PRE-CONFERENCE Short Course 1
Workshop on Microbial Carbonate Facies and Reservoirs
Date: Friday, 13 November
Time: 09:00–17:00
Instructors: Ernie Mancini (University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA) and Wayne Ahr (Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA)
Fee: Professional: US$800; Student: US$400 (limited)
Includes: Workbook, refreshments and lunch
Limit: 50 people
In this course participants will characterize the attributes of the facies associated with microbial buildups in a sequence stratigraphic framework through outcrop studies, and use this information for the recognition of potential reservoir facies. They will also construct depositional models for microbial buildup development and characterize porosity formation and preservation in potential reservoir facies through subsurface case studies. Participants will then use the information resulting from the outcrop and subsurface case studies to design exploration strategies to recognize potential microbial buildups and potential reservoir facies in the subsurface. Background information: In the northeastern Gulf of Mexico, Upper Jurassic Smackover inner-ramp shallow-water thrombolite buildups developed on paleotopographic features in the eastern part of the Mississippi Interior Salt Basin and in the Manila and Conecuh.
PRE-CONFERENCE Short Course 2
Salt Geology and Tectonics
Dates: Friday–Saturday, 13–14 November
Time: 09:00–17:00
Location: Excelsior Copacabana
Instructors: Webster Mohriak and Peter Szatmari (Petrobras, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil)
Fee: Professional: US$1,200; Student: US$30 (limited)
Includes: Workbook, refreshments and lunch
Limit: 50 people
This short course presents the basic concepts of evaporite deposition and salt tectonics responsible for major hydrocarbon accumulations worldwide. The chemical and physical properties of evaporites make them act as seals for stratigraphic and structural traps; and additionally, halokinesis may also influence the development of overlying reservoirs.
Topics to be covered include:
- Chemical and physical properties of salt minerals
- Origin and composition of evaporites
- Formation of evaporite basins: tectonic and climatic controls
- Evaporites cored from salt mines and petroleum boreholes
- Classification of evaporites and their petrophysical properties
- Models for salt deposition in present-day evaporite basins
- Classical mechanisms of salt diapir formation
- Classical halokinetic models from the North Sea
- Extensional and compressional models in continental margins
- Evaporite basins in the Brazilian and West African margins
- Autochthonous and allochthonous salt techonics: Gulf of Mexico concepts
- Geohistory of salt deposition in sedimentary basins worldwide
- Numerical and physical models for selected salt structures
These concepts will be illustrated by seismic profiles from evaporite basins worldwide, and physical and numerical models are used throughout the course to highlight the development of salt structures. A brainstorm session on the last day will discuss specific problems proposed by the participants.
PRE-CONFERENCE Short Course 3
Student Short Course — Sequence Stratigraphy Workshop
Dates: Friday–Saturday, 13–14 November
Time: 09:00–17:00
Instructor:Vitor Abreu (ExxonMobil, Houston, TX, USA)
Fee: US$50
Includes: Workbook, refreshments and lunch
Limit: 30 people
This two-day short course is a “hands-on” introduction to the concepts and practical applications of sequence stratigraphy. Through a mix of lectures, in-class work sessions and exercises the course will review: Basic concepts and terminology of sequence stratigraphy, stratigraphic building blocks of depositional sequences, recognition criteria for the identification of depositional sequences, application of sequence stratigraphy in non-marine, shallow-marine and sub-marine depositional settings, and implications for play element prediction in petroleum exploration.
PRE-CONFERENCE Short Course 4
Application of Biological Markers to Understand Petroleum Systems
Date: Saturday, 14 November
Time: 09:00–17:00
Instructors: J. Michael Moldowan (Stanford University, Palo Alto, CA, USA) and Marcio Mello (HRT Petroleum, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil)
Fee: Professional: US$800; Student: US$20 (limited
Includes: Workbook, refreshments and lunch
Limit: 50 people
Studies have shown that geochemistry can significantly reduce exploration risk. Molecular geochemistry of oil and gas to determine its geologic history is the major tool, but the technology is complex and not in the mainstream of education for most geologists and engineers. Furthermore, recent advances may be difficult to assimilate or unavailable from the published literature. This short course on molecular technologies will include biomarkers, diamondoids and Compound Specific Isotopes Analysis (CSIA) presenting a detailed vision of petroleum geochemistry as it relates to oil and gas exploration. Topics range from the routinely applied biomarker methods to recently developed age-related biomarker and diamondoid concepts to the emerging CSIA technologies. Together these tools provide unequaled detail to understand petroleum systems and to plan new exploration programs with maximized potential/ decreased risk. Assimilate the basic tools to map petroleum systems, techniques to recognize new deep gas and condensate potential, discern and unravel multiple-sourced oil fields, tract oil quality and understand reservoir evolution in detail.
