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Papers by Brian Hitchon

Ecology and the Environment, Sep 20, 2017

In an attempt to mitigate climate warming, CO2 is being stored in geological media, including dee... more In an attempt to mitigate climate warming, CO2 is being stored in geological media, including deep strata in sedimentary basins where formation waters commonly have high salinity. While there are numerous studies of reactions between injected CO2 and formation waters, little attention has been given to problems which might arise in areas affected by the pressure build-up generated by CO2 injection, which may extend for tens to hundreds of kilometres from the injection site. This paper draws on information from the Alberta Basin (Canada), and considers possible contamination consequences should formation water leak into shallow protected groundwater, with particular reference to As and Se. Arsenic and selenium were determined in 300 formation waters from strata 800 m or deeper: i.e., at depths and locations potentially suitable for CO2 storage. Although in about 72% of samples both elements were below detection (0.1 mg L-1), the maximum values for as (86 mg L-1) and Se (44 mg L-1) are far above those reported in other sedimentary basins. Most samples were from drill stem tests, so contamination by As-bearing chemicals was unlikely. The most likely source for both elements is pyrite present in the aquifer, with chloride being the main removal control. More than 20,000 oil and gas wells in Alberta have lost their integrity, resulting in gas migration and surface casing vent-flow, which, if within the area of pressure build-up, could be conduits for contaminating local groundwater. Dilution up to several thousand times would be required to render these waters safe in the groundwater regime-possible, though with a low probability. These results suggest the need for more attention to the effect of pressure build-up and formation water composition in CO2 storage projects.

Problems of Petroleum Migration, 1980

Water, through its unique and extreme properties, is the fundamental fluid genetically relating a... more Water, through its unique and extreme properties, is the fundamental fluid genetically relating all mineral deposits in sedimentary rocks. Economically important mineral deposits in sedimentary rocks which are the result of natural water-rock interaction include petroleum and Mississippi-type lead-zinc deposits. Understanding of the origin of these deposits through water-rock interaction requires knowledge of the relations between hydrochemistry and hydrodynamics. The recovery of some of these mineral deposits involves man-imposed water-rock interactions, for example, during water flooding of petroleum reservoirs, in-situ steam injection into oil sand deposits and underground coal gasification. These man-imposed water-rock interactions may result in subsurface reactions w ich can reduce permeability, produce toxic or deleterious substances which require removal before reuse of the produced water, contaminate local potable groundwater, or cause problems in waste injection wells because of subsequent water-rock reactions. Although we understand some of the principles involved, it is clear that considerably more thought and additional research effort needs to be directed to these and other economic aspects of water-rock interaction.

Advances in Chemistry, 1971

Bulletin of Canadian Petroleum Geology, 1964

ABSTRACT Lithological determinations were made on the same electric log by a group of 12 electric... more ABSTRACT Lithological determinations were made on the same electric log by a group of 12 electric-log specialists, another group of 39 geologists, and a student assistant. The geologists and student assistant used a standardized mechanical procedure. Thirty-three attributes were calculated from each set of data. The results indicate that no greater differences in interpretation are to be expected if standardized mechanical procedures such as that used in this test are practiced instead of conventional inflection-point methods. Minimization of interpretive differences is probably best attained by having the data collected by one operator using a standardized procedure. Variations from one company to another are indicated. Studies of the ranked coefficients of variance show centre of gravity and standard-deviation attributes to be subject to less variance than simpler attributes such as sand/shale ratio. Skewness and kurtosis data occupy an intermediate position.

Geoscience Canada, Jun 6, 1988

Natural Gases in Marine Sediments, 1974

Clathrates are a special variety of inclusion compound in which the guest molecules fit into sepa... more Clathrates are a special variety of inclusion compound in which the guest molecules fit into separate spherical or nearly spherical chambers within the host molecule, and when the host molecule is water and the guest molecules are largely gases or liquids with low boiling points found in natural gas, the clathrates are termed natural gas hydrates. They are solid compounds, resembling ice or wet snow in appearance, and form both below and above the freezing point of water under specific PT conditions. The water molecules form pentagonal dodecahedra, which can be arranged into two different structures, leaving interstitial space in the form of either tetrakaidecahedra or hexakaidecahedra. Methane and hydrogen sulfide can be accommodated in all the spaces, ethane and carbon dioxide can fit in both the tetrakaidecahedra and the hexakaidecahedra, but propane and isobutane fit only in the hexakaidecahedra. Normal butane, pentane, and hexane are not known to form hydrates. PT diagrams describing the initial conditions for hydrate formation indicate that, relative to methane, all common components of natural gas (except nitrogen and the rare gases) raise the hydrate formation temperature, propane and ethane being the most effective. The presence of dis-solved salts in the water, or nitrogen and rare gases in the natural gas, depresses the temperature of initial hydrate formation.

