The Journal of South American Earth Sciences features a special article on oil and natural gas sandstones
Photo: Bruno Todeschini
PUCRS’ Institute of Petroleum and Natural Resources (IPR) researcher, Anderson J. Maraschin has published an article in the Journal of South American Earth Sciences on the petrographic analysis of tar sandstones – rocks filled with hydrocarbon. These are quite unconventional reservoirs unlike those where the largest volumes of oil and natural gas are explored.
In Maraschin’s view, petrographic characterization is essential, as it will help qualify these rocks as reservoirs. They quantify the porosity of these minerals, where the fluids will be eventually stored.
“These are great reservoirs, they store a great deal of very heavy oil (asphaltic), but they are not exploited. Although there is no aggregate value, the petrographic study of these types of reservoirs will allow researchers to understand the quality of fluid storage in analogous reservoirs”, he says. The investigation began in 2016, in partnership with the Laboratory of Engineering and Oil Exploration of the Universidade Estadual do Norte Fluminense Darcy Ribeiro, in Macaé (RJ).
