Petroleum Exploration: Geology and

Geophysics
Dr. Joel Ben-Awuah
Table of Content
Exploration: Definition and key terms
Petroleum Geology
Petroleum System
Prospect Evaluation
Formation Evaluation
Petroleum Geophysics
Exploration methods
Seismic interpretation
Petroleum Exploration
Hydrocarbonexploration(or oil and
gasexploration) is the search
bypetroleumgeologists and geophysicists for
hydrocarbon deposits beneath the Earth's surface,
such as oil and natural gas. Oil and
gasexplorationare grouped under the science
ofpetroleum geology and geophysics.
Wikipedia.com
What is Petroleum?
A natural liquid hydrocarbon found beneath the
earths surface
The Origin of Petroleum

Organic-rich Thermally Matured Oil

Source Rock Organic Matter
Houston Geological Society
Academic Liaison
Committee 4
PetroleumWhere is it found?
Basins are containers for sediment
Earths basins contain sediment/rocks, air, or
water

Houston Geological Society

Academic Liaison Committee
5
What is petroleum geology
It is the application of geology (the study of rocks)
to the exploration for and production of oil and
gas.
Subject that deals with the study of how oil and
gas is formed and accumulates in the earths
crust.
Geology itself is strongly based on chemistry,
physics and biology, involving the application of
essentially abstract concepts to data.
 Schematic Representation of the Mechanism
of Petroleum Generation and Destruction

Organic Debris
Progressive Burial and Heating

Diagenesis

Oil Reservoir

Kerogen Initial Bitumen

Catagenesis Thermal Degradation
Migration
Oil and Gas

Cracking
Methane
Metagenesis
Carbon

(modified from Tissot and Welte, 1984)

The Context of Petroleum
Geology
 Definition

A Petroleum System is defined as a natural system

that encompasses a pod of active source rock and
all related oil and gas and which includes all of
the geologic elements and processes that are
essential if a hydrocarbon accumulation is to
exist.

(Leslie B. Magoon and Wallace G. Dow, AAPG Memoir 60)

MR@Aug2008
 PETROLEUM SYSTEM ELEMENTS
- DEFINITION
Source Rock - A rock with abundant hydrocarbon-prone
organic matter. Organic matter should be
matured.

Reservoir Rock - A rock in which oil and gas accumulates:

- Porosity - space between rock grains in which oil
accumulates - Permeability - passage-ways between pores
through which oil and gas moves

Seal Rock - A rock through which oil and gas cannot move
effectively (such as salt, mudstone and claystone)

Migration Route - Avenues in rock through which oil and

gas moves from source rock to trap

Trap - The structural and stratigraphic configuration that

focuses oil and gas into an accumulation
Timing: Elements must occur in the right sequence

Source: AAPG
MJH@Mac2007
 The elements

Overburden

Overburden

Seal layer

Reservoir layer

Source rock layer

Source rock layer

 The processes

GOC
OWC

Top of oil window

Top of gas window

Generation Expulsion Migration Accumulation Preservation

Traps
Unconventional Oil/ Gas
Unconventional oil is petroleum produced or
extracted using techniques other than the
conventional (oil well) method.
require greater than industry-standard levels of
technology or investment to exploit
additional technology, energy and capital has
to be applied to extract the gas or oil, replacing
the natural action of the geological processes of
the petroleum system.
Unconventional gas accumulations reflect the
failure or under-performance of the petroleum
system.
Prospect Evaluation
Prospect Evaluation: Risks, Volumes and
Economics. A decision to drill an exploration well
with the objective to find a new oil or gas field
must be based on a sound assessment of
theprospect'srisks and of the volumes: what is
the chance that a well will find hydrocarbons, and
how much could it be?
www.nexttraining.net
Classification Of Risk In
Geox
MARGINAL
RISK
CONDITIONAL
HYDROCARBON RISK
SOURCE (1)
TRAP (0.378)
TIMING (1)
POROSITY (1)
MIGRATION (0.6)
HYDROCARBON
RESERVOIR ACCUMULATION
FACIES (0.9) (0.765)
Risk Analysis
Volumetric Analysis
Economic Analysis
 Formation Evaluation
Gas bearing Evaluate

Hydrocarbon
bearing

Oil bearing Evaluate

Reservoir

Water 1. Locate reservoirs

bearing 2. Detect hydrocarbons
Rock 3. Distinguish oil and gas
4. Evaluate: Shc, , h, k

Non-reservoir (cap rock, source rock )

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 Hydrocarbon volume

Sand
HCVOL = A * h * (N/G) * * (1 - Sw)

Reservoir
Oil
rock volume Porosity
Net over Water
Hydrocarbon gross: The fraction of Water
volume reservoar rock of saturation
total rock volume

Reservoir Matrix
A = area
Clay / Shale
h
Sand h * (N/G)

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Types of Logs
Resistivity: hydrocarbon type and saturations
Density, Neutron, Sonic: porosity
Spontaneous potential: permeable zones
Gamma: formation type and Vshale
Calliper: core diameter
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance: porosity
Core Analysis

Porosity
Fluid Saturation
Permeability
Relative permeability
Wettability
Capillary pressure
Pore throat distribution
Grain size distribution
Mineral composition
Electrical properties
Effects of overburden stress
Sensitivity to fluids
Hydrocarbon analysis
What is Geophysical Exploration?

The application of the principles of physics to

the study of the subsurface, in search of
hydrocarbon
Geophysical investigations of the interior of
the earth involves taking measurements at or
near earths surface that are influenced by the
internal distribution of physical properties.
The objective of any exploration venture is to
find new volumes of hydrocarbons at a low
cost and in a short period of time.
Seismic Interpretation
Mud volcanoes in Venezuela
Conclusion
Questions?