Geochemical Studies, 1976

Journal of the Air Pollution Control Association, 1973

Rain, hail, and snow samples collected in central Alberta have been analyzed for sulfate and chlo... more Rain, hail, and snow samples collected in central Alberta have been analyzed for sulfate and chloride content using a conductometric titration method. The mean values of sulfate concentration in rain and hail collected in the region of sulfur extraction gas plants were 2.7 mg/l and 2.9 mg/l respectively.The mean value of the sulfate content of a large number of hail samples collected from one severe storm well removed from a major SO/sub 2/ source was only 0.6 mg/l. Several snow samples collected in Alberta and southern British Columbia had a mean sulfate content of less than 0.5 mg/l. These results are discussed in terms of the efficiency with which s02 is removed from the atmosphere by the different precipitation processes. The results strongly suggest that most of the sulfate found in central Alberta precipitation is of local industrial origin. By comparing the sulfate deposition in precipitation around one isolated gas plant with the known SO/sub 2/ emission rate, a local atmospheric sulfur budget is derived. This budget indicates that the summertime convective storms are a very efficient mechanism for removing the SO/sub 2/ from the atmosphere, with between 32 and 46% of the sulfur emitted as SO/sub 2/ arriving atmore » the ground as sulfate sulfur within a radius of 25 miles of the source. In contrast snow is a very inefficient removal mechanism, since in winter less than 2% of the sulfur emission is deposited in the snowfall near the source.« less

Water Resources Research, 1969

The observed effect of variations of geology on the fluid potential distribution is treated by co... more The observed effect of variations of geology on the fluid potential distribution is treated by considering the three‐dimensional flow net by stratigraphic units. Hydraulic head distribution maps for 27 stratigraphic units in the western Canada sedimentary basin were prepared, and those from the Upper Devonian Beaverhill Lake Formation, Woodbend and Wabamun Groups and the Lower Cretaceous Mannville Group and Viking Formation are illustrated. The low fluid‐potential drain that exists within the Upper Devonian and Carboniferous carbonate rocks itself contains drainage channels belonging to different fluid potential subsystems. Excellent examples of these subsystems are found in the carbonate reef complexes of the Beaverhill Lake Formation and the Woodbend Group. Drawdown of the fluid potentials by some of the low fluid‐potential channels is reflected through up to 2500 feet of strata and across a major unconformity. In general, relatively highly permeable beds significantly affect the ...

Journal of the International Association for Mathematical Geology, 1973

A number of growth models have been developed and used in an attempt to project the historical pa... more A number of growth models have been developed and used in an attempt to project the historical pattern of oil activities to some estimate of their upper limit. Techniques are outlined for the estimation of parameters of the logistic and Gompertz curves. Factor analysis indicated a close relationship between production and demand, whereas annual discoveries and discoveries classified by year of discovery tended to comprise unique factors which were indifferent to changes in time. The growth models projected relatively high values for ultimate demand and production in comparison to the figures for ultimate reserves. Inasmuch as these trends seemed to be occurring independently, some reconciliation of the results was necessary. Using the highest projections of estimates for reserves suggests that over 420 billion barrels of oil in place will eventually be discovered in the United States, with perhaps 200 billion barrels of this eventually to be proved in the form of reserves. Projections for production were higher, corresponding to a trend indicating high levels in demand for crude oil. The only credible long-term estimate of demand was given by a bounded exponential growth model, in which ultimate cumulative demand for crude oil would reach about 416 billion barrels. These figures imply that over 150 billion barrels of oil would be imported into the United States from 1970 to 2070. Provided the time pattern for one of the variables has been determined, then estimates of the other variables probably would be facilitated because of the high interrelationship between variables. Models are suggested in which accurate pivotal forecasting in the short term might be possible—assuming the particular future trend in some of the “independent” variables has been predetermined.

