POTENCJAŁ WĘGLOWODOROWY WĘGLI GÓRNOŚLĄSKIEGO ZAGŁĘBIA WĘGLOWEGO

Abstract

THE HYDROCARBON POTENTIAL OF COALS FROM THE UPPER SILESIAN COAL BASIN

Abstract. The Upper Silesian Coal Basin represents a triangular trough filled with Upper Carboniferous coal-bearing strata. This is an orogenic basin developed in a foredeep. As regards origin, two coal types occur in the Upper Silesian Coal Basin: humic coals and sapropelic coals. The types reflect primary plant material and the influence of reducing or oxidating conditions in the depositional environment. The CPI indicator, representing the mass ratio of odd to even molecules in the molecular chain of the n-alkanes, and the pristane/phytane ratio are the parameters used to differentiate oxidizing and oxygen-free environments. A complex evaluation of the coal quality was carried out on the basis of the obtained analytical indicators: their genetic types, thermal transformation degree and depositional environment chemistry were determined. For evaluation of the maturation degree of these coals, vitrinite reflectance (R) measurements seem to be most reliable. Rvalues determined for the sapropelic coals indicate that they reached the stage of catagensis and their transformation degree corresponds with the oil window. On the other hand, the maturation degree of the humic coals corresponds with advanced catagenetic alteration. The hydrocarbon generation analysis has been based on the assumptions of a volumetric model, using geochemical data derived from the Rock-Eval pyrolysis, including organic carbon content TOC (wt.%) and hydrogen index HI (mg HC/g TOC) as related to the rock formation density ρ (g . cm) for any kerogen types.