Fundamentals of Petroleum Geology

Course Duration: 5 days, including lecture-based modules and hands-on exercises

Who Should Attend: Development and exploration geologists, geophysicists, petroleum engineers, managers, and technical personnel

About the Course: This course is intended as an introduction to geology as it applies to the petroleum industry. Emphasis is restricted to applied geological topics. A major part of the course gives the participant a broad idea of the tasks performed by the petroleum geologist, including what maps are constructed and how the necessary data are gathered and used. Exercises include basic map-making skills, utilizing well logs, and seismic data.

The lectures explain the basic disciplines, including structural geology (with emphasis on structural trapping of hydrocarbons); sedimentology (particularly as applied to deposition and lithology, porosity, and permeability, and in predicting and preventing formation damage); paleontology (as applied in the oil field for determining correlations, ages of sediment, and environments of deposition); geochemical exploration; and a simple introduction to seismic geophysics (including 3D seismic) as an exploration and reservoir management tool.

You Will Learn:

• The ingredients for an economic hydrocarbon accumulation, including source, reservoir, seal, trap, timing, and economics, and how the recipe for success relates in large part to an understanding of the geology of the petroleum system.
• The fundamental tools of the petroleum geologist, including drilling data, cuttings and core data, logging-while-drilling (LWD) and wireline logs, outcrop studies, and geophysical data (including seismic, gravity, magnetic, magnetotelluric, etc.).
• The fundamental maps and displays used to illustrate geological data and how they are generated (enhanced by numerous hands-on exercises, including well log correlation, structure contour mapping, and seismic interpretation).
• To quantify the amount of hydrocarbon reserves, including generation of the net hydrocarbon isochore map.
• The role of geology in the drilling process, including wellbore stability, reservoir navigation, and completion.
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Course Topics:

• Introduction to Geology
  • Understanding the petroleum system from generation of hydrocarbons from source rocks, through migration, to accumulation, and ultimate extraction.
  • General review of fundamental concepts of geology, including deposition of sediments, changes during burial and/or deformation, and the pore system.
• Tasks Performed by the Petroleum Geologist
  • Review of the role of the petroleum geologist from exploration to drilling to exploitation stages.
• Tools Used by the Petroleum Geologist
  • Examination of the variety of tools used by the petroleum geologist, including drilling reports, cuttings/core data, well log data, and geophysical data.
  • The need for integrative studies, utilizing all available data.
• Basic Map and Cross Section Skills
  • Examination of the types of maps, cross sections, and other displays used to present and summarize geological data, and how they are made.
  • Contouring techniques, and quick-look validation of results.
• Utilizing Well Logs and Seismic Data
  • Integrated analysis of the two primary datasets used by the petroleum geoscientist.
  • Well log correlation.
  • Fundamentals of seismic interpretation.
• Sedimentary Petrology and Stratigraphy
  • How sediments are deposited and turned to stone.
  • Understanding the pore system, including review of basic petrophysics.
• Structural Geology
  • Structural Trapping of Hydrocarbons, including discussion of deformation and deformation products (faults, folds, and fractures), including fracture stimulation.
• Preventing Formation Damage
  • Understanding key elements of the rock/mineral/fluid system and how to recognize potential risk factors for formation damage.
• Geochemical Exploration
  • The role of geochemical aspects toward exploration, including magnetic susceptibility, vegetation variations, and soil chemistry.
• Hands-On Exercises
  • Numerous practical exercises are incorporated throughout the course to give the participant real hands-on experience of key tasks performed by the petroleum geologist.
  • Exercises include contouring, well log correlation, fault plane mapping and structural contour mapping, general interpretation exercises (both well log and seismic), well log analysis (petrophysics), and bulk volume hydrocarbon determination.