Argentinas megadeposit of nonconventional hydrocarbons is attracting investor attention at home and abroad. The nationalisation of repsols shares in ypf in 2012, after the spanish firm had made big discoveries of shale gas at vaca muerta, was a shock. All of the wells were successful vaca muerta shale discoveries and all three wells have been completed and hydraulically stimulated in various intervals of the vaca muerta. Vaca muerta shale, neuquen embayment poster presentation for aapg ace 2023 may 2018. Changes in type ii kerogen density as a function of maturity. When it comes to fracking, argentina dreams big inter. This is the first vaca muerta shale gas pilot exploration. Argentinas vaca muerta shale output rises to 45,000. In argentina, the upper jurassic lower cretaceous vaca muerta formation is composed of organicrich mudstones and carbonates dominated by type ii kerogen, representing south americas main. So although the vaca muerta is where bakken development was a decade ago, fresh cash and technology is rapidly ramping up. Macri, meanwhile, said that vaca muerta is changing the countrys energy future, since it has abundant, cheap and exportable resources. The organicrich interval has a thickness of around 350 meters, with total organic carbon toc ranging between 2 to 8% and average total.
The results, which are expected during q32011, will provide fracing and testing options for tight sands and shale gas or oil reservoirs. Vaca muerta gases at agua del cajon adc 1016 well are associated with the homonymous source. Toc total organic carbon content from a total of 800 tcf of estimated resources, around 27% 220 tcf are assigned to vaca muerta formation figure 3. Jan 11, 2016 so although the vaca muerta is where bakken development was a decade ago, fresh cash and technology is rapidly ramping up. Everything you need to know about vaca muerta, one of the. Argentinas vaca muerta is a refuge in the shale storm aiche. Total to proceed with vaca muerta shale gas project to lessen argentine lng import needs thursday, 27 april 2017 argentina believes it is still on track to cease lng imports as substantial shale gas supplies from its estimated 308 trillion cubic feet of technically recoverable gas resources begin to flow from the vaca muerta dead cow shale. A source of fluid overpressure in subducting sediments. During the last 20 years, for conventional petroleum system perspectives, several studies have been focused on the geochemical characterization of the vaca muerta source rocks and their correlated oil samples at the basin scale e. Argentina shale gas vaca muerta, news, maps, operators. Each country has the potential to significantly increase production of shale gas and tight oil. Moreover, insights into the essential processes of the vaca muerta unconventional petroleum system including kerogen. Oil production in the argentine province of neuquen rose 6.
Argentinas ypf announces new shale gas discovery in vaca muerta. An independent study by ryder scott, an oil and gas consulting firm confirmed that the vaca muerta oil and shale gas formation has more than 21 billion barrels of oil equivalent boe. Americas petrogas announces huacalera shale pilot well. More galileo compressors for vaca muerta shale gas tetratech inc. Argentina clinches deal to attract investment in vaca. Addition of microbial methane, biodegradation of ethanepropane and. In july 20, ypf signed an exploration deal with chevron to develop tight shale oil and gas resources.
Vaca muerta agrio 27% 5% neocomiano 2% d 129 12% serie tobifera 1% palermo aike 20% figure 2. The formation covers a total area of 30,000 square kilometres 12,000 sq mi. Argentinas vaca muerta shale output rises to 45,000 bpd. Initially discovered by ypf in november 2011, the vaca muerta shale play is quickly gaining international attention as a robust unconventional target. Argentina clearly has a worldclass shale gas resource and its crown jewel is the vaca muerta play. Predicting recoverable liquidrich sweetspots with pvt phase kinetic modeling. Grain assemblages and diagenesis in the vaca muerta formation. Shale formations constitute 60% of the rocks that make up the earths crust being only a small group of them containers of hydrocarbons. Argentinas crude oil output from the vast but barelytapped vaca muerta shale formation increases to between 44,000 and 45,000 bpd. The impact of kerogen properties on shale gas production. Egypt brasil the potential of the onshore parana basin remains to be evaluated. Argentinas vaca muerta pipeline to improve shale gas. This paper by ieda gomes and roberto brandt provides.
