Determining collective fluid inclusion volatiles compositions for inclusion composition mapping of earth's subsurface

Claim 1

Apparatus, including controller means, for releasing, delivering, and analyzing composition of a plurality of fluid inclusion volatiles samples comprising: releasing means for impacting and deforming a sedimentary rock sample effective for releasing a fluid inclusion volatiles sample therefrom, the releasing means comprising an evacuable chamber, impacting means within the evacuable chamber for impacting a positioned semimentary rock sample and releasing a collective fluid inclusion volatiles sample from a myriad of fluid inclusions therein; and positioning means within the evacuable chamber for supporting a plurality of sedimentary rock samples and positioning one of the plurality of sedimentary rock samples relative to the impacting means as the positioned one of the plurality of sedimentary rock samples; analytical means for determining the chemical composition of the fluid inclusion volatiles sample as it is being released, the analytical means comprising: an analyzer for analyzing the chemical composition of collective fluid inclusion volatiles samples while being released, each volatiles sample being a heterogeneous mixture of volatiles released from the myriad fluid inclusions in the rock sample, wherein the heterogeneous mixture of volatiles analyzed comprise hydrocarbons having more than one carbon atom, the analyzer comprising: a plurality of mass spectrometric means for determining mass to charge ratio responses of each collective fluid inclusions volatiles sample, wherein the mass spectrometric means operate concurrently and each mass spectrometric means is configured to sample a specific set of mass to charge ratio responses; means for causing each of the plurality of mass spectrometric means to scan its set of mass to charge ratio responses a multiplicity of times during a period of time while each collective fluid inclusion volatiles sample is being provided to mass spectrometric means; means for summing mass to charge ratio responses on a mass to charge ratio by mass to charge ratio basis for all of the multiplicity of scans for each rock sample's collective fluid inclusions volatiles sample; means for storing summed mass to charge ratio responses as a record of the composition of collective fluid inclusions volatiles sample for each sedimentary rock sample; delivery means for delivering the fluid inclusion volatiles sample from releasing means to analytical means as it is being released; and controller means for causing the releasing means to sequentially and individually release the collective fluid inclusions volatiles sample from each of the plurality of sedimentary rock samples and for causing each collective fluid inclusion volatiles sample to be sequentially and individually analyzed by the analytical means, wherein the controller means comprises: means for generating a positioning signal causing the positioning means to position one of the plurality of sedimentary rock samples relative to the impacting means for impacting the positioned rock sample; means for generating an impacting signal for causing impacting means to impact the positioned rock sample; means for generating an analyzing signal for causing the analytical means to analyze the composition of gases in the evacuable chamber including collective fluid inclusion volatile; and means for effecting sequential operation of the previously defined means for each of the plurality of rock samples in the evacuable chamber.

Claim 13

A method of controlling apparatus comprising an evacuable chamber, impacting means within the evacuable chamber for impacting positioned rock samples, positioning means within the evacuable chamber supporting a plurality of rock samples and for positioning each one of the plurality of separate rock samples relative to the impacting means, and an analyzer connected to the evacuable chamber for receiving released collective fluid inclusion volatiles therefrom for determining the chemical composition thereof, the method comprising: generating a positioning signal for causing one of the plurality of rock samples to be positioned relative to the impacting means as the positioned one of the plurality of rock samples effective for the impacting means impacting the rock sample; generating an impacting signal for causing the impacting means to impact the positioned rock sample; generating an analyzing signal for causing the analyzer to determine the chemical composition for collective fluid inclusion volatiles released by crushing, wherein said analyzer comprises a plurality of mass spectrometric means operating concurrently with each mass spectrometric means being configured to sample a specific set of mass to charge ratio response and said collective fluid inclusion volatiles comprise hydrocarbon having more than one carbon atom; and repeating the preceding three steps for each of the plurality of rock samples within the evacuated chamber.

Claim 14

A method of controlling apparatus comprising an evacuable chamber, impacting means within the evacuable chamber for impacting positioned rock samples, positioning means within the evacuable chamber supporting a plurality of rock samples and for positioning each one of the plurality of separate rock samples relative to the impacting means, and an analyzer connected to the evacuable chamber for receiving released collective fluid inclusion volatiles therefrom for determining the chemical composition thereof, the method comprising: generating a positioning signal for causing one of the plurality of rock samples to be positioned relative to the impacting means as the positioned one of the plurality of rock samples effective for the impacting means impacting the rock sample; generating an impacting signal for causing the impacting means to impact the positioned rock sample; generating an analyzing signal for causing the analyzer to determine the chemical composition for collective fluid inclusion volatiles released by crushing, wherein said analyzer comprises a plurality of mass spectrometric means operating concurrently with each mass spectrometric means being configured to sample a specific set of mass to charge ratio response and said collective fluid inclusion volatiles comprise hydrocarbon having more than one carbon atom; and repeating the preceding three steps for each of the plurality of rock samples within the evacuated chamber.