New routes to solutions of the WCSB oil charge conundrum: γ- ray Photons and Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry

*# * # Summary Riediger and others (Riediger et al., 2000), have documented the major possible source rocks charging the Alberta oil sands but quantitative estimates of the actual oil charge contributions, the migration routes and even the timing of oil charging remain elusive, despite the huge scientific and economic importance of resolving these issues. Similarly, while advances have been dramatic in understanding the quantitative aspects of the biodegradation process, further development is still needed because most conventional petroleum geochemical approaches are not reliable at the heavy and severe levels of biodegradation seen in the oil sands. In this paper we describe recent approaches which might shed light on these questions and quantitatively resolve the qualitative debates that have been raging for decades. We review the state of the art in oil charge analysis of heavy and severely degraded oils using new techniques such as FTMS and ICPMSMS, culminating in a roadmap for the development of the necessary new petroleum system technologies needed, including an approach to a practical oil reservoir-residence time dating tool.