Geological Society, London, Special Publications, 1987

Summary Basin analysis must include an appreciation of both the rocks and the processes affecting... more Summary Basin analysis must include an appreciation of both the rocks and the processes affecting their contained fluids. Therefore the objective of dynamic basin analysis is to synthesize and evaluate the present geological, hydrogeological, thermal and geochemical situation of sedimentary basins as well as their past history. For sedimentary basins such as that in western Canada, where petroleum exploration has resulted in a vast amount of information, synthesis and evaluation can only be achieved through an integrated multidisciplinary computer-oriented approach. This requires the development of a data-base management system and specialized data-processing techniques. These have been developed by the Basin Analysis Group of the Alberta Geological Survey for geological, hydrogeological, thermal and hydrochemical parameters. The synthesized information can then be integrated into a descriptive steady-state model which forms the basis of the numerical simulation of various processes...

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 1983

Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta, 1968

Al&r&-An understanding has been established of the geochemistry and distribution of porphyrins, o... more Al&r&-An understanding has been established of the geochemistry and distribution of porphyrins, ohlorins and polycyclic aromatics in nearly 260 soils, sediments and sedimentary rocks of various ages from early Precambrian to Recent, and of a wide range of depositional environments. Nickel porphyrin, at concentrations up to 9.8 ppm was found preferentially in fine-grained marine elastic rocks. Vanadyl porphyrins, at concentrations up to 39 ppm, are more widely distributed, with a tendency to concentrate in marine strata, despite the fact that their concentration is generally one order of magnitude lower than that of nickel porphyrin. Iron porphyrins were found in 3 per cent of the samples, at concentrations up to 12.5 ppm. Cobalt, copper and zinc porphyrin were not detected. Chlorins occur in 90 per cent of the Recent sediments and soils analyzed, and are believed to be primary in some ancient sediments. They appear to be about equally distributed in ancient marine and non-marine sedimentary rocks. Six types of polycyclic aromatics have been distinguished, based on their spectral characteristics. They occur at concentrations up to 56 ppm and show a slight preference to accumulation in non-marine rocks. Normal alkanes and isoprenoids were sought in 42 selected rooks and soils. Odd carbon preference was marked in some rocks, with n-alkanes being found up to 216 ppm and isoprenoids up to 12.9 ppm. It is concluded that traces of much of the biogenic material associated with ancient and modern life processes are preserved in the mass of organic material present in the sedimentary environment. * Contribution No. 412, Research Council of Alberta. VANADYL COMPLEX OF 3EOXOPI~L:OESYTWROEiiOPORPHrAlN i, vq C Y, NiCKEL COMPLEX OF CiOXOPHYLtOERYlHROETlOPORP' Cl h3 ; Hl ivRtN 'i44 G. 15:. HODGSON, BRIAN HITCHON, ~LUUO TAGUCHI, 13. L. BAKER ad IGtrc PEAKS: 300 400 500 600 700 BH-368 Grayish blaok bit. 1st. L. cretaoeous Laoq, B.-P., Frauoe Olive blaok bit. argill. dol. 1st.

Energy Conversion and Management, 1999

... was developed by Bachu et al.[9]. When carbon dioxide, or any fluid, is injected into an aqui... more ... was developed by Bachu et al.[9]. When carbon dioxide, or any fluid, is injected into an aquifer at an appropiate pressure below the fracture pressure, it moves out from the injection well and flows with the natural flow regime. Because strata in most sedimentary basins are not ...