PRE-CONFERENCE Short Course 5
Brazilian Albian Carbonate Reservoirs Guided Core Display
Date: Saturday, 14 November
Time: 09:30–16:00
Co-Chairs: Almério França & Adali Spadini & Roberto D'Avila
Instructors: Fernanda Brito and Daniela Oliveira (Petrobras, Brazil)
Fee: Professional: US$1,500; Student: US$750 (limited)
Includes: Refreshments and lunch
Limit: 25 people
The core workshop does not intend to be characterized as a course, but as a core display where the participants will have a unique opportunity to analyze Brazilian carbonate reservoirs and to interact and exchange ideas and experiences with other professionals. The core workshop will consist of a presentation of the regional distribution of the Albian carbonates along the Brazilian margin and general characteristics of the carbonate depositional environments and the main reservoir types.
The Albian carbonates represent sedimentation in a marine platform, deposited right after the salt package, during the Atlantic Ocean aperture.
The high energy facies are composed by oolitic and oncolitic grainstones and packstones, with marine bioclasts. Those facies are deposited in banks, bars, beaches in internal platform environment. Near the salt (anhydrite and halite deposits) the carbonatic facies usually occurs dolomitized. Wackestone with bioclasts facies can also be observed in internal platform, related to more protected areas. In the context, mudstones with bioclasts appear in muddy environments, related to low energy places.
In the Lower Albian, the high energy facies are observed, interbedded with moderate and low energy creating depositional cycles with high frequencies (5th or 4th order).
In the Medium Albian, the frequencies of the cycles are lower as consequences of the drowning of the whole platform.
PRE-CONFERENCE Short Course 6
Structural Styles in Petroleum Exploration
Date: Saturday, 14 November
Time: 09:00–17:00
Instructor: Pedro Zalan (Petrobras, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil)
Fee: Professional: US$800; Student: now just US$50 (limited)
Includes: Workbook, refreshments and lunch
Limit: 50 people
The course presents the basic concepts of structural styles based on modern findings achieved in the fields of structural geology and seismic interpretation, during the last 30 years. The huge amount of seismic data available for petroleum exploration revealed previously unknown styles of deformation, in both onshore and offshore sedimentary basins, but especially in the deep and ultra-deep water realms of the continental margins. It also greatly increased the knowledge about old known styles.
Topics to be covered include:
- Extensional tectonics
- Planar non-rotational blocks
- Planar rotational blocks
- Listric faults and rollover structures
- Examples of major rifts
- Compressional tectonics
- Tectonic elements of convergent margins
- Fold-and-thrust belts
- Foreland basins
- Basement-cored uplifts Combination tectonics
- Inversion tectonics
- Autochtonous and allochtonous salt tectonics
- Linked extensional-compressional systems
- Strike-slip tectonics
- Flower structures
- Belts of en echelon deformation
- Transtensional basins
- Igneous intrusive tectonics
- Impact tectonics
The concepts will be heavily illustrated by seismic and field examples, trying to focus on their helpfulness for successful petroleum exploration.
PRE-CONFERENCE Short Course 7
Student Short Course — Visualization
Date: Saturday, 14 November
Time: 09:00–17:00
Location: StatoilHydro Visualization Center, Rio de Janeiro
Instructor: Nils Telnaes (StatoilHydro, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil)
Fee: US$30
Includes: Workbook, refreshments and lunch
Limit: 12 people
This course will use examples from the deepwater Santos Basin.
Topics to be covered include:
- 3-D seismic interpretation techniques: views on methods and tools
- 3-D seismic data and geomorphology: what to look for and how to see it
- Attribute analysis: based and structural techniques
- Visualizing geomorphology: how to make geologic elements from seismic data look their best
PRE-CONFERENCE Short Course 8
Student Short Course — Integrated Basin and Play Analysis
Date: Saturday, 14 November
Time: 09:00–17:00
Instructor: Bob Stewart (ExxonMobil, Houston, TX, USA)
Fee: US$30
Includes: Workbook, refreshments and lunch
Limit: 30 people
In the course we will explore concepts, methods and tools of petroleum geosciences, which we use on a day-to-day basis to make exploration decisions in the energy industry. We will focus on how we make decisions with limited information, identify critical information in light of multiple scenarios, evaluate risk vs. uncertainty, maximize the value we get from integrated teams, etc. To investigate these topics we will generate play element maps, play summary charts, cross-sections and play summary maps. The course will combine lecture materials and hands-on exercises, with an emphasis on the exercises. The course will focus on an applied problem in basin exploration. Students will make play maps, evaluate play risk and bid on prospective acreage. Throughout the course we will stress the importance of integration across disciplines and scales, focusing on the interaction and expression of fundamental basin formation, fill and evolution processes from regional to basin and play to prospect scale. These discussions will include consideration of plate motion, paleogeography, stratigraphy, structural deformation, sedimentology, rock properties, subsurface imaging, burial history and fluid migration.
