# name
Effects of nanoporosity and surface imperfections on solid bitumen reflectance (BRo) measurements in unconventional reservoirs

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This article discusses the effects of nano-porosity and measuring probe size on bitumen reflectance measurements. In this study, a  best practice for reliable bitumen reflectance measurements was provided.

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Cet article traite des effets de la nanoporosité et de la taille des sondes de mesure de la réflectance du bitume. Dans cette étude, une pratique exemplaire pour les mesures fiables de la réflectance du bitume est présentée.

# metadata.dc.description.abstract[].value
Bitumen reflectance (BRo) is an alternative maturity indicator to vitrinite reflectance (VRo) in Lower Paleozoic and marine rocks where few higher plant macerals can be found. In unconventional petroleum rocks, locally exuded and/or migrated oil are retained in the tightrocks and thermally and diagenetically consolidated into solid bitumen and pyrobitumen. Finding suitable bitumen macerals for BRo measurements pose a challenge in indicating the proper thermal maturity. This study reports the effects of surface imperfections caused by nanoporosity, surfacegranularities, and impurities on measuring BRo in core samples from the Jurassic Nordegg Shale (shale oil) and the Triassic Montney siltstone (tight gas) in the Western Canada Sedimentary Basin. The degree that bitumen's surface imperfections influence any given reflectance measurement wascontrolled by changing the probe size area. The larger the measuring probe, the higher the degree of surface imperfections is included in BRo readings. The effect is quantified in this paper, showing up to 27% diminishment of mean BRo values when the probe size increased from 0.31 to 5.85 ?m2. Themode in which bitumen accumulates within the rock has a strong influence on the degree of surface imperfections. Bitumen which is disseminated within clay matrix introduces a high degree of nanoporosity and mineral interference and hence will result in lowest BRo. In contrast, inclusions of highreflecting micrinite or diagenetic minerals such as pyrite result in higher BRo. These effects can vary at the microscopic scale leading to multiple populations of reflectance readings and difficult interpretations of thermal maturity.

# metadata.dc.title[].value
Effects of nanoporosity and surface imperfections on solid bitumen reflectance (BRo) measurements in unconventional reservoirs