Thermal analysis
Thermal analyses
Our kinetic models are based on a combination of pyrolysis methods. Pyrolysis, defined as "a chemical degradation reaction induced by thermal energy alone", lends itself well to two tasks in petroleum geochemistry:
Analytical Pyrolysis
Conducted using non-isothermal heating in a flowing stream of inert gas, pyrolysis gas chromatography is used to break down kerogen into volatile products and determine their composition for identifying gas-forming and liquid hydrocarbon-forming structures in source rocks.
Pyrolysis-FID at several heating rates is used to break down kerogen into volatile products, and the total product rate curves used to calculate Bulk Kinetics of petroleum generation.
Simulation Pyrolysis
MSSV pyrolysis, conducted at low temperatures and over longer heating times in a closed system, is used to gradually break down kerogen into volatile products and determine their composition. The process is considered to mimic natural petroleum formation. The method offers high precision at low cost.
Thermovaporisation gas chromatography, using the MSSV system with very short heating times, releases and analyses the free volatile products from rock matrices.