The Organic Geochemistry Laboratory at GSC Calgary provides analyses of crude oils, potential source rocks and other sediments in support of various GSC programs. In addition, this laboratory carries out research into the kinetics of organic alteration in geological systems.

The laboratory is the GSC's national laboratory for this discipline and is the only one devoted to these types of analyses in Canada. It provides services to universities (through joint support of research students) and industry (usually with Joint Research or Cost Recovery projects), as well as to researchers throughout the Survey.

Services

Our Organic Geochemistry Laboratory is equipped to perform organic geochemical analyses of oils, coals and sediments. Data from these analyses can be used for assessing:

• organic carbon content
• petroleum generation potential
• depositional environment
• maturity
• degree of biodegradation
• oil-oil and oil-source correlations
• direction and relative distance of migration of hydrocarbons
• the simulation (using pyrolysis techniques) and kinetics of oil and gas generation from sediments and coal
• type and origin of hydrocarbon contamination in sediments

The laboratory provides organic geochemical analyses on a cost per sample basis.

Contact: Martin Fowler

Equipment

• Soxhlet extractors
• Glassware for fractionation and other preparative work
• Rotary evaporators
• Distillation apparatus
• 2 Rock-Eval/TOC instruments
• 4 gas chromatographs
• HP5890 with purge and trap for gasoline-range hydrocarbon analysis
• Varian 3800 equipped with FID and PFPD for C₁₅₊hydrocarbon and S-compound analysis
• HP5890 Series II with Curie Point Pyrolysis unit and FID and FPD detectors attached for pyrolysis-gas chromatography analysis
• Varian 3400 HTGC for high-temperature gas chromatography and N-compound analysis
• VG70SQ hybrid gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer-mass spectrometer
• Fisons MD800 "bench-top" gas chromatograph-mass spectrometer
• High-pressure apparatus for hydrous pyrolysis (hydrocarbon generation simulation) experiments
• Thermogravimetric analysis-Fourier transform infrared instrument
• High-performance liquid chromatograph for organic analyses
• Leco carbon analyzer
• CHN analyzer
• S analyzer

Types of analyses and throughput

• Detailed analyses of oils and source rocks for "fingerprinting" in order to make oil-oil and oil-source rock correlations, and for paleoenvironmental, thermal maturity and migration distance assessment.
• Analysis of oil spills and hydrocarbon contaminants for "fingerprinting" in order to determine source and extent of remediation.

Number of samples processed per year

• Rock-Eval/TOC analyses ~19,000
• "Fingerprinting type" ~360
• other forms of special analyses (e.g. pyrolysis-gas chromatography or hydrous pyrolysis) as required

Clients

• GSC researchers in Calgary and throughout the organization
• Industry - usually through Joint Research or Cost Recovery projects; current major projects include Devonian Petroleum Systems Project (13 industrial partners), Chinese National Petroleum Corporation (Joint Research Project), consortium of companies with interest in Jeanne d'Arc Basin for research in origin of heavy oil in this basin (with GSC Atlantic) and many cost recovery analyses for companies who have made recent deep discoveries in Saskatchewan.