Simulation of the fluorescence evolution of “live” oils from kerogens in a diamond anvil cell: Application to inclusion oils in terms of maturity and source

The evolution of fluorescence has been measured for “live” oils generated from 14 oil-prone kerogens or coals from varying depositional environments during closed system pyrolysis in a diamond anvil cell at three heating rates (3, 8, and 25 °C/min), and temperatures up to 600 °C. The measured fluorescence intensities of the samples, employing using violet excitation at 405 nm, increases significantly during maturation intervals within the oil window, while the fluorescence spectra of oils generated from all studied kerogens exhibit progressive blue-shift of peak wavelengths (λmax) and red/green quotients (I650/I500) upon increasing maturity. The observed trend is consistent with a maturity dependence of the spectral shift, which is widely recognized in natural hydrocarbon inclusions and crude oils using ultraviolet (UV) excitation (365 nm). The data presented herein suggest that the λmax of spectra for inclusion oils shift in similar direction despite differences in composition or source kerogen. This implies that the reverse or anomalous trends reported for inclusion oils in nature may be attributed to other processes, which significantly alters the fluorescence properties of oils subsequent to their generation. Oils with the similar color (λmax or I650/I500) can be derived from diverse kerogens with maturities that vary by ±0.3% Ro, suggesting that the fluorescent colors of crude and inclusion oils are both maturity- and source-dependent, and therefore cannot be used as universal maturity indicators. In addition, the blue-shifts observed for cumulative oils generated from all kerogens approaches similar minima λmax values around the green-yellow wavelength (564 nm) and at I650/I500 values around 0.6, at maturities close to the middle or late stage of oil generation. This suggests that most late-stage cumulative oils will exhibit similar colors. Oils generated during late-stage maturity intervals, however, can exhibit colors with shorter wavelengths.