Petroleum System Hydrocarbon Traps: Prof. Dr. Nabeel Al-Azzawi Oct.2020

Petroleum System
Hydrocarbon Traps
Prof. Dr. Nabeel Al-Azzawi

Oct.2020
Essential Text book Accessory References
The petroleum system
Components
• The hydrocarbon reservoir can’t be occur without the
petroleum system components.
• So what is petroleum system?
Petroleum system
A/ Elements B/ Process
1- Generation
1- Source rocks
2- Reservoir rocks 2- Migration
3- Cap rocks 3- Accumulation
4- Carrier rocks 4- Trapping
5- Overburden rocks 5- Extracting
Source Rocks
• Buried of Microscopic plants and animals is the accepted theory for
the creation of hydrocarbons. The debris of these plants and animals
were deposited in water environment within shale or carbonate
deposits. After deposition, lithification, the overburden weight of the
sediments and temperature due to depth, convert this debris with
geologic time and chemical action to hydrocarbons.
Source Rocks
Hydrocarbon temperature window
• Temperature is very important

in generate hydrocarbons.
• Less than 104F (40C) there is no
hydrocarbons,
• and acceding 662F (350C) all things
are destroyed.
• From 104- 300 F oil production, and
between 300- 662F gas will
generated.
Reservoir Rocks
• The term Reservoir means storage. It is French word meaning “Tank”.

• Reservoir is the place that hydrocarbons be store. Normally, the
substance fluid which generated in the source rocks migrated upward
due to density difference and stay in the reservoir rocks. Accordingly,
these rocks must be porous and permeable to be able to store the
hydrocarbons.
• The hydrocarbons (lighter) must displaced the salt water (heavier)
down of it in the reservoir, moreover the gas( more lighter) will
differentiated from hydrocarbon to be over the oil.
Reservoir Rocks
• Porosity and Permeability are very important characters for

developing the reservoir. ……..
• Primary and secondary porosity
• Absolute permeability, Effective permeability and relative
permeability.
• Fluid saturations ……
•
Seal or Cap Rocks
• It is necessary to cap the system by seal impermeable rocks

to trap the hydrocarbons inside the system.
Hydrocarbon seepage
• Without cap rocks the system cant sealed and the hydrocarbon seeps
to the surface. The gases will go air and may make contamination to
the environment. Light hydrocarbons will evaporate to ear also. Lastly
the heavy hydrocarbon seeps on the surface as bituminous materials
Hydrocarbon Reservoir
• Three sedimentary rock types most frequently encountered in oil
fields are shale, sandstones, and carbonates.
• Shale and biogenic carbonate rocks play as source and also as cap
rocks because they are impermeable.
• Sandstone and fractured Carbonate rocks play as reservoir due to

their high permeability.
Petroleum system
B/ Process
First Play Second Play
1- Generation
2- Migration
3- Accumulation
4- Trapping
5- Extracting
Types of Hydrocarbon Traps
1- The Anticlinal trap:
• In this trap the convex shape of the anticline perform an excellent

geometry to trap the upward migrated hydrocarbon. This structure
become active trap when reservoir rocks (like sandstone) overlaying
by cap rock (Like shale) and folded to be an anticline.
Most hydrocarbon traps in Kurdistan

are from this type
Fault Trap
Salt Dome Trap
During the formation of salt Dome. Huge pulse of salt go up and
destroy the upper beds. If any of these bed are potential reservoir rock
so the salt make a good sealing and perform a good trap for
hydrocarbons.
Unconformity Trap
• Considering a sequence of layers deposited in marine environment.
During millions of years they lithified and compacted and by tectonic
event the exposed to the surface. Erosion took place and eroded the
higher parts. Again after million years they subsidized to marine state
and a sequence of layers deposited making unconformity. The
unconformity surface perform a good seal for potential reservoir bed
in older sequence.
Facies Change Trap
• Facies Change Trap is occur when the lithologic facies changed

laterally in a layer then after tilting this layer become potential
reservoir.
Stratigraphic Traps
• These traps result from changes in facies arising from local environment
changes. In these traps, rock becomes impermeable laterally. Such as
Pinchout, Lenses, Flank Debrise and Truncated types
• Stratigraphic Traps may occur in the Paleozoic siliciclastics succession.
• And in Mesozoic rudist-bearing carbonate.
• My be found in southern Iraq.
Combination traps
• Combination traps: is a combination of structural and stratigraphic
traps.
• Two or more of trap types
associated together in one
oil field
• Example:
• Structural trap
with stratigraphic trap
Sedimentary basins
• Depositions in sedimentary basin produce FORMATIONS
• Different formations caused by different ENVIRONMENTS
• Different environments caused by TECTONIC ACTIVITIES
• Therefore, study of the tectonic of our are is very useful

TECTONICS Environment Formations Petroleum
systems
Geographically 7 continents >>>>>>>>>>>>><<<<<<<<<<< Geologically 14 Plates

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Petroleum System

Prof. Dr. Nabeel Al-Azzawi

• Temperature is very important

• The term Reservoir means storage. It is French word meaning “Tank”.

• Porosity and Permeability are very important characters for

• It is necessary to cap the system by seal impermeable rocks

• Sandstone and fractured Carbonate rocks play as reservoir due to

• In this trap the convex shape of the anticline perform an excellent

Most hydrocarbon traps in Kurdistan

• Facies Change Trap is occur when the lithologic facies changed

• Depositions in sedimentary basin produce FORMATIONS

• Different formations caused by different ENVIRONMENTS

• Different environments caused by TECTONIC ACTIVITIES

• Therefore, study of the tectonic of our are is very useful

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