Explorer Emphasis Article

Time after time: Advanced geophysical techniques have been used for identifying fractures in Saudi Arabia. The rest of the story, however, was getting the story …

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Division Column EMD

Are you passionate about unconventional energy resources? Would you like to learn as much as possible about the latest concepts and technologies to explore and develop these?

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Division Column EMD

AAPG’S Energy Minerals Division (EMD) will respond to heightened awareness of global energy issues by offering an extensive and diverse selection of sessions, short courses, field trips and forums at the upcoming 2009 AAPG Annual Convention and Exhibition, set for June 7-10 in Denver.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

Growing pains: Shale gas is abundant in North America, but investment in production has to catch up with discovery.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Geophysical Corner

This two-part series describes how Sinopec's local operating company, Southwest Petroleum Branch, utilized full-wave seismic data to improve production from a fractured tight-gas reservoir in XinChang Field, Sichuan Province, China.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Geophysical Corner

This two-part series describes how Sinopec’s local operating company, Southwest Petroleum Branch (SWPB), utilized full-wave seismic data to improve production from a fractured tight-gas reservoir in XinChang Field, Sichuan Province, China. 

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

“Go West, young man …” and women, too, because there seems to be plenty of work for everyone: The Rocky Mountains beckon to oil and gas players like never before.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Article

Deep in the heart of Texas . . . there are a lot of new approaches and strategies that are being applied in a lot of older areas, providing a fresh appearance to a familiar face.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Regions and Sections

This month’s column discusses next year’s AAPG International Conference and Exhibition in Cape Town, South Africa.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
Explorer Emphasis Article

Don't feel bad if you haven't grasped the uses and benefits of geophysical tools in unconventional plays -- you're not alone. But here's something you need to know.

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)
VG Abstract

Production from unconventional petroleum reservoirs includes petroleum from shale, coal, tight-sand and oil-sand. These reservoirs contain enormous quantities of oil and natural gas but pose a technology challenge to both geoscientists and engineers to produce economically on a commercial scale. These reservoirs store large volumes and are widely distributed at different stratigraphic levels and basin types, offering long-term potential for energy supply. Most of these reservoirs are low permeability and porosity that need enhancement with hydraulic fracture stimulation to maximize fluid drainage. Production from these reservoirs is increasing with continued advancement in geological characterization techniques and technology for well drilling, logging, and completion with drainage enhancement. Currently, Australia, Argentina, Canada, Egypt, USA, and Venezuela are producing natural gas from low permeability reservoirs: tight-sand, shale, and coal (CBM). Canada, Russia, USA, and Venezuela are producing heavy oil from oilsand. USA is leading the development of techniques for exploring, and technology for exploiting unconventional gas resources, which can help to develop potential gas-bearing shales of Thailand. The main focus is on source-reservoir-seal shale petroleum plays. In these tight rocks petroleum resides in the micro-pores as well as adsorbed on and in the organics. Shale has very low matrix permeability (nano-darcies) and has highly layered formations with differences in vertical and horizontal properties, vertically non-homogeneous and horizontally anisotropic with complicate natural fractures. Understanding the rocks is critical in selecting fluid drainage enhancement mechanisms; rock properties such as where shale is clay or silica rich, clay types and maturation , kerogen type and maturation, permeability, porosity, and saturation. Most of these plays require horizontal development with large numbers of wells that require an understanding of formation structure, setting and reservoir character and its lateral extension. The quality of shale-gas resources depend on thickness of net pay (>100 m), adequate porosity (>2%), high reservoir pressure (ideally overpressure), high thermal maturity (>1.5% Ro), high organic richness (>2% TOC), low in clay (<50%), high in brittle minerals (quartz, carbonates, feldspars), and favourable in-situ stress. During the past decade, unconventional shale and tight-sand gas plays have become an important supply of natural gas in the US, and now in shale oil as well. As a consequence, interest to assess and explore these plays is rapidly spreading worldwide. The high production potential of shale petroleum resources has contributed to a comparably favourable outlook for increased future petroleum supplies globally. Application of 2D and 3D seismic for defining reservoirs and micro seismic for monitoring fracturing, measuring rock properties downhole (borehole imaging) and in laboratory (mineralogy, porosity, permeability), horizontal drilling (downhole GPS), and hydraulic fracture stimulation (cross-linked gel, slick-water, nitrogen or nitrogen foam) is key in improving production from these huge resources with low productivity factors.

Show more

Request a visit from Ameed Ghori!

American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG)

Related Interests

See Also ...