Geology

Fractured reservoirs such as tight carbonates and basements set complex challenges to appraisal and development teams due to their high degree of heterogeneity and hard-to-predict reservoir quality. A multi-disciplinary approach that draws on sedimentology, diagenesis, structural geology, rock mechanics and reservoir engineering techniques has to be applied.

This course provides geologists and reservoir engineers with the essential knowledge needed in the real-world business context where management of risk and reduction of uncertainties is important. The objective is to present the key technical issues in geology, geomechanics and engineering and illuminate the range of tools and techniques available to tackle them (along with their limitations). A constant theme is to illustrate these issues with case histories from the industry.

The course is intended to be interactive in that delegates are encouraged to participate in discussions so that key points are openly scrutinised.

A constant theme of the course is to apply ‘first principles’ from geological science to the results generated by reservoir characterisation tools, techniques and modelling softwares. With due attention to these principles the technical and commercial risks associated with fractured reservoir hydrocarbon developments can be mitigated.