Pre-Conference Short Course 1

30 July 2016

Who Should Attend

Geologists, geophysicists, petrophysicists and reservoir engineers looking for a detailed overview of data integration in analysis of organic shale reservoirs. This course exposes attendees to data from multiple disciplines using examples and case studies to demonstrate the importance of reservoir quality and completion quality measurements in the successful exploration and exploitation of mudstone reservoirs.

Course Content

A key to optimizing the exploration and development of unconventional plays is the integration of various data types into a meaningful analysis of reservoir and completion quality. This course will evaluate data from the nano- to macro-scale in order to show how different types of data can be integrated in the evaluation of organic shale reservoirs. By the end of the course, attendees will have developed an insight into how core data and petrophysical evaluations can be utilized to build a more complete understanding of a play.

Pre-Conference Short Course 2

30 July 2016

Who Should Attend

This course will be entirely comprehensible and useful for any exploration geologist who is interested in maturity or other aspects of source rocks. It will also be useful for managers who will want to understand all the tools they could have in their toolbox. It is intended for all exploration geologists, regardless of experience with kinetics and is a fairly comprehensive treatment of the topic, particularly the applications to exploration.

Course Content

Although source-rock kinetics have been widely used in basin modeling for more than 25 years, recent technical developments have greatly increased the utility of kinetics data. Source-rock kinetics can now be used for a variety of purposes not imagined only a few years ago. These new applications are extremely valuable in both conventional and unconventional exploration.

Traditional methods of measuring kinetics were slow and expensive. A new method increases the speed of laboratory analysis by a factor of approximately 20, resulting in major reductions in cost and in acquisition time. In addition, kinetics can now be determined at even lower cost for samples for which appropriate archived Rock-Eval or Source-Rock-Analyzer data are available. Studies can even be carried out using a combination of archived and newly generated pyrolysis data. The use of archived data can greatly relieve the burden of acquiring samples where acquisition is expensive, difficult or impossible. Finally, the kinetics obtained by the new method are more reliable and have less chance of being significantly in error than kinetics determined by the traditional method.

Kinetic data includes the mean activation energy (Mean Ea) and the shape of the activation-energy distribution, but can also include a split of the hydrocarbons into liquid and gas products. Mean Ea values are conceptually similar to Tmax values, in that they are both derived from the Rock-Eval S2 peak, but are superior in that they take into account the entire S2 curve rather than simply the maximum. Kinetic data are normally used in conjunction with TOC and Rock-Eval data, as well as with other types of geochemical data, such as biomarkers. Kinetic data can also be integrated into sequence-stratigraphic interpretations.

The lower cost of kinetics data strongly encourages acquisition of large data bases of kinetics. These data bases can then be used not only to provide more-reliable kinetics for basin modeling (the traditional applications), but also to identify distinct organofacies within a single source layer and as a direct indicator of the progress of hydrocarbon generation. Source-rock kinetics can be easily linked to Transformation Ratio and vitrinite reflectance (Ro) values via relationships that are uniquely calibrated for each kerogen.

Exploration applications include:

1. Defining distinct organofacies within a single source layer, showing both vertical and horizontal variation and thus permitting high-grading of a kitchen area according to kerogen quality
2. Mapping Ro values calculated from the kinetic data to aid in calibrating thermal history in basin models.
3. Mapping Transformation Ratios to indicate the actual progress of hydrocarbon generation across an area of interest.

Kinetic data can supplement Ro data where Ro data are available and confident, or they can replace Ro data where vitrinite is absent or where Ro measurements are unreliable (e.g., Ro suppression, Lower Paleozoic rocks where vitrinite is absent, carbonates where vitrinite is scarce or absent).

Specific applications to conventional exploration include defining source-rock facies and the hydrocarbon kitchen, with a view to later integrating this information with a migration scenario. Applications in unconventional exploration are somewhat different: since little or no migration is anticipated, one must know precisely where the kitchen is. Mean Ea is extremely valuable in precisely identifying kitchens. Criteria for defining a kitchen can be adjusted to meet specific exploration needs, such as the requirement of having oil with high GOR and high API gravity.

Pre-Conference Short Course 3

30-31 July 2016

Who Should Attend

Basic geoscience education or experience required. A working knowledge about shales is a benefit.