Chemical Geology, 1969

1321 1322 13. HITCIWX ;wI 1. FRIEUM~N reader is referred to MCCROSSAN and GLAISTER (1964). Rock v... more 1321 1322 13. HITCIWX ;wI 1. FRIEUM~N reader is referred to MCCROSSAN and GLAISTER (1964). Rock volume and yore volume data for the plains region of the basin have been compiled by HITCI~~N (1968b). Abundant modern reliable data on the formation fluids are available, and their regional variations and geochemistry have been described (HITCHOX et al., 1961; HITCHON, 1963a, b, c, 1964, 1968a). The fluid flow within this basin has been elucidated (HITCHON, 1963d, 1969a, b). Thus considerable information is available concerning the contained fluids and the rock matrix within which the)] move. It is against this background that the stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen in formation waters from Alberta, Canada, will be considered. PREVIOUS STUDIES Most early determinations and some current investigations of stable isotopes of hydrogen in formation waters have been made by very precise measurements of the density of the salt-free water. However, hydrogen isotopes may be fractionated during purification procedures, and furthermore, variations in the oxygen isotopes ratio also affect the density of the water. Users of the density method have all observed a more or less regular increase in deuterium content of formation waters with depth a,nd have variously associated this increase with concomitant increases of the total dissolved solids content of the formation waters, the age of the rocks, and other factors. Anomalies have been ascribed to deep circulation of surface waters or to deuterium exchange with hydrocarbons. None of the users of the density method was able to measure differences in the oxygen isotopes, and since this omission may have seriously affected their results only data determined by mass-spectrometric methods will be discussed in detail. GRAF et al. (1965) and CLAYTON et al. (1966) have provided the only comprehensive studies of stable isotopes of both hydrogen and oxygen in formation waters. BAERTSCHI (1953), DE~ENS (1962) and DEGENS et aE. (1964) have considered only oxygen isotopes, and ROTH (1956) only hydrogen isotopes. A small fractionation of hydrogen isotopes resulting from passage of water through micropores in shales was postulated by GRAF et al. (1965) and a major fractionation of the oxygen isotopes through exchange with carbonates of the reservoir rocks observed on the same samples by CLAYTON et al. (1966). CLAYTON and his co-workers also concluded that the water of formation waters is predominantly of local meteoric origin. This view differs from that of DEQ-ENS et aZ. (1964), who attributed the changes of the oxygen isotope ratios to mixing of meteoric waters with original marine interstitial solutions. Other processes that might alter the ratio of the stable hydrogen isotopes, such as exchange with hydrogen sulphide which takes place easily and which is used in most commercial heavy water plants, were not considered in detail. The suite of samples studied in this paper offer an opportunity to examine statistically the effects of many variables which may cause fractionation of the stable isotopes of hydrogen and oxygen. SAMPLE COLLECTION The collection and analysis of formation wat,ers (and other fluids) at reservoir temperatures and pressures would minimize physical and chemical changes that may occur when sampling and analysis are undertaken at temperatures and pressures close to those at the wellhead. Since collection is difficult, and analysis often impossible at reservoir temperatures and pressures,

Applied Geochemistry, 2001

The maximum contents of Pb (360 mg l À1), Zn (360 mg l À1) and Ag (7.9 mg l À1) in formation wate... more The maximum contents of Pb (360 mg l À1), Zn (360 mg l À1) and Ag (7.9 mg l À1) in formation waters from the Alberta basin were high enough to suggest that it would be of interest to test the concept of recovering these metals by passing natural gas through the water, thereby precipitating the metal sulphides as the result of contact with hydrogen sulphide. The idea was to see if these metals could be recovered from formation water co-produced with crude oil prior to disposal of the water in deep formations, with the possibility of the sale of the metals partially osetting the cost of disposal. It was proposed to use natural gas with a relatively small amount of hydrogen sulphide (insucient for sulphur recovery) that must be removed by¯aring before the gas is utilized. Accordingly, a database of 694 formation waters with major, minor and trace components was searched for appropriate analyses for detailed study. Of the nine analyses selected the majority were from Devonian and Granite Wash aquifers in the Peace River Arch area of northern Alberta, Canada. Modelling with PATH.ARC showed that there is a consistent set and order of precipitation reactions, in spite of the dierences among the formation waters. As would be expected intuitively, acid gas addition makes the formation water more acidic, and metallic sulphide minerals are precipitated. Depending on the initial composition, the end minerals are any of galena, sphalerite, acanthite, covellite and pyrite. These are the minerals that must be bene®ciated to recover the metals. A preliminary evaluation of the dollar value of the recovered metals shows that although the absolute values are low, there may be an advantage to recovering the metals if the waters are already being handled at the surface.