• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.45 no.4
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• pp.365-375
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• 2012

The objective of this study is to investigate inorganic characteristics of Devonian bitumen carbonates in Alberta using two drilling cores, Saleski 03-34-88-20w4 and Saleski 08-01-88-20w4, taken from the Core Research Center (CRC) of Canada. The bitumen carbonates are mainly composed of less than 0.2 mm dolomites and some carbonate includes small amount of quartz and calcite. The bitumen carbonates from two cores are interpreted to have formed in similar sedimentary environments and dolomitization processes. Carbonates from Saleski 03-34-88-20w4 core were formed under higher inflow of clastic sediment than those from Saleski 08-01-88-20w4 core. Range of crystallization temperature of dolomites in the both bitumen carbonate cores is about 40~$55^{\circ}C$. Dolomitizing fluid of the bitumen carbonates would be Devonian seawater. Bitumen carbonates from Cairn Formation, compared with the CRC cores, have experienced a similar crystallization temperature, but dolmititizing fluid of the bitumen carbonates from Cairn Formation have been modified from the isotopic exchange with continental crust.

• Proceedings of the Korean Geotechical Society Conference
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• 2010.09a
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• pp.790-799
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• 2010

The Upper Devonian Grossmont Formation in Alberta, Canada reserves an estimated 50 billion cubic meters of bitumen and possess about 1/6 of the total bitumen resources in northern Alberta. However, unlike the overlying Athabasca oil sands, non conventional bitumen resources has not been developed as yet. The carbonate rocks of Grosmont Formation have been subject to various stages of diagenesis, including dolomatization and karstification with a strong effect on the distribution of porosity and permeability, which resulted in highly heterogeneous reservoirs. An extensive fracture logging and mapping was performed on total of six boreholes located in the study area to explore the characteristics of fracture geometry system and the subsurface structures of carbonates reservoir that holds bitumen. Fractal dimension was used as a measure of the statistical homogeneity of the fractured rock masses. The applicability of random Cantor dust, Dc, as a fractal parameter was examined systematically. The statistical homogeneity of fractured carbonates rock masses was investigated in the study area. The structural domains of the rock masses were delineated depthwise according to estimated Dc. The major fracture orientation was dominated by horizontal beddings having dip of $0-20^{\circ}$. Also, fractures having high dip angles existed with relatively low frequency. Three dimensional fracture network modeling for each structural domain has been performed based on fracture orientation and intensity, and some representative conceptual models for carbonates reservoir in the study area has been proposed. The developed subsurface conceptual models will be used to capture the geomechanical characteristics of the carbonates reservoir.

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.44 no.1
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• pp.21-35
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• 2011

Inorganic and organic geochemical characteristics of Devonian bitumen carbonates in Alberta were studied using two drilling cores, Saleski 03-34-88-20w4 and Saleski 08-01-88-20w4, taken from the Core Research Center of Canada. The results of elements analyses showed high Total Inorganic Carbon, low Total Nitrogen and Total Sulfur, and Rock-Eval pyrolysis showed double $CO_2$ peaks in the oxidation part. These mean that the Devonian bitumen carbonates are mainly composed of dolomite formed by diagenesis, and its crystal texture is dominantly subhedral to anhedral but often euhedral. Bitumen contents were 3.6~19.0% in Saleski 3-34-88-20w4 and 5.0~16.4% in Saleski 08-01-88-20w4, respectively. As samples color become dark, bitumen and Total Organic Carbon contents are generally increasing in two cores. The results of biomarker analyses showed that the contents of resins and asphaltenes were 5~28% higher than those of saturated hydrocarbon, interring that the bitumen has been heavily biodegradated. According to the results of carbon isotope analyses in each component of bitumen, asphaltenes had highest values and the others had constant values. However, their values were varied in the range of normal crude oil (-18~-30‰).

• Economic and Environmental Geology
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• v.43 no.2
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• pp.85-100
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• 2010

Devonian Cairn Formation is one of the important hydrocarbon reservoirs in Alberta, Canada. However, the Cairn Formation, outcropped in the study area, is not prospective reservoir with poor porosity and permeability by some late diagenetic processes. In this study, geochemical characteristics of the Cairn Formation were studied to use these preliminary results for advanced geological and geophysical petroleum explorations in the near future. Rock-Eval pyrolysis showed that total organic carbon content is less than 0.3 wt.%, indicating a minor amount of bitumen and/or other hydrocarbons. The carbonates in the Cairn Formation are mainly composed of subhedral and anhedral dolomites. Pore sizes in the carbonate are various, ranging from nanometer to micrometer. Clastic sediments increase in the upper and lower parts of the Cairn Formation, probably due to changing its depositional conditions. The Cairn Formation can also be divided into several intervals based on Ca/Mg ratio in dolomite and degree of amount of calcite. These could be formed by different sedimentary environment, degree of cementation and recrystallization, different saline/fresh water, etc.