Jan Stammeijer
The important contribution that we as Geophysicists can make to the business (in Exploration, Development, and now also CCS) keeps fascinating me. While the business requirements and challenges keep going up (in the form of deeper reservoirs, lower porosities, harder rocks, cost reductions, etc), it is the incredible pace of continuous technology development and innovation that keeps us as a profession as relevant as ever. I have witnessed, participated, and at times steered this interplay in the realm of 4D Time-Lapse Seismic throughout my Geophysical career. It is this connection between Business and Technology that forms the foundation for the material and the methods that I use in my Courses.
In my 33 yr+ Geophysical career in Shell, I had the privilege to work in various parts of the world including the North Sea (The Netherlands, UK, Denmark), Deepwater (USA, Brazil), and the Middle East (Oman). As a young Geophysicist I became Shell UK's 4D Time-lapse Seismic Focal Point (later Team Leader) in 1999, right from the start of implementation at large scale in the North Sea. The pace of 4D Technology development in the early days was enormous, and so was the deployment across Shell's North Sea portfolio, initially in the UK (including Atlantic Margin), later expanding to Shell's non-operated interests in Norway and Denmark. I consider myself lucky to have played a crucial role at a critical time.
In 2010 as Team Leader for Shell's Reservoir Surveillance Global Implementation Team, I set standards for 4D interpretation and communication in Shell (partly adopted by Industry), and developed a week-long integrated course for 4D Seismic aimed at multidisciplinary Asset teams (including managers) that were about to emabrk on their 4D journey. Within a period of 2 years I delivered this course 8 times around the world. It was here that I discovered my passion for teaching, training, and coaching.
In 2012 I started as 4D Co-ordinator in Shell USA, where the big uptake of 4D Seismic using Ocean-Bottom Node technology had just started. Again I coordinated the roll-out across Shell's Deepwater Asset portfolio (USA and Brazil), and steered further development of the Technology across the Acquisition, Processing, and Interpretation spectra. This was followed by an assignment in the Middle East (Oman) broadening me in terms of Land Seismic and the use of other Geophysical Surveillance methods (including InSAR surface deformation, gravity, microseismic). After that, it was back to the USA for another assignment as Principal Geophysicist 4D Seismic, where the most challenging of interpretation problems landed on my desk.
Throughout my career, I learned that 4D seismic is very “un-forgiving”. Any slightest disturbance shows up as noise in 4D. Through years and years of 4D analysis, I have been able to develop deep insights regarding signals and noise in our seismic data. In particular I investigated how Acquisition and Processing methods and techniques can be leveraged and exploited to minimise noise, and how 3D and 4D Qualitative and Quantitative Interpretation methods can be applied to deliver the insights relevant for Subsurface Uncertainty Reduction, which in turn leads to improved Business Decisions.
I see my role as a Teacher and Trainer in bringing both the Technical Concepts and Business Relevance to the Classroom in a very approachable manner, engaging the Participants in an open and active fashion, always open to questions and discussion
Trainer in courses:
