Detecting Marine Kerogen from Western Canada Basin Using Terahertz Spectroscopy

Area of Science:

• Geochemistry
• Materials Science
• Spectroscopy

Background:

• Marine kerogen is a crucial precursor for oil and gas resources.
• Understanding kerogen's thermal evolution is vital for resource exploration.
• Previous studies lack detailed analysis of kerogen properties at varying temperatures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the thermal properties of marine kerogen using terahertz time-domain spectroscopy.
• To establish and validate a model for oil and gas generation within kerogen.
• To analyze the molecular and vibrational characteristics of kerogen under thermal stress.

Main Methods:

• Terahertz time-domain spectroscopy (THz-TDS) for analyzing kerogen samples.
• Infrared (IR) spectroscopy and principal component analysis (PCA) for model verification.
• Quantum chemistry simulations for molecular modeling and vibrational analysis.

Main Results:

• Established an evolution model for oil and gas generation in marine kerogen based on terahertz absorption coefficients.
• Analyzed vibration characteristics of functional groups in the terahertz band.
• Explained the temperature-dependent absorption behavior of kerogen.

Conclusions:

• The study provides a reference for kerogen thermal evolution kinetics.
• The findings offer an effective complement to oil and gas resource potential evaluation.
• THz-TDS is a valuable tool for characterizing kerogen properties and predicting resource potential.