Transcript New Directions and the Importance of Geology

New Directions and the
Importance of Geology
Susan Smith Nash, Ph.D.
AAPG
“Breakthrough” Days
 These are revolutionary times
 New technologies
 New understanding of the science
 New motivations to pursue previously
uninteresting resources
 Environmental pressures (coal / nuclear)
 New ways of financing ventures
 International cooperation / investment
New
Technologies
Used in Shale Plays / “New” Carbonates
Horizontal Drilling
 Geosteering
 Logging while drilling
 New data acquisition modules
 Mathematical modelling: imaging, predictive
qualities
Multi-Stage Hydraulic
Fracturing
 New development in drilling fluids
 Cross-linked gels
 Slickwater
 New proppants
 Ceramic
 Coated
 Isolating the stages
 Microseismic to understand induced fractures
Water Purification
 Sourcing water for drilling, completion,
stimulation
 Solutions for produced water
 New technologies to purify
 Stage 1: For use in drilling / stimulation
 Stage 2: For agricultural use
 Stage 3: For human consumption
Geochemical Methods
 TOC measurements
 New “fingerprinting”
 Biomarkers
 Diamondoids
 Diamondoids (found in all petroleum: nanometer
sized)
 Isotopic quantifications
 No change during cracking
Shale Plays
New developments: Paradigm shifts
Geologists & Shale Plays
 Model heterogeneity
 Explain natural and induced fractures
 Discuss implications of lithology on fluid selection,
etc.
 Total Oil Content (TOC) and the “kitchen”
(maturation processes, and timing of pulses)
 Geological history
 Depositional
 Structural
“New”
Carbonates
Resource plays, mature carbonates with “left
behind” oil and gas in tight areas, and highly
complex compartmentalized plays
Geologists &
Carbonate “Resource Plays”
 Often incorrectly considered a shale
 Eagle Ford
 Bakken
 Highly heterogeneous, with “sweet spots”
 Geological history
 Depositional environment
 Generation / maturation / migration
 Fingerprinting the hydrocarbons
Geologists & “Left Behind”
Oil in Mature Fields
 Poor ultimate recovery due to
 Reservoir compartmentalization
 Bakken
 Highly heterogeneous, with “sweet spots”
 Geological history
 Depositional environment
 Generation / maturation / migration
 Fingerprinting the hydrocarbons
Geologists & Complex
Carbonates
 Systems include complex dynamics
 Hydrothermal alteration
 Heat flows
 Chertification
 Secondary dolomitization and porosity enhancement
 Diagenetic alteration (replacement minerals)
 Highly heterogeneous, highly complex “sweet spots”
 Geological history
 Uplifts
 Structure vs. depositional environment
 Self-sourcing
Multi-Disciplinary
Methods
Geologists should establish themselves as an
essential component of the teams
Geomechanics
 Integrate microseismic / geophysics
 Important for drilling, completion, producton
 Engineering (direct pressure / temperature)
 Petrophysics
 Integrated data / Big Data
 Modeling
 Data mining
 Predictive imaging
Imaging / 3D Seismic
 Ground models with reasonable geological models
 Microseismic
 induced vs natural fractures
 Open vs closed
 Conduits
 Workflows for integrating information, making decisions
 Petrophysics
 Integrated data / Big Data
 Modeling
 Data mining
 Predictive imaging
Geochemistry
 Combine with geological history
 Structural
 Depositional environment
 Tie to biomarkers
 Palynology
 Radioactive isotope markers
 Reservoir Fluids
 Core studies
Big Data / Analytics
 Integrate different data sets / databases
 Tie seismic attributes with production information
 Cluster analysis to determine trends and relationships
 Patterns / frequencies: predictive models
 Data mining of old databases
 Imaging / digital sources
 4D / 5D modeling