High molecular weight (C35 +) n-alkanes of Neogene heavily biodegraded oil in the Qianmiqiao region, North China

With wax content of 1.62%, heavy oil has been produced from the sandstone reservoirs of Neogene Guantao Formation (Ng1^III). In the GC and GC-MS RIC profiles of its aliphatic fraction, n-alkanes are totally lost, which shows the result of heavy biodegradedation. However, the remaining trace C₁₃–C₃₆ n-alkanes can be still seen from its m/z 85 mass chromatogram. In addition, a complete series of C₃₅–C₇₃ high molecular weight (HMW) n-alkanes was detected by high-temperature gas chromatography (HTGC). The HMW n-alkane series shows a normal distribution pattern, a major peak at nC₄₃, obvious odd-carbon-number predominance, CPI_37–55 and OEP_45–49 values up to 1.17 and 1.16–1.20 respectively. The present study not only has conformed the strong resistibility of HMW n-alkanes to biodegradation in crude oils as concluded by previous researchers, but also has provided some significant information on source input and maturity for the heavily biodegraded oil in the Qianmiqiao region.