The integrated event for unconventional resource teams

Sponsoring Organizations:

Society of Petroleum Engineers American Association of Petroleum Geologists Society of Exploration Geophysicists

Supporting Organizations:

Association for Iron and Steel Technology Association for Iron and Steel Technology American Rock Mechanics Association American Society of Mechanical Engineers American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society Society of Petrophysicists and Well Log Analysts The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society
URTeC 2017 Short Courses

Value of Quantitative Seismic Interpretation (QI) for Reservoir Characterization

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

  • Description
  • Objectives
  • Details
  • Instructors

Short Course 1

Cancelled

Saturday, 22 July 2017

Who Should Attend

E&P Industry Geologists, Engineers, Managers and others who need practical layman’s explanations of modern quantitative seismic interpretation tools and their value

Course Content

The overall objective is to introduce E&P staff to the key concepts, principles and applications of quantitative seismic interpretation tools (Amplitude analysis, AVO, Attributes, Inversion, Depth imaging ) that can add value in projects for exploration, field appraisal or reservoir management. Learning objectives are at basic awareness level. Emphasis is on practical understanding not detailed theory of these seismic methods that can potentially aid in direct estimation of reservoir properties away from wellbore control.

Agenda Topics

  • Seismic Principles review-samples, traces, records, cubes, noise, resolution, attributes
  • Seismic Acquisition & Processing Required
  • Pre-stack Depth Imaging
  • Post imaging amplitude analysis-HCIs/ LCIs
  • Amplitude versus offset or angle of incidence (AVO/AVA)
  • Post Stack Inversion to AI-Porosity Variation
  • Pre-stack Inversion to Poisson’s Ratio, Density and Geomechanical Properties
  • Applications to Unconventional Reservoirs
  • Uncertainties in QI results
  • Design and Management of QI projects-Integration of Disciplines Required

Objectives

After participating in this course the attendee should understand:

  • Meaning of terminology used in QI applications methods
  • Types of applications/ problems where QI methods are of value
  • Data input and processing required for various QI applications
  • Pitfalls in QI use-False anomalies
  • Understand when Pre-Stack Depth Imaging (PSDM) is required
  • Data displays and work processes for QI
  • What reservoir properties various QI results can extract-and uncertainty in results
  • Approximate Value and costs of QI projects
  • How QI analysis fits into 4D/ Time Lapse Seismic or unconventional reservoir analysis Projects
Date Saturday, 22 July
Time 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Instructors Jeffrey Johnson (G&G Training & Technical Consultant - Tulsa, OK)
Location N/A
Fees Professionals: $895 — **Students: $115
Includes Course notes and refreshments
CEU/PDH 0.8/8
Limit 30 Professional — 5 Students

Jeffery Johnson

Jeffrey Johnson

G&C Training and Technical Consultant - Tulsa, OK

Modern Production Data Analysis of Unconventional Reservoirs

Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)

  • Description
  • Objectives
  • Details
  • Instructors

Short Course 2

Saturday, 22 July 2017

Who Should Attend

This course is for engineers and technologists involved in exploitation, evaluating reserves, optimizing production or analyzing well tests.

Course Content

This course provides attendees with a comprehensive methodology for well performance analysis with specific focus on unconventional oil and gas. The approach combines the use of several powerful techniques and will illustrate the practical aspects of production data analysis.

Depending on interest and time available, examples from Barnett, Bakken, Montney, Horn River, Marcellus, Haynesville, and Eagle Ford plays will be presented.

Objectives

If you’d like to get more mileage from your production and flowing pressure data, this course is for you.

This course provides attendees with a comprehensive methodology for well performance analysis with specific focus on unconventional oil and gas. The approach combines the use of several powerful techniques and will illustrate the practical aspects of production data analysis.

Date Saturday, 22 July
Time 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Instructors Dave Anderson (Anderson Thompson Reservoir Strategies, Calgary, Alberta, Canada)
Location Room 14
Fees *Member: $750 — Nonmember: $950
Includes Course Materials (Book and Downloadable Resources,)Morning, Mid-Morning and Afternoon Refreshments, Classroom setting for deep discussion
CEU 0.8
Limit 30 People

Dave Anderson

Dave Anderson

(Anderson Thompson Reservoir Strategies, Calgary, Alberta, Canada)

Unconventional Reservoir Development

Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)

  • Description
  • Objectives
  • Details
  • Instructors

Short Course 3

Saturday, 22 July–Sunday, 23 July 2017

Who Should Attend

This course is intended for those having some familiarity with the oil and gas industry but with little to no exposure to unconventional reservoir evaluation or development. The target audience includes engineers, geologists, technicians, sales representatives, investors, managers, government officials, planners, land specialists, and technical support staff.

