Geochemical investigation and basin modelling of the Al renk shale formation in the Melut Basin, south Sudan: implications for estimation of thermogenic gas generation potential

Abstract

This study uses organic geochemical and basin modelling results to examine the potential for thermogenic gas generation from oil-to-gas conversion of the organic-rich Lower Cretaceous Al Renk shales in the Melut Basin, South Sudan. The overall geochemical results show that the Al Renk shales are considered good gas-source rocks with total organic carbon (TOC) content >1 wt % and a low hydrogen index (i.e., HI < 150 mg HC/g TOC; mainly Type III kerogen). This finding contrasts with the source of organic matter and biomarkers related to the depositional environment. Based on biomarker indicators, the Al Renk shales contains a mixture of aquatic organic matter with some terrigenous land plants and was deposited under suboxic to relatively oxic settings in a lacustrine environment. The presence of mixed aquatic and terrigenous organic matter in lacustrine shale sediments suggests a mix of Types II and III kerogen as the original organic matter input during deposition. The geochemical and optical maturity indicators represent late-mature oil to gas generation windows, implying that the Al Renk shale has substantial thermogenic gas generation potential. Therefore, high thermal maturation is a crucial factor in drastically altering the original organic matter (OM) and decreasing HI values (conversion of kerogen to hydrocarbons). The kerogen to oil conversion and the subsequent cracking of the retained oil into thermogenic gas have been simulated by the burial/thermal/generation models in the Agordeed-1 well. These models show that nearly 10–50% of kerogen was transformed into oil during the Late Cretaceous (78–68 Ma), correlating with the early to peak mature of oil generation window (0.62–0.85 %Ro). Moreover, oil was expelled from the Al Renk source rock system during the Late Cretaceous to Late Eocene. From the Late Eocene until the present, significant amounts of residual oil were cracked into gas due to the maturation of the gas generation window (>1.30 Easy % Ro), which is ideal for wet gas generation. Consequently, the findings of this study advocate for conventional gas exploration in the Melut Basin's deeper stratigraphic succession, where the Al Renk Shale Formation has reached a high maturity level of the gas generation window.