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Diamondoid hydrocarbons as indicators of natural oil cracking

Nature volume 399, pages 54–57 (1999)Cite this article

Abstract

Oil cracking—the thermal breakdown of heavy hydrocarbons to smaller ones—takes place within oil-bearing rock formations at depths commonly accessed by commercial oil wells. The process ultimately converts oil into gas and pyrobitumen, and thus limits the occurrence of petroleum and the success of exploration. Thermal cracking of liquid petroleum increases with depth until it reaches completion at the so-called ‘oil deadline’, which is generally placed1,2 at around 5 km depth and at temperatures of 150–175 °C. However, cracking experiments3,4,5,6,7,8 and the discovery of relatively ‘hot’ oil reservoirs9,10 imply that petroleum is thermally more stable than previously assumed; in fact it has been suggested that liquid petroleum might persist at temperatures reaching6,11,12,13 or even exceeding3,14 200 °C. But reliable estimates of the extent of oil cracking and the depth at which it occurs in any given reservoir are difficult to obtain. Here we demonstrate that the relative abundance of diamondoids, a class of petroleum compounds whose unique thermal stability leads to their progressive concentration during cracking15, can be used to identify the occurrence and estimate the extent of oil destruction and the oil deadline in a particular basin. We are also able to identify oils consisting of mixtures of high- and low-maturity components, demonstrating that our method yields valuable information on the cracking and mixing processes affecting petroleum systems.

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Figure 1: Correlation between extent of cracking and methyldiamantane concentration in laboratory oil-cracking experiments.
Figure 2: Correlation between biomarker (stigmastane) and diamondoid (methyldiamantane) concentration in a series of Smackover-sourced oils from sou. thwestern Alabama.
Figure 3: Comparison between different indicators for the extent of oil cracking.
Figure 4: Illustration of the asymptotic curve characterizing the correlation between the concentrations of diamondoids (methyldiamantanes) and biom. arkers (stigmastane) in oils of different thermal maturities, cracked and uncracked, from a specific petroleum system.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geological and Environmental Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford, 94305-2115, California, USA

    J. E. Dahl & J. M. Moldowan

  2. Mobil Exploration and Producing Technical Center, PO Box 650232, Dallas, 75265-0232, Texas, USA

    K. E. Peters, G. E. Claypool & M. A. Rooney

  3. Conoco Inc., PO Box 2197, Houston, 77252-2197, Texas, USA

    G. E. Michael

  4. Research and Development Center, Petrobras, Cidade Univeritaria, Quadra 7-Ilha do Fundao, 21949-900, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

    M. R. Mello

  5. Shell International Exploration and Production, PO Box 60, 2280, AB Rijswijk, The Netherlands

    M. L. Kohnen

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  1. J. E. Dahl
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  8. M. L. Kohnen
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Correspondence to J. E. Dahl.

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Dahl, J., Moldowan, J., Peters, K. et al. Diamondoid hydrocarbons as indicators of natural oil cracking. Nature 399, 54–57 (1999). https://doi.org/10.1038/19953

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