Petroleum Systems Modelling: A Case Study from Dutch Central Graben (Offshore Netherlands)

Exploration has seen a considerable improvement in recent years when it comes to understanding basin and reservoir geology. From regional scale to the reservoir level, integration of various geoscientific disciplines during exploration increases the understanding of critical parameters reducing risk significantly. By integrating geological, geophysical, petrophysical, and reservoir data one can model the evolution of basin and petroleum systems with time. To improve the understanding of petroleum system elements, 3D petroleum systems modeling of the Dutch Central Graben was performed. This helped in understanding of how a reservoir has been charged with hydrocarbons; including the source and timing of hydrocarbon generation, migration routes, quantities, and hydrocarbon type in the subsurface. Hydrocarbon accumulations were observed in the Lower Graben Sandstones and the Greensand Reservoir units, within different structural traps. Predicted modeling results agree with some of the discovered fields in F3 block, of which the F3-FB field proved to be economically viable and has been producing commercial quantities of hydrocarbons since last 3 decades.