of 70–80 kcal/mol and 44–56 kcal/mol, respectively. The geographical distribution of the samples studied in this work, it was found that the organic matter (OM) quantity and quality increased as one moved toward the Coastal Fars in Sarchahan Formation. The same trend was observed as one moved from the southern coasts of Iran toward the shaly and coaly portions of Faraghun Formation in the center of the Persian Gulf.©2021 China Geology Editorial Office.