Course Content

This course provides an introduction to the terminology, design concepts and status of unconventional reservoir development. The primary focus is on shale development but with coverage of the few select key elements of shale that are similar to coalbed methane, tight oil & gas, and even conventional reservoirs. Reviewing these similarities is useful in illustrating the concepts and in understanding the reliability of techniques that are new to shale but that have been tested for decades in other types of oil & gas resources.

Topics include:

  • Key events and technologies that sparked unconventional development
  • Essential geologic characteristics
  • Hydrocarbon processing
  • Unique tests and techniques
  • Petroleum systems

Objectives

At the end of this course, participants should have an understanding of:

  • Drilling and completion options
  • Hydraulic fracturing and horizontal drilling basics
  • Cost-benefit analysis
  • Determining reserves
  • Key elements and steps in the development process
  • Skills and roles for an effective team
  • Environmental issues for hydraulic fracturing
  • Critical log and core analysis

Participants will gain insight on how gas volumes and gas production rates are determined and factors controlling the value of unconventional gas prospects. This course includes an understanding of the different drilling and completion options and discussions on the current environmental challenges and apparent solutions.

 

Date Saturday, 22 July–Sunday, 23 July
Time 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Instructors Steve Hennings (Source Rock Engineering, Denver, Colorado)
Location Room 13 B
Fees *Member: $1400 — Nonmember: $1800
Includes Course Materials, Morning, Mid-Morning and Afternoon Refreshments, Classroom setting for deep discussion
CEU 1.6
Limit 30 People

Steve Hennings

Steve Hennings

(Source Rock Engineering, Denver, Colorado)

Mitigating Bias, Blindness, and Illusion in E&P Decision Making

Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)

  • Description
  • Objectives
  • Details
  • Instructors

Short Course 4

Saturday, 22 July–Sunday, 23 July 2017

Who Should Attend

Engineers, Geoscientists, Managers, Economists

Course Content

This course begins by examining the types of bias, blindness, and illusion that affect us. Exercises, videos, examples, and discussions help illustrate how these exert themselves in our daily activities. We then address their role in the oil and gas industry via case studies that show their impact on decision-making. This is followed by a half-day, real-world exercise using data from an appraisal/development project to give participants practice in addressing bias, blindness, and illusion in their technical work. The course concludes by presenting a summary ‘toolkit’ with mitigation techniques that immediately can be applied to project work.

Objectives

Decisions in E&P ventures are affected by bias, blindness, and illusion which creep into our analyses and interpretations. This two-day course examines the influence of these distortions and presents techniques that can be used to mitigate their impact.

  • Bias refers to errors in thinking whereby interpretations and judgments are drawn in an illogical fashion.
  • Blindness is the condition where we fail to see an unexpected event in plain sight.
  • Illusion refers to misleading beliefs based on a false impression of reality.

All three can lead to poor decisions regarding which work to undertake, what issues to focus on, and whether to forge ahead or walk away from a project.

  1. Introduction
  2. Blindness and Illusion
    • Perceptual Blindness
    • Illusions of Knowledge, Potential, and Objectivity
  3. Bias
    • Anchoring, Availability, Confirmation, Framing, and Implicit Conditioning Biases
    • Information, Overconfidence and Motivational Biases
  4. Case Studies
    • Heavy oil (thermal)
    • Light oil (miscible gas injection)
    • Liquids-rich shale
  5. Real-World Exercise (half-day)
    • Shale gas reservoir, or fractured carbonate reservoir
    • Summary ‘Toolkit’

Notes:

What Participants are saying in the course reviews:

  • "New concepts and materials--lightbulb moment!"
  • "Resonates through all of what we do."
  • "Powerful use of industry examples."
  • "Realistic exercises reinforce theory and concepts."
  • "These ‘new’ tools will be part of my everyday thought processes and interactions."
Date Saturday, 22 July–Sunday, 23 July
Time 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Instructors Creties Jenkins (Rose and Associates, Houston, Texas)
Location Room 13 A
Fees *Member: $1400 — Nonmember: $1800
Includes Course Materials, Morning, Mid-Morning and Afternoon Refreshments, Classroom setting for deep discussion
CEU 1.6
Limit 30 People

Creties Jenkins

Creties Jenkins

Creties Jenkins is a Partner with Rose and Associates specializing in the characterization of unconventional reservoirs. Over the past decade he has conducted integrated studies, project reviews, and resource evaluations for 50+ companies and has taught 100+ industry courses and workshops. He has served as a technical editor, Distinguished Lecturer, and distinguished author for SPE and is a past president of the Energy Minerals Division of AAPG. Jenkins received a MS in Geology and a BS in Geological Engineering from the South Dakota School of Mines. He is a registered professional engineer and a registered professional geologist in Texas.

