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The AAPG/Datapages Combined Publications Database
AAPG Special Volumes
Abstract
Hydrocarbon
habitats, basin formation, and plate tectonics
2003. The American Association of Petroleum Geologists. All rights reserved.
Biogenic Gas Potential Offshore Guajira Peninsula, Colombia
Barry Katz,1 Kenneth Williams2
1ChevronTexaco, Energy Technology Company, Bellaire, Texas, U.S.A.
2Knowledge Systems, Inc., Stafford, Texas, U.S.A.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
The authors would like to thank ChevronTexaco and Ecopetrol for permission to publish this work. This paper was originally presented at the Fourth Joint Asociacin Mexicana de Ge
logos Petroleros/AAPG International Conference on Exploration and Development of Gas Plays, held in Veracruz, Mexico, November 4–7, 2001. C. R. Robison, K. K. Bissada, and an anonymous reviewer provided helpful comments on an earlier draft of this manuscript.
ABSTRACT
Within the Guajira region of Colombia, several trillion cubic feet (TCF) of gas have been discovered, with the potential for additional reserves. Most of the discovered gas is present in two producing fields, Chuchupa and Ballena. Geologic considerations, including the nature of the stratigraphic column and low regional geothermal gradients, suggest that these gas accumulations are biogenic in origin. The geochemical character of the gas, which is both dry and isotopically light, further supports such an origin. A regional assessment suggests that future exploration also will be directed largely toward biogenic gas accumulations.
Unlike many assessments of hydrocarbon
exploration potential that focus on trap capacity, this study examines the availability and character of
hydrocarbon
charge. The volume of hydrocarbons was estimated using a geochemical model in which the amount of bacterially produced gas is a function of organic enrichment and temperature history. The volume of gas available was constrained further by comparing the timing of gas generation to that of trap development. The overall
expulsion
,
migration
, and trapping efficiency of the
hydrocarbon
system was established through a statistical assessment of known gas accumulations in the Guajira region and ranged up to
3.2%. The estimated efficiency of the Guajira region
hydrocarbon
system is considered a minimum because of trap-capacity limitations. Using the trap-volume constrained system efficiency factor, the gas available to individual leads ranges up to
4 TCF. Additional upside potential may exist, given the uncertainties of the estimates. The presence of multi-TCF charge estimates clearly indicates the potential for additional commercial gas accumulations in the area.
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