5th Edition: AAPG/EAGE Hydrocarbon Seals of the Middle East GTW

Workshop Objectives

Traditionally, seal evaluations focused mainly on thickness and its relation to sealing capacity. However, with the discovery of various trapping styles such as stratigraphic, combined structural-stratigraphic, and diagenetic traps, also with the rise of CO₂ storage projects, other factors must be investigated to de-risk seals and assess their effectiveness.

This workshop aims to highlight elements such as rock mineralogy and lithofacies variations, brittle-ductile behavior driven by texture and diagenesis, hydrocarbon phase properties and column height, structural reactivation and tilted fluid contacts, pressure regimes, and field dynamics during production.

The workshop will showcase integrated, multidisciplinary techniques and workflows to quantify, predict, and evaluate seal effectiveness through regional case studies. The outcome will enhance collective understanding of hydrocarbon seals and improve CO₂ storage practices in the context of evolving energy demands.

The program will feature oral presentations and posters on a wide range of topics, including integration of seismic interpretation, structural evaluation, core analysis, mineralogical and petrophysical characterization, geochemistry, geomechanics, pressure, and production data.

Workshop Themes

• Regional and intraformational seals with field analogues
• Sequence stratigraphy, facies, diagenesis, and their relationship to seal development
• Seal architecture and capacity in carbonate, evaporite, siliciclastic, and mixed sequences
• Static (capillary) and dynamic sealing capacity and hydrocarbon retention
• Integrating petrophysical, rock mechanics, seismic, and engineering data for seal assessment
• Impact of structural geology, geomechanics, and fluid tilting on seal behavior
• Fault seal capacity and implications for fluid flow modeling
• Evaluating seals for carbon capture and storage

Attendees & Benefits

This workshop is designed for geoscientists, petrophysicists, geomechanics specialists, and reservoir engineers involved in seal evaluation and analysis. Attendees will have the opportunity to exchange ideas, share their experiences, learn new techniques, and benefit from a wide range of takeouts including:

• Up-to-date insight into hydrocarbon seals in exploration and production
• Exposure to regional case studies and proven workflows for seal detection and capacity assessment
• An opportunity to network with peers, industry professionals, and academic researchers.