Oil-generating potential of Tertiary coals and other organic-rich sediments of the Nyalau Formation, onshore Sarawak

Abstract

The oil-generating potential of coals and other organic-rich sediments from the Late Oligocene–Early Miocene Nyalau Formation, the offshore extension of which is believed to be a major source rock, is evaluated. Coals of the Nyalau Formation are typically dominated by vitrinite, with moderate and low amounts of exinite and inertinite, respectively. Significant amounts of clay minerals are present in these coals and those containing between 15 to 65% mineral matter by volume are termed carbargilite. The samples analysed range from sub-bituminous to high-volatile bituminous rank, possessing vitrinite reflectance in the range 0.42% to 0.72%. T max values range from 425°–450°C which is in good agreement with vitrinite reflectance data. Good oil-generating potential is anticipated from these coals and carbargilites with moderate to rich exinite content (15–35%). This is supported by their high hydrogen indices of up to 400 mgHC/gTOC, Py–GC (S2) pyrograms with n-alkane/alkene doublets extending beyond nC 30, and their being in the early to mid-mature oil-window range. Petrographically, the most significant evidence of the oil-generating potential of these coals is the generation of petroleum-like materials (exsudatinite) visible under the microscope. Exsudatinite is a secondary maceral, commonly considered to represent the very beginning of oil generation in coal, which is shown here to also have an important role to play in hydrocarbon expulsion. The precursor of exsudatinite in these coals is the maceral bituminite which readily expels or mobilizes to hydrocarbon-like material in the form of oil smears and/or exsudatinite as observed under the microscope. The maceral bituminite is considered to play a major generative role via early exsudatinite generation, which is considered to facilitate the overall expulsion process in coaly source rocks.