A profitable development of an oil or gas field starts with a good understanding of the subsurface. As part of a petroleum engineering team the petroleum geologist interprets subsurface data and provides geological models that form the basis for development planning. Additionally, he/she analyses and predicts subsurface reservoir targets, pressures and stresses, which form the basis for well planning and design. He/she therefore also contributes to the safety of drilling operations. The geologist updates the subsurface models during the production phase of the fields. It is therefore important that all these activities are done as integrated teamwork involving all petroleum engineering disciplines, drilling, facilities engineering as well as economics.
Who should attend
Petroleum engineers, well-site engineers, geologists and geophysicists at the start of their careers.
Course content
The process of oil and gas exploration and development
Planning, gathering and management of geological data
Geological concepts, global tectonics
Geophysical tools and methods
Sequence stratigraphy, log correlation
Environments of deposition
Basic well log evaluation
Mapping of reservoir parameters and structures
Structural styles, trapping conditions
Oil and gas volumetric calculations
Subsurface uncertainty
Field appraisal and development
Case histories
Vertical and horizontal well applications
Well planning and operational geology
Basic reservoir engineering
Project costs and economics
Learning, methods and tools
At the end of the course participants will understand the principles of oil and gas generation, migration and trapping. They will be introduced the exploration processes and tools, learn the basics of rock properties, well log evaluation and log correlation. They will be able to apply geological concepts, construct maps and sections and use geological and geophysical data to make subsurface evaluations and to calculate oil and gas volumes.
They will learn how to prepare a well proposal and how to make a basic casing design based on subsurface pressures.
They will understand the field appraisal and development process and will acquire practical experience by working on an actual field development plan in teams. Production facilities and costs will be briefly discussed, to allow economic assessment of their project at the end of the course.
Day by day programme
Day 1, Focus on the energy business, development projects, geology concepts
Introduction of participants and trainer, course program
Scope of the energy / oil & gas business
History of the oil & gas business, technology breakthroughs
Major players in the industry
Activities in E&P
Global energy resources
Oil price review and scenario's
Global issues, PR and environment
General process of oil & gas development projects, project life cycles
Team exercise: Offshore Field Development Project 1: Commercial, Environmental and PR issues, Exploration bid proposal. Given a description of the project activities and the geographical environment, make an outline of a bid proposal
Concepts of petroleum geology: Hydrocarbon basins, plays, plate tectonics, sedimentary cycles and sequences, sequence stratigraphy, origin of hydrocarbons, source rocks and maturity, hydrocarbon traps
Seismic principles: data gathering, processing and interpretation
Day 2, Focus on exploration, subsurface models: appraisal, drilling, well data.
Recap day 1
Exploration tools, basin analysis
Drilling process, horizontal wells, risks
Offshore field exercise 2: field appraisal planning
Log and core data, reservoir properties, reservoir maps
Offshore field exercise 3: Discussion of appraisal results, correlation of appraisal wells
Day 3, Focus on subsurface models: structural styles, sedimentary environments, pressures
Recap day 2.
Structural styles, traps, seals, structural maps and sections
Offshore field exercise 4: structural map based on seismic and appraisal wells