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Assessing the Shale Gas Potential of the Northwest Carboniferous Basin of Ireland’’ September 2012

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Assessing the Shale Gas Potential of the Northwest Carboniferous Basin of Ireland’’ September 2012 ASSESSING THE SHALE GAS POTENTIAL OF THE NORTHWEST CARBONIFEROUS BASIN OF IRELAND A Thesis submitted to the University of Manchester for the degree ‘MSc By Research Basin Studies and Petroleum Geoscience’ in the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences 2012 SAMI MOHAMED KHATTAB School of Earth, Atmospheric & Environmental Sciences In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful... 2 UNIVERSITY OF MANCHESTER Sami Mohamed Khattab MSc By Research Basin Studies and Petroleum Geoscience ‘‘Assessing the Shale Gas Potential of the Northwest Carboniferous Basin of Ireland’’ September 2012 ABSTRACT The success of shale gas in the US has ignited companies to explore the unproven shale gas potential European basins hold. Past exploration in the Northwest Carboniferous Basin of Ireland confirms the presence of gas shows concentrated in thick source rocks with high thermal maturities, but its shale gas potential is yet to be understood. This research has assessed the shale gas potential of the Bundoran, Benbulben, Carraun and Dergvone Shales aiming to understand the variability in source rock potential, generation and adsorption history, and mudstone lithofacies. To achieve this a comprehensive integrated study of outcrop and subsurface exploration data has been undertaken. Outcrop data comprises sedimentary logging, sample collection and a spectral gamma ray survey, as well as thin section and TOC analysis. Subsurface exploration data comprises geochemical data and well logs. Shale gas potential is encouraging in the Bundoran Shale in which it is the primary target, while the Benbulben Shale is a secondary target where deep enough. The Carraun and Dergvone Shales are high risk as occur at maximum depths of <300m. The highest shale gas potential occurs in the Lackagh Hills and Thur Mountain region in the Ballymote Syncline where the thickest, deepest, and sufficiently mature formations are encountered. A good data set in the north of the basin suggests this region is high risk due to shallow depths, while the central and southern areas are medium risk where greater depths are encountered. The key risks in the Bundoran Shale are depth, TOC% and the uncertainty of microfacies variation in the middle section. There is a lack of data coverage in the Lackagh Hills and Thur Mountain area as the exploration wells have been drilled on the basin highs, causing a major uncertainty with respect to source rock potential and mudstone lithofacies variability. The author recommends drilling a stratigraphic well in the center of the basin (Lackagh Hills and Thur Mountain area) to fully assess the variation in TOC% and microfacies variation by analysing wireline logs, core and XRD data. 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION, AIMS & DATA SET ..................................................................... 17 1.1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................... 17 1.2 Aims ........................................................................................................................................... 18 1.3 Data Set ..................................................................................................................................... 18 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ............................................................................................... 19 2.1 Literature & Stratigraphy ................................................................................................. 19 2.2 Shale Gas Overview ............................................................................................................. 21 2.2.1 Shale Gas & Mudstones ......................................................................................... 21 2.2.2 Classification of Shale Gas System .................................................................... 22 2.2.3 Fundamental Shale Gas Requirements .......................................................... 23 2.2.4 Production Processes ............................................................................................. 23 2.3 Exploration History ............................................................................................................. 24 2.3.1 First Phase: 1962-66 .............................................................................................. 24 2.3.2 Second Phase: 1980-87 ......................................................................................... 24 2.3.3 Third Phase: 1996-2001 ....................................................................................... 24 2.3.4 Current Exploration ................................................................................................ 24 2.4 Regional Tectonic Setting ................................................................................................. 25 2.4.1 The Caledonian Orogeny ...................................................................................... 26 2.4.2 The Variscan Orogeny ........................................................................................... 26 4 2.4.3 Burial History of Ireland ....................................................................................... 27 2.4.4 Maturation of Ireland ............................................................................................. 28 2.5 Basin Evolution ..................................................................................................................... 29 2.5.1 Structural Framework ........................................................................................... 29 2.5.2 Courceyan ................................................................................................................... 30 2.5.3 Chadian – Arundian ................................................................................................ 30 2.5.4 Arundian – Holkerian ............................................................................................. 31 2.5.5 Holkerian – Asbian .................................................................................................. 31 2.5.6 Asbian – Brigantian ................................................................................................. 32 2.5.7 Brigantian – Arnsbergian ..................................................................................... 32 2.5.8 Maturation of NW Carboniferous Basin ......................................................... 33 2.6 Facies Descriptions of Shale Gas Formations .......................................................... 33 2.6.1 Bundoran Shale (Lower Lisgorman) ............................................................... 33 2.6.2 Benbulben Shale (Upper Lisgorman) .............................................................. 34 2.6.3 Carraun Shale ............................................................................................................ 35 2.6.4 Dergvone Shale ......................................................................................................... 36 3. METHODOLOGY .......................................................................................................... 37 3.1 Subsurface Data .................................................................................................................... 37 3.1.1 Structure of Shale Gas Formations ................................................................... 37 3.1.2 Geochemical Evaluation ........................................................................................ 37 3.1.3 Contour Maps ............................................................................................................ 38 3.1.4 Wireline Logs ............................................................................................................. 38 3.2 Field Work ............................................................................................................................... 38 3.2.1 Sedimentary Logging and Sample Collection .............................................. 38 3.2.2 Spectral Gamma Ray Survey ............................................................................... 39 5 3.3 Laboratory Work .................................................................................................................. 39 3.3.1 Thin Section Analysis ............................................................................................. 39 3.3.2 Total Organic Carbon Analysis ........................................................................... 39 3.4 Basin Modelling .................................................................................................................... 42 4. RESULTS ....................................................................................................................... 43 4.1 Subsurface Data .................................................................................................................... 43 4.1.1 Structure of Shale Gas Formations ................................................................... 43 4.1.2 Geochemical Evaluation ........................................................................................ 46 4.1.3 Wireline Log Analysis: Sweet Spots ................................................................. 52 4.2 Field & Laboratory Work .................................................................................................. 53 4.2.1 Bundoran Shale .......................................................................................................
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