Abstract
The author discusses the hydrocarbon potential of Pabdeh formation in Ziluee oilfield, in southwest Iran. The research was focused on characterization of this formation based on Rock-Eval (RE) pyrolysis, which is an effective instrument for analyzing probable source rock. Various diagrams were employed for interpreting the raw outputs of RE. The results revealed that kerogen type II and III are mainly distributed in understudied cuttings; therefore, Pabdeh can produce oil and gas in Ziluee oilfield, while its genetic potential is fair to good and maturation level is high enough. Based on RE data and lithological studies, Pabdeh was divided into three important zones, A, B, and C. Zone B is the most effective zone for producing oil, whereas zones A and C mainly produced gas in the proposed oilfield. Jones diagram showed that different intervals of this formation were not deposited in a singular environment. Some intervals belonged to a reducing lacustrine marine and some of them deposited in terrigenous oxidizing condition. Finally, the effect of mineral matrix and amounts of inert carbon in the samples was calculated. The small value of mineral matrix effect indicates that small amount of hydrocarbon was absorbed by minerals during pyrolysis. In addition, amount of inert carbon is negligible in studied samples of Pabdeh formation.