Light hydrocarbon geochemistry of crude oils from Eastern Niger Delta

Abstract

Geochemical evaluation of oil samples from the eastern part of the Niger Delta divided into western, eastern, and central sections of the study area was carried out for the characterization of their light hydrocarbons content in order to correlate oils from different parts. The hydrocarbons in the oil samples were determined using gas chromatographic (GC) technique. The results obtained showed that CPI, Pr/Ph, Pr/nC₁₇, and Ph/nC₁₈ ratios ranged from 0.99–1.55, 2.19–4.79, 0.92–2.35, and 0.27–0.47, respectively. The Pr/nC₁₇ versus Ph/nC₁₈ plot showed that the oils were derived from terrestrial organic materials that were deposited under oxic to suboxic conditions. They are moderately matured with minimal effect of biodegradation on most of the oil samples although two of the oils showed relatively higher degradation. Both bivariate and multivariate plots of the light hydrocarbon ratios differentiated the western and central oils from the eastern oils. The classification of the oils into families was not based on origin but rather on post generative alterations that include reservoir conditions and possibly migration effects. The light hydrocarbon parameters identified can be used in the correlation tools.