Petroleum

The research scientists in the Natural History Museum's Earth Science departments have a long history of providing up-to-date palaeontological and mineralogical information to oil companies, consultants, service providers and national geological surveys. Our consulting activities encompass:

• biostratigraphic correlation (including graphic)

• identification of fossils and minerals

• chemostratigraphy; diagenesis of reservoir rocks

• quality control and training

Our expertise is built upon:

• Our identifications using our outstanding international collections (the former British Petroleum Exploration and Iraq Petroleum Company micropalaeontological collections, for example) that form one of the world's major data banks of palaeontological and mineralogical material.

• Modern analytical facilities such as equipment for microprobe analysis, clay mineralogy, X-ray diffraction, SEM and TEM imaging in conjunction with digital imaging.

• Studies of foraminifera, ostracods, calcareous nannoplankton, diatoms, palynomorphs, conodonts, dinoflagellates and acritarchs from SWC or cuttings. Macropalaeontological studies include all fossil groups.

• Identification of microfaunas from both boreholes and outcrop integrated with interpretations of macro faunal environments deduced from outcrop.

• Experience from the Lower Palaeozoic to the Recent and from most areas of the world.

We can offer assistance in:

• accurate indentification of fossils.

• identifications and palaeoenvironmental data.

• biostratigraphic borehole correlation.

• biostratigraphic surface surveys.

• production of high-quality, high resolution colour digital images of microfossils. This facility can be used to produce mauals (hard copy, diskette or CD-ROM) on fossil taxa to include, for example, range charts and palaeoenvironmental interpretations.

• identification of rock-forming minerals. We can identify individual phases using normal microscopy, SEM and microprobe in conjunction with modern XRD facilities. We can quantitatively determine the mineralogy of rocks using a newly developed XRD technique that can be applied to basin and reservoir rock diagenetic studies.

• fluid inclusion analysis and interpretation including preliminary modelling studies of both aqueous and hydrocarbon fluids determined in the fluid inclusions. This work is of direct relevance to basin and reservoir studies.

• bespoke training to oil company staff in identification of microfossils, borehole graphic correlation, statistical correlation and computerised graphical methods, analyses of integrated biostratigraphic samples, interpretation of biostratigraphical reports and overview and implications of biostratigraphic analyses.

Find out more about our recent Petroleum consulting projects.