16 January, 2018

Interview with Matt Boyce and Kiran Gawankar, AAPG Petrophysical Technical Interest Group

Innovators in Technology Series

 

The Petrophysical Technical Interest Group (PIG) has been an astonishing success with many activities in its first year of existence, and many planned for 2018. Find out how you can get involved in the PIG’s low-cost training and find out about breakthrough technologies in well logging.

The Petrophysical Technical Interest Group (PIG) has been an astonishing success with many activities in its first year of existence, and many planned for 2018. Welcome to an interview with Matt Boyce and Kiran Gawankar, both of SWN, and co-directors of this AAPG TIG. In it, you will find out how you can get involved in the PIG’s low-cost training and find out about breakthrough technologies in well logging. It is useful to note that many of the opportunities surrounding Super Basins have been an outgrowth of new developments in petrophysics and integrated analytics. (Attend AAPG Super Basins: March 27 – 29, Houston)

What is your name and your experience with petrophysics?

My name is Matt Boyce and Kiran Gawankar. Kiran has been working in Petrophysics for over 15 years and myself for about 8 years.

What is the PIG?

The PIG is a petrophysics interest group with the goal of creating a technical platform to expand and share petrophysical knowledge. It is a integrated discipline and we would like to show that by always having the organization run by two people with different backgrounds who work in petrophysics. Currently we have 10 members on the Committee all actively working as a petrophysicist in some capacity. Also since it is an integrated discipline that occurs after university we would like to encourage more learning and research at the university level. Our main goal besides dispersal of petrophysical knowledge is education at the university and industry levels.

What are the events that the Petrophysical Technical Interest Group has done so far?

So far we have had a Wireline Introductory course (2 days) partnered with Haliburton for a price of $300 dollars. Students were able to be on an actual logging job and receive basic instruction on tool theory. The second event we completed was an advanced mudlogging course with Geolog International ($200 class). All mudlogging equipment and trailers were brought to the class and students were able to see the equipment and how it runs for analysis. Additionally, the subject matter experts were provided by Geolog to instruct on tool theory with PIG at-large members giving an ending lecture from the operator’s perspective on how we use these tools.

Please list the events you have in the works.

Currently we have the following events planned with hard or tentative dates:

  • Basic Well Log Interpretation- Will do a trial at UofH for free and then it will be rolled out to the rest of industry sometime in the Spring of 2018
  • Cased Hole Logging/Partnered with Haliburton- Spring 2018
  • Routine Core Analysis- Summer 2018
  • One Day Technical Conference on May 2nd- Will be a venue for petrophysical research to be shown. Any are encouraged to attend. Conference will be ~$ 100 for the day. The goal is to use these proceeds to develop a yearly scholarship to give to students through the AAPG chapter
  • Follow up Course for Advanced Mudlogging with Geolog International- Will be in early spring of 2018 this time at the Shell Campus. More details to come
  • NMR course- This course will be taught by PIG members at large and Industry experts on NMR at multiple life cycles. Theory, Core, Wireline, and Operator integration. We hope to be able to offer this course the two days before the May 2nd event. Updates will follow
What is your May 2 event?

Will be a venue where petrophysical research will be shown. Any are encouraged to attend. The conference cost will be ~$ 100 for the day. The goal is to use these proceeds to develop a yearly scholarship to give to students through the AAPG chapter

What are your long-term goals?

Our long-terms goals are to educate the masses not just petrophysicist so that more advancements can be made in the field. We also have the goal of creating potential relationships with universities to encourage more petrophysical studies.

Finally, we are an integrated discipline and that does not just mean geology and engineering. We want to eventually grow the organization so that it can have a conference for new ideas for service companies. While the E&P companies find the prospects we want to provide an avenue for startup service ideas or major ones to have a forum or conference to display products. Here small startups could market their companies to operators or even to other service companies. We have a soft name for that event which is called Petrofiction. We hope to grow to that but that is a few years out. (Note: AAPG Pitchapalooza will offer an initial platform / venue for exposure).

What kinds of scholarships do you envision giving?

We envision on currently giving two to 3 scholarships away each year (~$1,000-2,000 each depending on funding). The goal will be to use the student chapters as a way to disperse applications. We want to have students submit applications of their research that must be petrophysically inclined. Additionally all applicants must be an AAPG student member. The PIG committee would go through the applicants and pick the top two or three then proceed with a formal letter to the department acknowledging the student and sending a check directly to them. From there, the PIG would advertise the scholars on our Linkedin page for their contributions and great work. Eventually we would like to have these students at the one-day conference to show their work. It would be good for them to interact with petrophysical peers as well as potential employers.