Abstract The Elgin–Franklin complex contains gas condensates in Upper Jurassic reservoirs in the North Sea Central Graben. Upper parts of the reservoirs contain bitumens, which previous studies have suggested were formed by the thermal cracking of oil as the reservoirs experienced temperatures of >150°C during rapid Plio-Pleistocene subsidence. Bitumen-stained cores contaminated by oil-based drilling muds have been analysed by hydropyrolysis. Asphaltene-bound aliphatic hydrocarbon fractions were dominated by n -hexadecane and n -octadecane originating from fatty acid additives in the muds. Uncontaminated asphaltene-bound aromatic hydrocarbon fractions, however, contained a PAH distribution very similar to normal North Sea oils, suggesting that the bitumens may not have been derived from oil cracking. 1D basin models of well 29/5b-6 and a pseudo-well east of the Elgin–Franklin complex utilize a thermal history derived from the basin's rifting and subsidence histories, combined with the conservation of energy currently not contained in the thermal histories. Vitrinite reflectance values predicted by the conventional kinetic models do not match the measured data. Using the pressure-dependent PresRo ® model, however, a good match was achieved between observed and measured data. The predicted petroleum generation is combined with published diagenetic cement data from the Elgin and Franklin fields to produce a composite model for petroleum generation, diagenetic cement and bitumen formation.

The oil-sand ores of northern Alberta provide a significant proportion of the overall energy portfolio for North America. Surprisingly, the presence of nano-sized clay minerals plays a defining role both in the extraction of bitumen and in tailings management. Although seemingly insignificant in size, naturally occurring clay minerals present in the oil sand ores of northern Alberta create significant challenges in all aspects of bitumen extraction and recovery, processing of oil sand ores, and management of tailings. Although a significant body of knowledge exists in relation to the characterization of ‘oil-sands clay minerals,’ much of this work has focused on the identification of the clay minerals present and not on their respective surface chemistries. This chapter focuses on some of the unique structural features of the clay minerals found in the oil sands and their respective surface chemistries.

Abstract This study deals with the design of two hydrophobic hybrid SiO 2 –TiO 2 materials and their application in the field of monument conservation. The nanocomposite consolidants were based on the modification of tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) with the incorporation of both TiO 2 nanoparticles and hydroxyl-terminated polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS). The TiO 2 nanoparticles have been prepared from the hydrolysis of titanium tetraisopropoxide (TTIP) in the presence of oxalic acid as a catalyst. The physico-chemical properties of the designed hydrophobic nanocrystalline SiO 2 –TiO 2 –PDMS composites have been extensively studied before their application as consolidants on a limestone. Overall, the effectiveness of the nanocomposites was evaluated by the comparative characterization of untreated and treated stone specimens. The results of both capillary water absorption and contact angle measurements point out that the TiO 2 –SiO 2 –PDMS nanocomposites functioned as hydrophobic coatings. Furthermore, the results obtained from microdrilling resistance and Fourier Transform Infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) revealed a penetration depth of the nanocomposites within the stone of c. 15 mm. The innovation of these syntheses pertains to the application of hydrophobic semi-transparent and transparent nanocomposites with self-cleaning and strengthening properties, without altering the colour of the stone surface and the water vapour permeability.