WHY AUTOMATED MINERALOGY IS GAINING GROUND IN OIL AND GAS
THE NEED FOR AUTOMATION IN THE AGE OF UNCONVENTIONAL RESERVOIRS
Berea Sandstone, Michigan Basin, US
In the ongoing push to access increasingly remote and unconventional hydrocarbon reserves, understanding the geological complexity of subsurface formations has never been more important— or more challenging. As conventional plays decline and exploration targets shift to shale, tight oil and other difficult reservoirs, geoscientists are being asked to do more with less: produce reliable mineralogical data faster, at lower cost and with greater accuracy. Here, Salomé Larmier, PhD holder in oil and gas geology and electron microscopy specialist at Thermo Fisher Scientific, explains how automated mineralogy systems can enable more efficient resource extraction in the oil and gas industry.
Mineral analysis has long been a critical part of oil and gas exploration. Before drilling programs are designed or stimulation methods selected, understanding the mineral composition of subsurface rock is essential. The relative abundance of clays, carbonates, quartz and organic material influences key reservoir characteristics such as porosity, permeability and mechanical behaviour, all of which can determine how a formation will perform during production.
In both conventional and unconventional plays, accurate mineral characterisation reduces uncertainty and supports more effective decisionmaking across the exploration and production lifecycle. However, as exploration moves into increasingly complex geological environments, obtaining this level of insight has become much more demanding.
Evolving challenges in mineralogical analysis
Unconventional reservoirs introduce significant challenges for mineralogical analysis. Shale reservoirs, for example, are not only fine-grained and heterogeneous, but they often contain mineral
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