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Questions and Answers
What is the main difference between conventional and unconventional oil and gas based on the text?
What does 'tight' mean in the context of 'tight gas' and 'tight oil'?
Which of the following is considered an unconventional gas based on the text?
What are the key stratigraphic necessities for a functional petroleum system according to the text?
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Which unconventional fossil fuel potentially contains more organic carbon than coal, oil, and natural gas combined?
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Where has methane hydrate recovery been achieved from beneath the seafloor?
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Which unconventional oil recovery method involves steam flooding to reduce viscosity by increasing temperature?
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Which unconventional oil type is a significant reserve for bitumen mining in Canada?
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What geological processes comprise a functional petroleum system?
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Which unconventional petroleum systems differ from conventional systems with unique necessities and processes?
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What is the most important deposit for oil shale, despite its expensive and environmentally damaging extraction process?
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Where has offshore methane hydrate production test sites demonstrated gas production by reservoir depressurization?
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What unconventional fossil fuel recovery method involves injecting steam to mobilize and produce oil for extra heavy oil recovery?
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Which unconventional fossil fuel is expected to contribute to increasingly unconventional and expensive oil and natural gas production in the future?
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What is the porosity range of the Marcellus Shale Gas Reservoir in the United States?
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What is the main recovery process used for unconventional petroleum systems such as shale gas and shale oil?
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Which unconventional petroleum system has been observed to cause induced seismicity in various locations?
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What percentage of total US gas production did shale gas account for in 2021?
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Which source rock is mentioned as a potential source for unconventional 'shale gas' reserves?
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What is the permeability range of the Marcellus Shale Gas Reservoir in the United States?
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What recovery method involves drilling wells into coal seams and pumping out water to release methane?
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What percentage of total US oil production did tight oil account for in 2021?
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What type of rock is mentioned as a source for unconventional 'shale gas' reserves in the Wessex Basin?
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What type of reservoir rock characterizes unconventional petroleum systems such as shale gas and shale oil?
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What type of recovery process involves injecting proppant to keep fractures open?
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What is the main unconventional petroleum system that has faced bans in European extraction?
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Study Notes
Unconventional Fossil Fuels and Petroleum Systems
- Gas hydrates occur naturally in marine sediments and permafrost, potentially containing more organic carbon than coal, oil, and natural gas combined.
- USGS estimates suggest significant organic carbon content in gas hydrate deposits.
- Methane hydrate recovery has been achieved from beneath the seafloor in the Gulf of Mexico.
- Offshore methane hydrate production test sites, like the Nankai Trough in Japan, have demonstrated gas production by reservoir depressurization.
- Various unconventional oil types include tight oil, heavy oil, extra heavy oil, bitumen, and shale oil.
- Steam flooding is used in heavy oil recovery, reducing viscosity by increasing temperature, as seen in the Kern River Field in California.
- Stream Assisted Gravity Drainage involves two horizontal wells for extra heavy oil recovery, injecting steam to mobilize and produce oil.
- Canada's tar sands are a significant reserve for bitumen mining, requiring upgrading to synthetic crude oil before shipping.
- A functional petroleum system comprises geological processes like accumulation, retention, reservoir rock, migration, source rock, and maturation.
- Petroleum systems for shale gas, shale oil, and coal-bed methane differ from conventional systems, with unique necessities and processes.
- Oil shale can be heated to produce oil, but the process is expensive and environmentally damaging, with the most important deposit being the Green River Formation.
- Future oil and natural gas production is expected to be increasingly unconventional and expensive, according to supply/cost curves for oil and gas.
Unconventional Petroleum Systems and Shale Gas
- Shale gas and shale oil, along with tight gas and tight oil, are unconventional petroleum systems due to low permeability reservoir rock.
- These unconventional systems use similar recovery processes, such as hydraulic fracturing, and are often grouped together.
- Source rocks for unconventional "shale gas" reserves include the Ordovician Utica Shale in New York State and the Jurassic Kimmeridge Clay in the Wessex Basin.
- The Marcellus Shale Gas Reservoir in the United States has porosities ranging from 5-15% and permeabilities of 200-2000 ηD, making it a significant shale gas reservoir.
- Hydraulic fracturing involves drilling wells, fracturing the reservoir by pumping thickened fluid, injecting proppant to keep fractures open, and allowing gas to flow out following the returned fluid.
- Shale reservoirs utilize closely-spaced well pads for production.
- Production decline curves in the North Dakota Shale Oil province show a rapid decline from initial production rates, with restimulation being costly but potentially rejuvenating.
- In 2021, shale gas accounted for 79% of total US gas production, while tight oil accounted for 64% of total US oil production.
- Despite concerns and hostility, tight oil and shale gas remain resilient, consistently exceeding performance projections in the US.
- European shale gas extraction has faced bans in multiple years, indicating opposition to this extraction method.
- Induced seismicity from hydraulic fracturing has been observed in various locations, including Arkansas, England, and the UK, with difficulties in accurately predicting the probability or magnitude of earthquakes linked to fracking operations.
- Coalbed methane, which forms during the process of coalification, is extracted by drilling wells into coal seams and pumping out water to release methane.
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Description
Test your knowledge of unconventional fossil fuels and petroleum systems with this quiz. Explore topics such as gas hydrates, unconventional oil types, recovery processes, and the significance of shale gas and shale oil. Gain insights into the challenges and developments in extracting these unconventional resources.