Course Content

Rockphysics principles allow us to understand and interpret matrix- and fluid-related changes in porosity, pore space topology and seismic and transport properties. This course is meant to introduce attendees to basic mud rock characteristics and explain their differences with conventional reservoir lithologies. Using those differences, the rock physics principles will be developed initially as empirical and descriptive methods. After establishing a sound understanding, we will identify seismic and transport properties of mud rocks; using well logs in rock physics model development for mud rocks.

In the course, we will identify changes in rock properties in mud rocks and classify mud rocks based on rock physics principles. We will show how the various pore systems in mud rocks are different from conventional rocks and what effect this might have on seismic and flow properties due to pore size distributions changes. We will also demonstrate the difference the fine-grained and organic components of mudrocks can have on seismic and flow properties. With a basic understanding, the attendees will then assess various rock physics models to allow us to build new models or alter existing ones for mudrocks. A key aspect of this course will be to understand potential interpretation pitfalls in using standard rockphysics models in mudrocks.

Pre-Conference Short Course 4

30-31 July 2016

Who Should Attend

Geoscientists, petrophysicists, engineers and managers who are seeking to improve their effectiveness in exploring, appraising and developing shale reservoirs.

Course Content

This course begins by summarizing the most important geoscience and engineering aspects of shales and illustrating these with case study posters that will be evaluated by teams. This is followed by a series of lectures and interactive exercises focused on quantifying the range of possible outcomes for your project and making good decisions about whether to continue or exit at each stage gate.

Due to the inherent risks in shale plays, it is critical for practitioners to be able to quantify uncertainty and estimate the range of risk involve. This course provides insights and tools for appraising and developing shale gas and shale oil opportunities.

Pre-Conference Short Course 5

30-31 July 2016

Who Should Attend

Technologists, engineers and managers involved in evaluating well performance (time-rate-pressure) data for optimizing production, understanding completion efficiency and estimating reserves and ultimate recoveries.

Course Content

This course provides a comprehensive methodology for the diagnosis, analysis and forecasting of well production data in unconventional resources. An extensive evaluation of the diagnostic tools for assessing data viability, checking data correlation along with flow regime identification is presented. The principal focus is to diagnose the characteristic flow regimes associated with well production and apply methodologies to estimate performance parameters and forecast production. These methodologies include simple analytical tools, decline curves and more complex techniques such as nonlinear numerical simulation. Examples from tight gas sands, gas shales and liquids-rich shale systems will illustrate the theoretical considerations and practical aspects.

Topics Include:

• Collect, analyze and interpret critical data for well performance analysis.
• Identify well performance characteristics and flow regimes using diagnostic plots.
• Estimate key reservoir and completion parameters.
• Forecast future performance for various production/completion and field development scenarios.
• Establish the optimal workflow to help quantify well performance uncertainty and non-uniqueness.

Pre-Conference Short Course 6

30-31 July 2016

Who Should Attend

Attendees should attend if they are involved in modeling reservoir or production or surface processes in ultra-tight reservoirs.

Course Content

PVT (fluid phase and volumetric behavior) impacts flow modeling in the reservoir, production pipes and surface process facilities. Several special considerations are required for proper PVT description (sampling and modeling) of ultra-tight/shale formations. This course covers the key issues related to PVT in such systems: sampling, PVT lab tests, in-situ versus produced fluid streams, EOS and black-oil modeling and transport properties such as viscosity and interfacial tension. A short review of non-conventional thermodynamics is also given, including capillarity and confinement on phase equilibria (e.g. saturation pressure and phase compositions).

Pre-Conference Short Course 7

31 July 2016

Who Should Attend

Geologists, geophysicists, engineers, and laboratory technicians who need to become acquainted with the various disciplines that must be integrated for successful unconventional reservoir exploration and production. These disciplines include well site engineering, sedimentology, stratigraphy, petrology, structural geology, geophysics, geochemistry, petroleum engineering, and geomechanics. The class is particularly appropriate for professionals who are new to unconventional reservoirs and for specialists in one area who want to acquire general knowledge of other aspects of unconventional reservoir science and technology.

Course Content

This course is a practical and applied introduction to laboratory techniques routinely employed in unconventional reservoir assessment and their relationship to some of the other tools used in the industry. Class emphasis is on explaining which analytical techniques can best address specific questions, what caveats must be kept in mind when employing these tools, what are the strengths and limitations of laboratory analyses in unconventional reservoir assessment, and how to interpret conflicting data from different analyses. Theory is kept to a minimum and selected practical exercises help participants learn to review laboratory data, recognize problems with the data, and to cultivate a feel for interpreting laboratory data and integrating these interpretations with other geological and engineering information.