Application of infrared spectroscopy for rapid petroleum source rock evaluation

Abstract This paper demonstrates the utility of infrared (IR) spectroscopy for rapid routine analysis of rock extracts for the purpose of evaluating the composition of petroleum generated in any given sedimentary sequence penetrated during exploratory drilling. Specifically, ratios of the areas of the IR absorption bands (obtained by planimetry) have been used to estimate both the quality and thermal maturity of the organic matter in the corresponding rock samples. Based on the cross-plots of some of the ratios of the areas of the IR absorption bands, evolution pathways which group the organic matter into source related groups have been proposed.