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PTTC
couldn’t resist—it had to exhibit at the “Rocky Mountain
Energy Epicenter 2008,” the joint meeting organized by the
Rocky Mountain Section of the American Association of
Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) and the Colorado Oil & Gas
Association. This event brought together three conferences:
20th Annual Gas Strategy Conference, Rocky Mountain
Investment Forum and the AAPG’s Rocky Mountain Section
annual meeting. A “very large” couldn’t resist either.
Enthusiasm abounded and so did the technology.
With a
reservoir engineering background (Lance Cole, PTTC
operations manager), I couldn’t resist listening in on the
tech session on “the business value of 3D seismic.” Session
co-chair set the tone by highlighting results from a Lehman
Brothers survey where operators identified the three most
influential
technologies for their
business as being 3-D seismic, hydraulic fracturing and
directional/horizontal drilling. Thrust of the session was
how to communicate the value of the “visualization” that 3-D
provides in terms of business drivers.
Kim Parsons, Venoco, Inc., stressed that
there is a life cycle to seismic data and one must know
which part of the cycle you are in. Stages are (1)
exploration, (2) field development, (3) reservoir
characterization and (4) salvage. In exploration the driver
is finding cost, so express value in F&D units such as $/Mcf.
In the field development stage, one is working to extend
boundaries so express value in less risk, fewer dry holes.
In the reservoir characterization stage there are many
wells, so one can really work and integrate well and seismic
data to refine infield opportunities. Here and in the
salvage stage one can optimize the |
work flow, learning
how to do it to better find the next field. Parsons
cited Venoco’s experience in the Sacramento Basin in California,
where success rate improved from 70% to 92%.
Reinforcing
those points, Sally Zinke with Ultra Petroleum cited their
experience in Pinedale Anticline development, noting that
3-D seismic data “keeps on giving through the life of the
field.” Using 3-D data Ultra was able to forecast step-out
wells and design delineation wells for maximum impact on
reserves. High success rates enabled Ultra to have the
staying power to see it through and grow reserves. Reserves
at the end of 2003 were 4.7 Tcf, which grew to 23.3 Tcf by
the end of 2006, and continue to grow being 27.3 Tcf at the
end of 2007. And it has been very economical with F&D costs
being less than $1/Mcf.
In another session, Duncan Bate,
Senior Sales Geophysicist at ARKeX, described the
application of their BlueQubeTM geophysical techniques to
the Central Utah Hinge Line. This province is the site of
Wolverine Gas and Oil’s Covenant Field, the largest
conventional onshore find in recent decades. It has produced
over 4.5 million barrels since its discovery in late 2003. |
more detailed picture than
conventional gravity methods. At the heart of the gravity gradiometry
is military technology previously classified by the US
Department of Defense. Manufactured by Lockheed Martin, the
gradiometer deployed is currently the world’s most sensitive
gradiometer available. He showed a density
distribution map, basically a density distribution of the Arapien Shale, over the field in which the Sevier Anticline
could be clearly seen. The density variation could either be
caused by density variations in the shale or by changes in
shale thickness. An existing well was used as a check. The
map, which agreed well with production wells, revealed both
field extent and closure. A map over a larger area of the
Hingeline showed that the anticline trends extend further
north and gave evidence of closures. Further details about
BlueQubeTM technology are available online at
www.arkex.com.
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His talk was a
follow-on to a previous presentation at the last RMS-AAPG conference in Snowbird, Utah.
ARKeX ran
airborne surveys over the Covenant Field to show that their
methods could provide an analog for future exploration of
the Hingeline. ARKeX runs airborne gravity gradiometry and
combines this with high resolution magnetics, gravity and
LIDAR to produce a detailed picture of the subsurface
geology. Known as BlueQubeTM it can also incorporate
seismic, digital video and well log data. High sensitivity
gravity gradiometry provides a |
Workshop Topics
To Look Forward To
(check calendar on
www.pttc.org
for latest information)
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9/17-19
Paradox Basin Field Trip (RMAG) - Southeast Utah.
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9/22-23
Symposium: Rocky Mountain “Dusters” Lessons Learned and
Opportunities Created (RMAG) - Denver, CO.
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9/23 Short
Course: Risk Management (RMAG) - Denver, CO.
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10/18
Niobrara Core Workshop - Denver, CO.
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10/20-21
Uranium Geology and Geochemistry - Golden, CO.
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10/28 Core
Workshop: Depositional Environments, Diagenesis, and
Hydrothermal Alteration of the Mississippian Leadville
Limestone Reservoir, Paradox - Denver, CO.
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11/7
GeoGraphix, An Overview & Refresher - Golden, CO.
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11/11
Carbonate Diagenesis, Dolomitization, and Porosity
Evolution - Golden, CO.
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11/21 GIS
and GPS for Earth Scientists - Golden, CO.
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12/3 Paradox
Basin Core Workshop - Denver, CO.
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Rocky
Mountain
Region