Argentine statecontrolled energy company ypf said sunday that it turned up a new promising shale gas deposit in its giant vaca muerta field in the south of the country. Igneous petroleum systems in the malargue fold and. Dec 14, 2015 meanwhile, the other product of methane cracking, solid black carbon, is an increasingly important commodity in the manufacture of steel, carbon fibers and many carbonbased structural materials. Through millions of years, covered in layers of sediment, and subjected to very high pressures a transformation occurred resulting into a form of nonconventional crude oil embedded in layers of sediment. The vaca muerta shale formations holds enormous amounts of hydrocarbons that can be used to reverse argentinas production decline. Geochemical and petrophysical source rock characterization. The vaca muerta shale exploratory delineation has enabled ypf to define three additional core areas with short to medium term feasibility of development. The pore shape that creates the least stiff rock is a pennyshaped crack, a type of shape.
Schlumberger enters jv with ypf to begin shale oil pilot. The relative content of dry gas methane, wet gas ethane, propane, and. Shale gas in argentina deadcow bounce the economist. Argentinas ypf announces new shale gas discovery in vaca. Argentinas vaca muerta pipeline to improve shale gas transport by mauro nogarin, contributing editor in the three years since mauricio macri was elected president of the argentine republic, the federal government has stepped up efforts to meet unsatisfied gas demand of 40 mmcmd in winter and increasing yearround demand to fuel an expanding. Total to proceed with vaca muerta shalegas project to. Vaca muerta shale, neuquen embayment search and discovery. Popular accounts of shale oil and gas reservoirs are often riddled with errors. Organic petrography and pore structure characterization. Sep 19, 2014 the vaca muerta shale formations holds enormous amounts of hydrocarbons that can be used to reverse argentinas production decline.
Meanwhile, the other product of methane cracking, solid black carbon, is an increasingly important commodity in the manufacture of steel, carbon fibers and many carbonbased structural materials. Shale gas in argentina deadcow bounce the americas. Nov 10, 2015 ypf announces new vaca muerta shale gas find posted on june 12, 2015 ypf has found a new shale gas deposit at vaca muerta in the province of neuquen. Total is also increasing its interest in the east part of the aguada pichana concession where the results of pilot wells drilled to date have been excellent, added breuillac. Ypf announces new vaca muerta shale gas find posted on june 12, 2015 ypf has found a new shale gas deposit at vaca muerta in the province of neuquen. The vaca muerta shale is a continuous tight oil and shale gas reservoir of late jurassic and early cretaceous age. The gas slippage effect can be expressed in the following equation. Geochemical and petrophysical source rock characterization of the. Resources estimated between 700 mbbl and 2,2 bbbl in east bahariya. How such a resource might be developed and linked to global gas trade flows in terms, for example, of reducing argentinas lng import requirements is a complex multivector issue. Shale oil is a substitute for conventional crude oil. The first was having a portfolio of assets diversified in all fluid windows but with the focus in the gas window.
Argentina and china lead shale development outside north. The initial production of the vaca muerta shale formation, after the cleanup flow back, at depths between 2570 to 2929 metres 8432 to 9609 feet, increased from 1. Thirteen units have already been started, two more than initially planned. With pricing and labor costs now settled, investment figures are starting to arrive. Vaca muerta displays a lot of similarities to eagle ford, hence the frequent comparisons similar age, similar depth 23km, shale thickness 30100m, reservoir pressure 60008000psi. It is well known as the host rock for major deposits of shale oil and shale gas the large oil discovery in the vaca muerta formation was made in 2010 by the former repsolypf, which. Jan 19, 2015 oil production in the argentine province of neuquen rose 6. Application of channel fracturing in the vaca muerta shale. Total to proceed with vaca muerta shalegas project to lessen. Americas petrogas granted evaluation of vaca muerta blocks.
