Vitrinite is a maceral group that is derived from the remains of woody material from vascular plants and is composed of the thermally evolved products of lignin and cellulose. A maceral group is a set of organic matter types with similar properties and appearance. Vitrinite reflectance measures the percentage of incident light that is reflected from the surface of vitrinite as calibrated to a standard of known reflectance. This measurement is often regarded as the gold standard thermal maturity parameter and is used in oil and gas resource assessment and basin analysis studies. The Organic Petrology Laboratory (OPL) in Reston provides vitrinite reflectance measurements and qualitative organic petrography of shale, coal, and other unconventional reservoir samples as a routine service for various USGS Science Centers and external collaborators.
Objectives:
This project area has two main objectives. The first is to provide routine vitrinite reflectance measurements for Energy Resources Program-funded projects, the broader USGS community, and external partners. The second is to provide routine laboratory support functions for sample preparation for various analyses and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) research. These objectives allow for collaboration or case study investigations that reduce uncertainty in energy resource assessments, energy processes research, and environmental assessments.
Methodology:
Using equipment for preparation of mounted sample briquettes and several optical microscope systems (vitrinite reflectance, spectral fluorescence, transmitted polarized light microscopy) with imaging capability, laboratory staff provide quantitative vitrinite reflectance and qualitative organic petrographic data to internal and external customers using a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) per the requirements of the USGS Quality Management System (QMS). Measurement of vitrinite reflectance follows ASTM International method D7708 or D2798. In addition to vitrinite reflectance measurement, current laboratory processes also include sample preparation (mounting, grinding, polishing, wafering), transmitted light petrography, creation of sample maps through image stitching, spectral fluorescence measurement, and micro-FTIR analysis. Petrographers in the OPL pursue external accreditation in the specialized techniques of organic petrology investigation. The OPL has participated continuously since 2005 in a quarterly coal petrography interlaboratory exercise as a quality control check and operates under the requirements of the USGS QMS since 2017 to ensure that all data are of known and documented quality.
Listed below are other science projects or tasks associated with this task.
Petrographic Thermal Indices Research
Thermal Indices Innovation
Standardization of Petrographic Thermal Indices
Hydrous Pyrolysis and Kerogen Conversion
- Overview
Vitrinite is a maceral group that is derived from the remains of woody material from vascular plants and is composed of the thermally evolved products of lignin and cellulose. A maceral group is a set of organic matter types with similar properties and appearance. Vitrinite reflectance measures the percentage of incident light that is reflected from the surface of vitrinite as calibrated to a standard of known reflectance. This measurement is often regarded as the gold standard thermal maturity parameter and is used in oil and gas resource assessment and basin analysis studies. The Organic Petrology Laboratory (OPL) in Reston provides vitrinite reflectance measurements and qualitative organic petrography of shale, coal, and other unconventional reservoir samples as a routine service for various USGS Science Centers and external collaborators.
Objectives:
This project area has two main objectives. The first is to provide routine vitrinite reflectance measurements for Energy Resources Program-funded projects, the broader USGS community, and external partners. The second is to provide routine laboratory support functions for sample preparation for various analyses and micro-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) research. These objectives allow for collaboration or case study investigations that reduce uncertainty in energy resource assessments, energy processes research, and environmental assessments.
Methodology:
Using equipment for preparation of mounted sample briquettes and several optical microscope systems (vitrinite reflectance, spectral fluorescence, transmitted polarized light microscopy) with imaging capability, laboratory staff provide quantitative vitrinite reflectance and qualitative organic petrographic data to internal and external customers using a Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS) per the requirements of the USGS Quality Management System (QMS). Measurement of vitrinite reflectance follows ASTM International method D7708 or D2798. In addition to vitrinite reflectance measurement, current laboratory processes also include sample preparation (mounting, grinding, polishing, wafering), transmitted light petrography, creation of sample maps through image stitching, spectral fluorescence measurement, and micro-FTIR analysis. Petrographers in the OPL pursue external accreditation in the specialized techniques of organic petrology investigation. The OPL has participated continuously since 2005 in a quarterly coal petrography interlaboratory exercise as a quality control check and operates under the requirements of the USGS QMS since 2017 to ensure that all data are of known and documented quality.
- Science
Listed below are other science projects or tasks associated with this task.
Petrographic Thermal Indices Research
A petrographic thermal index is typically an organic matter indicator in sedimentary rocks that allows for estimations of burial temperature. Petrographic thermal indices include the commonly used proxy vitrinite reflectance as well as other approaches such as solid bitumen reflectance, fluorescence, micro-Raman, and micro-Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopies. Measurements from these...Thermal Indices Innovation
Thermal indices innovation focuses on the utilization of correlative microscopy and spectroscopy techniques for innovative approaches to advance the understanding of thermal indices development. These techniques include correlative light and electron microscopy (CLEM), confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM), and atomic force microscopy and infrared microscopy (AFM-IR), among others. Use of...Standardization of Petrographic Thermal Indices
Advent of the shale revolution since about 2005 caused increased demand for reliable petrographic measurements of thermal maturity in shale via vitrinite reflectance, which has long been considered the gold standard approach. The first standardized methodology for vitrinite reflectance measurement in shale became available in 2011. Subsequent interlaboratory studies demonstrated that significant...Hydrous Pyrolysis and Kerogen Conversion
Hydrous pyrolysis (HP) experimentation is a laboratory method used to thermally mature organic-rich sedimentary rocks. It simulates petroleum generation in the closest available analogue to that of a natural system. Artificial maturation of sedimentary organic matter (SOM) to petroleum allows for the examination of its molecular chemistry to address the issue of anomalous reflection measurement... - Data
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