A Study on Hydrocarbon-Generating Potential and Kinetics of Source-Rock Pyrolysis

A study on the potential and kinetics of hydrocarbon (HC) generation of30 source-roch samples from a certain depression has been made by means of ROCKEVAL technique. In the qyrolysis experiment, the source maerial types, maturation andhydrocarbon-generating potential of source rocks from three Upper Jurassic horizons ofthat area have been evaluated in terms of such indicators as the type-index, hydrocarbongenerating potential and maximum pyrolysis temperature (Tmax). The results show thatthe pyrolysis HC yield of immature source rocks is much higher than that of mature rocksin case that the source material is of high quantity and organic matter is abundant, whichsuggests that it is important for evaluating the HC-generating potential to use immaturesamples for pyrolysis. In the pyrolytic simulation experiments on other two immaturesamples, it was found that the hydrocarbon yield is temperaure-dependent, and thereafterthe kinetical parameters for source rocks, such as reactional grade, appearant activationenergy and frequency facor were calculated.