POST-CONFERENCE Short Course 9
Brazilian Brazilian Tertiary and Cretaceous Turbidites and Associated Facies Guided Core Display
Date: Thursday, 19 November
Time: 09:00–17:00
Co-Chairs: Almério França & Adali Spadini & Roberto D'Avila
Guides: Luci Arienti and Viviane dos Santos (Petrobras, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil)
Fee: Professional: US$1,500; Student: US$750 (limited)
Includes: Refreshments and lunch
Limit: 25 people
The core workshop will consist of a general presentation about Tertiary and Cretaceous turbidites and associated facies cored in the Brazilian basins.
The main topics that will be discussed are: a) facies/facies association; b) depositional processes; c) delivery mechanisms of the sediments; d) stacking pattern of each reservoir; e) log patterns; f) contrasting architectural styles; g) sequence stratigraphy approach; and h) reservoir characterization. The discussions will include a poster type presentation of the cores.
The core workshop does not intend to be characterized as a course, but as a core display where the participants will have a unique opportunity to analyze Brazilian Tertiary and Cretaceous turbidite reservoirs and to interact and exchange ideas and experiences with other professionals.
POST-CONFERENCE Short Course 10
Student Short Course — Integrated Basin and Play Analysis
Date: Thursday, 19 November
Time: 09:00–17:00
Instructor: Bob Stewart (ExxonMobil, Houston, TX, USA)
Fee: US$30
Includes: Workbook, refreshments and lunch
Limit: 30 people
In the course, we will explore concepts, methods and tools of petroleum geosciences, which we use on a day-to-day basis to make exploration decisions in the energy industry. We will focus on how we make decisions with limited information, identify critical information in light of multiple scenarios, evaluate risk vs. uncertainty, maximize the value we get from integrated teams, etc. To investigate these topics, we will generate play element maps, play summary charts, cross-sections and play summary maps. The course will combine lecture materials and hands-on exercises, with an emphasis on the exercises, and will focus on an applied problem in basin exploration. Students will make play maps, evaluate play risk and bid on prospective acreage. Throughout the course we will stress the importance of integration across disciplines and scales, focusing on the interaction and expression of fundamental basin formation, fill and evolution processes from regional to basin and play to prospect scale. These discussions will include consideration of plate motion, paleogeography, stratigraphy, structural deformation, sedimentology, rock properties, subsurface imaging, burial history and fluid migration.
POST-CONFERENCE Short Course 11
3-D Petroleum System Modeling
Dates: Thursday–Friday, 19–20 November
Time: 09:00–17:00
Instructor: Andre Bender (HRT Petroleum, Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil)
Fee: Professional: US$1,200; Student: now just US$100 (limited)
Includes: Workbook, refreshments and lunch
Limit: 50 people
Topics to be covered include:
- General introduction of petroleum systems modeling applications
- Thermal history and heat flow: temperatures and thermal histories
- Pressure prediction and compaction pressure: porosity and compaction modeling
- Calibration: organic petrography, kinetics geochemistry of source rocks and oil — basic aspects for the calibration of the maturity and migration model
- Migration: source rock tracking, compositional modeling, PVT
- Migration models: invasion percolation, darcy and hybrid
- Volume assessment and PVT modeling
POST-CONFERENCE Short Course 12
Student Short Course — Seismic Amplitude Interpretation
Dates: Thursday–Friday, 19–20 November
Time: 09:00–17:00
Instructor: Fred Hilterman (GeoKinetics, Houston, TX, USA )
Fee: US$50
Includes: Workbook, refreshments and lunch
Limit: 30 people
The goal of seismic amplitude interpretation is the validation of reservoir composition, which matured from the 1970 Bright Spot analyses to amplitude-versus-offset (AVO) techniques. This course introduces the empirical and theoretical rockphysics basis for reservoir characterization and catalogs rock properties to expected seismic signatures. Techniques for recognizing and quantifying hydrocarbons in different rockproperty settings (Class 1-4) are introduced and subsequently illustrated with numerous field examples. Various seismic amplitude attributes for distinguishing lithology and pore fluid are introduced. Rock-property and AVO modeling programs are supplied to each participant to assist in the classroom exercises involving seismic discrimination of lithology and porefluid. Case histories involving Class 1, 2, and 3 AVO anomalies are presented along with numerous rock-property studies.
POST-CONFERENCE Short Course 13
Fluvial Stratigraphy
CANCELED
Dates: Thursday–Friday, 19–20 November
Time: 09:00–17:00
Instructor: John Holbrook (University of Texas, Arlington, TX, USA)
Fee: US$895, AAPG members; US$995, nonmembers (US$995/US$1,095 after 2 October)
POST-CONFERENCE Short Course 14
Brazilian Geology: Atlantic Brazilian Margins
CANCELED
Date: Friday, 20 November
Time: 09:00–17:00
Instructor: Nilo C. de Azambuja Filho (HRT Petroleum, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil)
Fee:Professional: US$800; Student: US$400 (limited)
Includes: Workbook, refreshments and lunch