Understanding Seismic Anisotropy in Exploration and Exploitation

Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG)

  • Description
  • Objectives
  • Details
  • Instructors

Short Course 5

Cancelled

Saturday, 22 July–Sunday, 23 July 2017

Who Should Attend

Intermediate and Advanced levels. The course is designed for those with a few years of experience in conventional reflection seismic analysis. This is an excellent opportunity for all geophysicists to learn how a fundamental property of rocks affects our data, and how to deal with it. It is particularly important for those working with shale resource plays, since shales are particularly anisotropic, whether fractured or not.

Course Content

This short course discusses the growing importance of the seismic anisotropy of rock masses in seismic acquisition, processing, and interpretation.

All rock masses are seismically anisotropic, but we often ignore this in our seismic acquisition, processing, and interpretation. The anisotropy nonetheless does affect our data, in ways that limit our effectiveness in using it, if we ignore that anisotropy. In this short course, we will understand why this inconsistency between reality and practice has been so successful in the past, and why it is less successful now and in the future, as we acquire better seismic data, and correspondingly higher expectations of it. We will further understand how we can modify our practice so as to more fully realize the potential inherent in our data, through algorithms which recognize the fact of seismic anisotropy. To use the seismic data for subsurface physical characterization, we will require the application of anisotropic rock physics. This more realistic basis for seismic exploration and exploitation is particularly important (naturally!) for the shale resource. We will see that the anisotropy, although usually weak (when defined as a rock property), has weak effects on some seismic data, strong effects on other seismic data, and sometimes completely novel effects. The course is accompanied by numerous class exercises, presented in .xls format.

Objectives

Class participants will be able to discuss with colleagues:

  • the physical principles of seismic anisotropy, with examples
  • the application of these principles to P-wave imaging, specifically including the effects on moveout
  • the application of these principles to physical characterization of the subsurface (specifically including the effects on P-wave reflection amplitudes), using anisotropic rock physics
  • the application of these principles to S-wave data, specifically including shear wave splitting
  • the application of these principles to Converted-wave data, specifically including registration, diodic moveout, effective Gamma, and C-wave splitting
Date Saturday, 22 July–Sunday, 23 July
Time 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Instructors Leon Thomsen (Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory)
Location N/A
Fees *Member: $1145 — Nonmember: $1295 — **Student: $300
Includes Course Materials
IACET 1.5
Limit 50 People

Leon Thomsen

Mystery Man

Leon Thomsen holds degrees in geophysics from Caltech (BS, 1964) and Columbia (PhD, 1969). His academic career began with postdoctoral appointments at CNRS in Paris, and at Caltech in Pasadena, followed by a tenured faculty appointment at the State University of New York at Binghamton (1972-80).

Thomsen's industrial career began in 1980, at Amoco's famous Tulsa Research Center. In 1995, he moved to Amoco's Worldwide Exploration Group in Houston, to help implement the ideas (e.g. AVO) that he had earlier helped to invent. After the 1999 merger, he served in BP's Exploration and Production Technology Group in Houston as Principal Geophysicist and Senior Advisor.

Following retirement from BP in 2008, he remains professionally and scientifically active as Chief Scientist of Delta Geophysics, as Research Professor at the University of Houston, and as Visiting Scientist at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory.

Thomsen has led technical development in applied geophysics through innovation in vector seismics (polar anisotropy, azimuthal anisotropy, azimuthal AVO, converted waves, and Life-of-Field-Seismics); in pore-pressure prediction; and most recently in ISEM and anisotropic rock physics, through numerous SEG publications and presentations, and many patents.

Thomsen was an early recipient (1960-64) of an SEG Scholarship. He received SEG's Fessenden Award in 1994. He served as SEG Distinguished Lecturer in 1997 and as SEG/EAGE Distinguished Instructor in 2002. He is an Honorary Member of GSH and of EAGE. He is a Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences, and holder of their Kapitsa Medal. He served SEG as Vice President, as President-Elect, and as President (2006-07). He currently serves on the SEAM Board of Directors.

Understanding and Adapting Rockphysics Principles for Mudrock (Shale) Reservoirs

Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG)

  • Description
  • Objectives
  • Details
  • Instructors

Short Course 6

Saturday, 22 July–Sunday, 23 July 2017

Who Should Attend

Entry Level. Basic Geoscience education or experience required. Working knowledge about shales is a benefit.

