Vitrinite reflectance is regarded as the gold standard thermal maturity parameter and vitrinite reflectance data is needed for energy resource assessment and other types of basin analysis studies. This effort provides vitrinite reflectance and qualitative organic petrography of shale, mudrock, coal and other unconventional reservoir samples as a routine in-house service, from the Organic Petrology Laboratory in Reston. This work primarily supports internal projects: National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment project, the Gulf Coast and Alaska framework projects, and the Geochemistry and Geomicrobiology of Energy Resources projects, and also collaborates with many external organizations, including State geological surveys, universities and industrial groups. In addition to vitrinite reflectance analyses, the Organic Petrology Laboratory also includes facility for sample preparation, spectral fluorescence and micro-FTIR analyses of organic matter in geological matrices.
Objective:
Provide routine vitrinite reflectance service to the USGS community and external partners. Provide laboratory support functions for sample preparation and micro-FTIR spectroscopy implementation.
Methodology:
Using a vitrinite reflectance microscope dedicated for service, laboratory staff provide quantitative vitrinite reflectance and qualitative organic petrographic data to internal and external customers using a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and per the requirements of the USGS Quality Management System. In addition to vitrinite reflectance measurement, current laboratory processes also include sample preparation (mounting, grinding, polishing, wafering), transmitted light petrography, fluorescence spectroscopy, and micro-FTIR spectroscopy.
Below are other science projects associated with this project task.
Photomicrograph Atlas
Thermal Indices Innovation
Standardization of Petrographic Measurements
Hydrous Pyrolysis and Kerogen Conversion
- Overview
Vitrinite reflectance is regarded as the gold standard thermal maturity parameter and vitrinite reflectance data is needed for energy resource assessment and other types of basin analysis studies. This effort provides vitrinite reflectance and qualitative organic petrography of shale, mudrock, coal and other unconventional reservoir samples as a routine in-house service, from the Organic Petrology Laboratory in Reston. This work primarily supports internal projects: National and Global Oil and Gas Assessment project, the Gulf Coast and Alaska framework projects, and the Geochemistry and Geomicrobiology of Energy Resources projects, and also collaborates with many external organizations, including State geological surveys, universities and industrial groups. In addition to vitrinite reflectance analyses, the Organic Petrology Laboratory also includes facility for sample preparation, spectral fluorescence and micro-FTIR analyses of organic matter in geological matrices.
Objective:
Provide routine vitrinite reflectance service to the USGS community and external partners. Provide laboratory support functions for sample preparation and micro-FTIR spectroscopy implementation.
Methodology:
Using a vitrinite reflectance microscope dedicated for service, laboratory staff provide quantitative vitrinite reflectance and qualitative organic petrographic data to internal and external customers using a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) and per the requirements of the USGS Quality Management System. In addition to vitrinite reflectance measurement, current laboratory processes also include sample preparation (mounting, grinding, polishing, wafering), transmitted light petrography, fluorescence spectroscopy, and micro-FTIR spectroscopy.
- Science
Below are other science projects associated with this project task.
Photomicrograph Atlas
The Photomicrograph Atlas provides a basic tutorial in the nomenclature of organic materials as they occur in sedimentary rocks such as coal and shale, information on the taxonomies used by various groups and organizations, and a database of images related to the characterization of fossil fuel resources in the United States and the world.Thermal Indices Innovation
Thermal indices innovation utilizes correlative microscopy techniques for innovative approaches to thermal indices development, including confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), AFM-IR (combined atomic force and infrared microscopy), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and SEM of Argon ion-milled sample surfaces combined with traditional organic petrography. The innovation task also is testing...Standardization of Petrographic Measurements
Advent of the ‘shale revolution’ since about 2005 has caused increased demand for reliable petrographic measurements of thermal maturity in shale via vitrinite reflectance, long considered the ‘gold standard’ approach. A standardized methodology for organic reflectance measurement in shale first became available in 2011 (ASTM D7708), based on prior work by task members. However, interlaboratory...Hydrous Pyrolysis and Kerogen Conversion
This work is directed at understanding the kinetics of vitrinite and solid bitumen maturation through hydrous pyrolysis experiments, potentially enabling a direct methodology to detect ‘vitrinite reflectance suppression,’ a commonly reported problem in the early- to mid-oil window. This task also examines the molecular chemistry of kerogen conversion to petroleum via in situ chemical probing by... - Data
- Publications