Assessment of Hydrodynamic Connectivity and Compartmentalization of Petroleum Reservoirs Based on Oil Fingerprinting

This study presents an assessment of the hydrodynamic connectivity and compartmentalization of petroleum reservoirs in the Caspian Basin using integrated oil fingerprinting and biomarker geochemistry approaches. The aim of the study was to identify inter-reservoir fluid communication, reconstruct hydrocarbon migration pathways, and determine the factors controlling the geochemical heterogeneity of reservoir systems. The investigation was based on the analysis of 43 oil samples collected from 15 fields within the Caspian Basin using gas chromatography, gas chromatography–mass spectrometry, carbon isotope analysis, and multivariate statistical methods, including principal component analysis (PCA) and hierarchical cluster analysis. The results revealed the presence of both hydrodynamically connected reservoirs characterized by similar molecular and biomarker compositions and compartmentalized reservoir blocks showing significant geochemical differences and variations in thermal maturity. It was established that the internal heterogeneity of the reservoirs is controlled by tectonic segmentation, multi-stage hydrocarbon migration, and differences in source rock characteristics. The obtained results confirm the effectiveness of oil fingerprinting methods for diagnosing hydrodynamic connectivity and reservoir compartmentalization in complex petroleum systems.