Course Content

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.

Objectives

Upon completion, class participants will be able to:

  1. Identify and list changes in rock properties in mud rocks.
    • Classify mud rocks and potential changes due to kerogen presence, amount and maturity.
  2. Identify various pore systems in mud rocks.
    • Recognize types of pore size distribution data.
    • Assess changes in porosity and pore size distributions due to organics.
    • Access changes in flow properties due to pore size distributions.
  3. Classify velocity and resistivity correlations in mud rocks based on porosity/maturity/pore size changes/mineralogy.
    • Create velocity – porosity correlations in mud rocks.
    • Assess variations from conventional rocks.
  4. Predict potential changes due to organic content and its maturity.
    • Distinguish between changes in velocity - porosity relations in conventional and in organics-rich systems.
  5. Select and evaluate example data with various RP models to select best models to describe the changes.
    • Create an experimental program to acquire appropriate data for evaluation.
Date Saturday, 22 July–Sunday, 23 July
Time 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Instructors Manika Prasad (Colorado School of Mines, Golden, CO)
Location Room 15
Fees *Member: $1145 — Nonmember: $1295 — **Student: $300
Includes Course Materials
IACET 1.5 CEU
Limit 30 People

Manika Prasad

Mystery Man

Manika Prasad is a Professor of Petroleum Engineering at the Colorado School of Mines. She directs the DHI/Fluids and the OCLASSH (Organic, Clay, Sand, Shale) research consortia and is the director of the Center for Rock Abuse. Manika received a BS (Honors) in geology (with distinction), an MS (Diplom) in geology with marine geology and geophysics as minors, and a Ph.D. (magna cum laude) in geophysics, from the Christian-Albrechts-Universität at Kiel in Germany. Manika won the Merit Scholarship Award from the University of Bombay for her BS achievements and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung Scholarship for PhD research at Kiel University. She has worked at the Mineral Physics Laboratory at University of Hawaii, Stanford Rock Physics Laboratory at Stanford University, and at the Center for Rock Abuse at the Petroleum Engineering and Geophysics departments at Colorado School of Mines. Her students have won student paper awards. She was an advisor for Native American Students at Stanford and was named Outstanding Mentor to Native American Students during 2002 - 2003. Manika was the Fall 2012 SEG-AAPG Distinguished Lecturer and got the SEG Outstanding Educator Award in 2015.

Manika's main interests lie in understanding the basic principles governing the physical properties of rocks, fluids, and rocks with fluids. She is also interested in understanding how ant-sized phenomena control elephant-sized features. She has published widely in geophysical, geological, petroleum engineering, and nondestructive testing journals.

Introduction to Unconventional Reservoir Characterization

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

  • Description
  • Objectives
  • Details
  • Instructors

Short Course 7

Sunday, 23 July 2017

Who Should Attend

Geologist, Petrophysicist, Geophysicist, Earth Modeler, Drilling Engineer, Reservoir Engineer, Completion Engineer, and Production Engineer

Course Content

Unconventional hydrocarbon reservoirs, particularly shale-oil and shale-gas, are the future of the oil industry. It toke the oil industry about 160 years, since the first oil well in the USA was drilled in 1859, to master oil production from conventional reservoirs. Even after 160 years of accumulated experience with conventional reservoirs, the oil industry still faces new challenges in deep water drilling, completion, and enhanced oil recovery from heavy oil carbonates, tar sands, and tight gas sands.

On the other hand exploration, production and development of unconventional shale-gas and shale-oil started only about thirteen years ago, when George P. Mitchell in 2003 asked his engineers to extract natural gas from shale-gas reservoirs. It took 5 more years until other E&P companies took interest in shale-gas and shale-oil exploration.

Although shale makes up about two thirds of the stratigraphic column, more than the siliciclastics and carbonates combined, shale has been the least studied sedimentary rocks until very recently. Shale was always regarded as a cap-rock “Seal” in the petroleum system. In the late 1980’s and early 1990’s many studies on the evaluation of shale as a source rock were published. Starting on 2008 we saw noticeable interest in organic-rich shales, both shale-oil and shale-gas, as viable hydrocarbon reservoirs. Since then laterally thousands of research papers and articles were published on different aspects of shale-oil and shale-gas asset development techniques. All that is done to understand shale reservoirs and to increase drilling, completion, stimulation, and hydrocarbon production efficiencies from unconventional reservoirs.

