Modeling of hydrocarbon potential and thermal maturity of Gongila shale, Chad Basin, Northeastern Nigeria

Abstract

The Bornu Basin, which represents a part of the Chad Basin in Nigeria, makes one-tenth of the total area of the Chad Basin that extends to the Republic of Niger, Chad and Cameroun. This basin is a sediment-filled broad depression straddling northeastern Nigeria and adjoining parts of the Republic of Chad. The cumulative thickness of the sedimentary rocks exceeds 3,600 metres. The Nigerian share of the Chad Basin is supposed to be a potential hydrocarbon-producing basin. This is because commercial petroleum accumulations totalling over 120 billion barrels have been discovered in some parts of the basin outside Nigeria (largely in the Republic of Chad) in structurally related contiguous basins. The Gongila Formation (in the Chad Basin) is a transitional sequence between the underlying continental Bima sandstone and the overlying marine Fika shale. Determining whether the shale beds present in the Gongila Formation are matured enough to generate hydrocarbons, nine wells were used and the petrophysical parameters such as total organic carbon (TOC) and total organic matter (TOM) were calculated for each of the wells. The heat flow history of the basin was calculated by establishing the relationship between the modeled thermal maturity curve and the equivalent observed maturity parameter (vitrinite reflectance). Thereafter this calculated heat flow is used to predict thermal maturity of source rocks and the timing of hydrocarbon generation. The result obtained reveals that TOC and TOM of shale sequences in each well range from 3.58 to 27.48 wt% and from 1.15 to 8.79 wt%, respectively. Thus, TOC of the Gongila Formation exceeds the kerogen threshold of 0.5 wt% for the generation of hydrocarbons while TOM exceeds the kerogen threshold of 1 wt%. The heat flow was computed from the heat generation and was estimated to range between 33 and 75 mW/m2. The modeled vitrinite reflectance ranges between 0.56 and 0.76%Ro. It is concluded that the Gongila shale is a potential petroleum source rock. The temperature history is the factor controlling the maturation of organic compounds into fossil fuels. The Gongila Formation's thermal maturity, assessed on the basis of vitrinite reflectance, indicates that the shale sequences in this formation are within the early oil window and thermally matured for hydrocarbon generation. © 2012 Estonian Academy Publishers.