Organic geochemical techniques

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Analytical instruments for organic geochemistry used in JOGMEC

Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security (JOGMEC) has organic geochemical laboratories equipped with various analytical instruments; the organization is working toward solving technical problems experienced by oil companies and oil-producing countries, by developing novel analytical methods and techniques

What is organic geochemistry?

Oil and natural gas contain mixtures of different hydrocarbons; organic geochemical analysis is useful for understanding the formation processes of oil and gas fields and exploring these fields based on the geologic data and organic chemistry of the reservoirs

Biomarkers: Chemical fossils

A biomarker is a fossil of an organic compound, such as lipids, originally produced by an organism. Biomarker analysis is an analytical technique used to identify the unique organic signatures contained within crude oil and sedimentary rocks; it is a powerful tool to determine the source, age, thermal maturity, depositional environment, and degree of biodegradation of organic matter, and characterize the oil-oil and oil-source rock correlations.

Determining the origin of oil using biomarkers

Southeast Asian petroleum contains large amounts of a biomarker called oleanane, a natural triterpenoid that is commonly found in woody angiosperms. The presence of oleanane suggests that the source rocks were deposited in a near-terrestrial environment. In addition, as angiosperms appeared in the Cretaceous about 100 million years ago, the source rocks were confirmed to be deposited in the Cretaceous or subsequent periods.

Figure: Main equipment for organic geochemical analysis owned by JOGMEC

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Japan Organization for Metals and Energy Security
(JCN 4010405009573)

Toranomon Twin Building 2-10-1 Toranomon, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0001, JAPAN
Tel : +81-3-6758-8000