Shales in many ways have been neglected and misunderstood for a long time. Many of the misconceptions about shale reservoirs still persist through the oil community. However, oil companies and governments around the globe are investing in unconventional oil resource plays. Due to the importance of these energy resources, this class will address some of these misconceptions.

The first part of the class is designed to give attendees a better understanding of unconventional “shale” hydrocarbon reservoirs, based on the geology, detailed mineralogy, organic-richness, and hydrocarbon content. Finally, the class will address with examples various ways for collaboration between petrophysicists and other disciplines to achieve efficient unconventional asset development through better understanding of lateral landing selection and proper completion optimization designs.

Petrophysics is an integral part of the detail unconventional reservoir characterization. It also serves as the core for integration and collaboration of many disciplines such as geology, geophysics, geochemistry, and earth modeling as well as drilling, completion, reservoir stimulation and production engineering. The attendees will be exposed to the data requirements, recent lab analysis techniques, and the proper procedures to achieve detailed petrophysical reservoir characterization.

  • Defining Unconventional Reservoirs (UCR) -- Define your target
  • What is SHALE
  • Shale Heterogeneity
  • What makes an unconventional reservoir
    • Clays (Mineralogy, Chemistry, Physical Properties, SEM)
    • Organic Matter (type, amount, and maturity level)
  • Unconventional Reservoir Conceptualization
    • Matrix Porosity
    • Organic Porosity
    • Unconventional Reservoir Petrophysical Characterization
    • Shale Laboratory Testing
    • UCR Petrophysical Analyses
      • Facies Identification
      • Clay Typing
      • Dynamic rock mechanics
      • Rock Physics for seismic ties
      • Pay zone characterization
    • New and emerging technologies:
      • Digital Rock Physics
        • Core GR and X-CT scanning
        • SEM/EDS
      • NMR logging
      • Dielectric logging
      • Multi-array acoustic image logs
  • Summary & Conclusions

Objectives

  • Comparison between conventional and unconventional petroleum systems
  • Understand main drivers making unconventional reservoir rocks
  • Develop an appreciation for unconventional reservoir heterogeneity
  • Evaluate the geochemistry and hydrocarbon potential of unconventional reservoirs
  • Learn special core analysis techniques for unconventional reservoir characterization
  • Understanding of wireline and mud logging evaluation techniques for unconventional reservoirs
  • Address the importance of dynamic rock mechanics and rock physics of unconventional reservoirs
  • Present examples of successful multidisciplinary collaboration in unconventional reservoir development
  • Introduce new technology into unconventional reservoir characterization
Date Sunday, 23 July
Time 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Instructors Dr. Mamdouh A. Shebl, Chevron, Katy, TX
Location Room 16
Fees Professionals $895 — **Students $115
Includes Course Notes and Refreshments
CEU/PDH 0.8/8
Limit 30 Professionals — 5 Students

Dr. Mamdouh A. Shebl

Mamdouh Shebl

Re-Fracturing – Candidate Selection & Design

Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE)

  • Description
  • Objectives
  • Details
  • Instructors

Short Course 8

Sunday, 23 July 2017

Who Should Attend

This course is of interest to petroleum engineers involved (directly or indirectly) in candidate selection, design and evaluation of re-fracturing treatments. It would be beneficial for participants to have a basic understanding of hydraulic fracturing and well completion concepts. However, the course is also of interest/value for reservoir engineering and management to understand what potentially can (and cannot) be achieved with re-fracturing.

Course Content

If I want to re-frac a well “just because” – maybe I am disappointed in the production – that is most likely a BAD idea. This course discusses how I can go about selecting a candidate (there are no really “good” candidates since having to re-frac indicates original fracs were not adequate) that will benefit from such a workover. Then, what extra considerations are involved in a treatment design. If you are considering the possibilities of re-fracturing operations, it is critical to understand all the various conditions that must be considered. These include: geomechanics of how production from this and offset wells may have changed in situ stresses, how proppant from the original frac may impact fracture propagation for the re-frac, and understanding specifically what must be accomplished by the re-fracture treatment (make longer fractures, inject stronger proppant to restore kfw, fracture new rock, etc.).

Objectives

  • What makes a good (or NOT) re-frac candidate
  • How does depletion affect the re-fracture for good and bad
  • What might be different about re-fracture treatment design
Date Sunday, 23 July
Time 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.
Instructors Michael B. Smith
Location Room 14
Fees *Member: $750 — Nonember: $950
Includes Course Notes and Refreshments
CEU 1.6
Limit 30 People

Michael B. Smith

Michael B. Smith