Researchers crack methane cracking chemical processing. When it comes to fracking, argentina dreams big inter press. Jun 07, 2015 argentine statecontrolled energy company ypf said sunday that it turned up a new promising shale gas deposit in its giant vaca muerta field in the south of the country. The vaca muerta shale play is located in the neuquen embayment in. Addition of microbial methane, biodegradation of ethanepropane and mixing of gases has. Argentina has clinched a deal with labor unions and energy companies aimed at luring investors to the vaca muerta formation in patagonia, one of the largest shale reserves in the world, the. Chevron, ypf continue development of vaca muerta shale in argentina san ramon, calif. Americas petrogas makes new vaca muerta shale exploration. This paper investigates the applicability of this novel technique in the vaca muerta shale and presents a case history evaluating the potential production benefits of this methodology. Carl surran shale oil output from argentinas vast but barely tapped vaca muerta formation has increased, but low world oil prices and high drilling costs threaten profitability, ypf ceo miguel galuccio says. Oil, gas output rises in argentinas vaca muerta shale field. Organic geochemical patterns of vaca muerta shale, neuquen.
The vaca muerta formation is currently regarded as the most prolific source. Starting with a calibrated geomechanical model, an index profile was created using the ratio between the youngs modulus and closure stress to determine if. Geochemical and petrophysical source rock characterization of. This was in january, when he announced the signing of an agreement with oil industry trade unions which allows a reduction of up to 40 per cent of labour costs, to attract investments. The shale is modeled as a triple porosity system comprising. Oil, gas output rises in argentinas vaca muerta shale.
The vaca muerta formation is encountered at burial depth ranging from 20004200 m, and it extends over various thermal maturity windows in the study area from early oil to wet gas maturity windows. Next big shale play, the vaca muerta formation in argentina. In argentina, many international companies hold leases and have drilled wells in shale formations. The researchers say storage of their carbon byproduct presents a simpler, safer and cheaper method of storing carbon dioxide gas, too. In order to enhance the knowledge of shale objectives from vaca muerta and. Much of the initial activity has targeted shale oil and natural gas in the neuquen basins vaca muerta shale formation, located in westcentral argentina. The vaca muerta late jurassicearly cretaceous age shale bears a. Cvx today confirmed that subsidiaries of the company have signed agreements with the argentine oil company ypf s. The primary cracking of kerogen and heavy bitumen forms gaseous and. C is a constant is the mean free path of gas, expressed in the following equation 2. The necessary conditions to ensure that these rocks have generated and stored oil or gas is that they have abundant organic matter deposited under anoxic conditions but in addition to this, to become a shale reservoirs they must meet a number of properties. Jan 11, 2017 argentina has clinched a deal with labor unions and energy companies aimed at luring investors to the vaca muerta formation in patagonia, one of the largest shale reserves in the world, the.
However, methane degrades quickly in the environment to co2 and water by. Chevron has signed a billion dollar deal with ypf to develop the. Argentina has high hopes for shale oil discovery the new. Argentina clinches deal to attract investment in vaca muerta. The 150 million barrels of recoverable shale oil found in the vaca muerta represents an increase of 8 percent in argentinas reserves, and the find was the biggest discovery of oil in the. It is a waxy organic substance that was formed from algae, plants, vegetation, and all forms of animal life. Oil shale is an organicrich finegrained sedimentary rock containing kerogen a solid mixture of organic chemical compounds from which liquid hydrocarbons can be produced, called shale oil not to be confused with tight oilcrude oil occurring naturally in shales. Located in midwest argentina, the play is located in the neuquen basin, which numerous operators believe could be one of the largest shale basins outside of the u. Addition of microbial methane, biodegradation of ethanepropane and mixing of. Villar and talukdar, 1994, rodriguez monreal et al. Methane adsorption and selfdiffusion in shale kerogen and slit.
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