GE3244 OIL BARREL PROJECT

PUTIN THE PAST

BEHIND
THE SEARCH FOR A PROMISING PETROLEUM
POTENTIAL IN THE NORTH SEA
PROGRAMME FLOW

 Regional Plate Tectonic Framework

 Source rocks and Migration
 Reservoirs
 Traps and Seals
 Production methods and history
 Reserves
North part of North
Sea: deep fjords and
sheer cliffs

South part of North

Sea: sandy beaches
and wide mudflats
 GEOLOGY OF NORTH SEA

Geology of the North Sea from Petroleum Geology

Ziegler, P.A. (1990). Geological Atlas of Western and Central Europe. Shell Internationale Petroleum Maatschappij B.V. ISBN 90-6644-125-9.
 North Sea

Kyari, A., & Elders, C. (2012). Search and Discovery Article #50651 (2012). In 3-D Structural Evolution and Analysis of Complex Mesozoic Grabens in Guinevere Field
UK Southern North.
 SOURCE ROCK POTENTIALS

Kimmeridge clay
 is called “Hot Shales”
 contains rich organic materials
 is estimated to generate over 2000
billion BOE of hydrocarbons
 is estimated to contain up to 25.6
billion barrels undiscovered oil by
US Geological Survey

Figure 1 Distribution of the Kimmeridge Clay On and Offshore Europe (Kimmeridge Energy, 2014)
 AGE OF KIMMERIDGE CLAY

Figure 2a (left) Regional litho-stratigraphy of the northern North Sea (Vollset and Dore, 1984)
Figure 2b (right) Stratigraphic column showing the Kimmeridge Clay Formation (Richards et al., 1993)
 TYPE OF KEROGEN & TOC

Figure 3a (left) Analyses for Kimmeridge Clay Formation samples from wells (Fishman et al., 2012)
Figure 3b (right) Cross-plots of S2 and TOC for samples from the western and eastern flanks of the graben
(Keym et al., 2006)
 THERMAL MATURATION OF KIMMERIDGE CLAY

oil window
gas window

Figure 5 Interpreted regional seismic section depicting the broad stratigraphy and structure through the North
Viking Graben and its flanks (Christiansson et al., 2000)
 WIRELINE-LOG DIAGRAMS

Figure 4 Geochemical observations of various profiles with increasing depth (Keym et al., 2006)
 THERMAL MATURATION OF KIMMERIDGE CLAY

Figure 6a (left) Approximate depth to base of Cretaceous rocks in North Sea (Gautier, 2005)
Figure 6b (right) Present day Kimmeridge Clay Maturity Map (Kimmeridge Energy, 2014)
 MIGRATION

Figure 8a (left) Regional drainage areas and interpreted migration pathways in North Sea (Adda, 2012)
Figure 8b (right) 3D view of Top Brent carrier showing hydrocarbon migration pathways (Adda, 2012)
 POTENTIALS?

Thermal maturation of Kimmeridge clay provides oil cooking

50% of the oil and gas stay within the source rocks

Use fracking approach

CHALK RESERVOIRS

Oil window

Gas window
Sandstones
Majority of Paleogene reservoirs are deep-water sandstones, whose geometry commonly
lends itself to stratigraphic entrapment.
 SANDSTONE RESERVOIRS

Sandstones
Sandbodies have been constantly developed through the
Carboniferous, with facies ranging from deep marine to deltaic.

Distributary channel sands in deltaic regimes predominantly give

greater scope for reservoir potential. The nature of braided river
sands is to overlay one another giving vertically extensive
deposits, combined with the lateral range of such deltaic fans
gives a significant accommodation space for reservoir potential
(Ritchie and Pratsides 1993).

However, some sandstones have been infilled with evaporite

cements, giving an overall reduction in porosity.
 RESERVOIRS
Reservoir quality in the Rotliegend is governed by the lithofacies,
interactions between aeolian, fluvial and sabkha facies. These
combined allow for a high quality reservoir.

Diagenetic factors do not impact the majority of resevoirs in the area

due to the lack of clay minerals. However clay minerals are
present towards the southern end of SPB and cements
formation is common (Ketter 1991, Heinrich 1991).

Zechstein good quality reservoirs are dominated by carbonate facies

and are not under significant exploration currently in SPB (Clark
1986).
 TRAPS

• Structural, Stratigraphic and Combination Traps

Types of traps in the North Sea

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/66188/strat-plays-of-ukcs.pdf (2011)
 TRAPS
• Anticlinal traps
• Fault traps
-Silver Pit Basin, Southern North Sea
Variscan Orogeny event - > anticlines -> influenced by major faulting
-Brent Province (East Shetland Basin), Northern North Sea
Simple and complex tilted horst fault block traps

https://www.academia.edu/1580898/_AN_OVERVIEW_OF_LATE_PALAEOZOIC_PETROLEUM_RESERVES_OF_THE_NORTH_SEA, Bailey et al. (1993)

 TRAPS
• Salt traps
-Norwegian Sector, Central, Southern North Sea
Permian Zechstein salt

http://www.iongeo.com/content/documents/pdfs/rtm_north_sea_case_feb_2008.pdf (2008)

Source: Roles of Structures in Petroleum Exploration, Normal J.Hyne, (1984)

 TRAPS
• Salt traps
- Southern North Sea
Salt seals over Rotliegend sand

http://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/~crb/web/Hydrocarbon%20formation (n.d.)
 TRAPS

• Pinch-out traps
-Central North Sea
Pinchouts at western flank of Jaeren High

Mudstone

Pinchout
trap
Seal

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/66188/strat-plays-of-ukcs.pdf (2011)
 TRAPS

• Pinch-out traps
-Rotliegend Group, Southern North Sea

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/66188/strat-plays-of-ukcs.pdf (2011)
 TRAPS
- Central North Sea:
Potential Triassic and Upper Jurassic sandstone reservoirs lie above salt
diapirs, but below the Triassic mudstone

https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/66188/strat-plays-of-ukcs.pdf (2011)
 TRAPS

• Unconformity traps
-Broad Fourteens Basin, Southern North Sea

Source: Petroleum Geology of the Southern North Sea, Geological Society, Page 135, K.Ziegler (1997)
 TRAPS
-Central North Sea:

Base Cretaceous Unconformity and truncation of tilted Triassic-Jurassic Fault

blocks.

http://www.geoexpro.com/articles/2011/01/central-north-sea-regional-dataset-supports-continued-exploration, M.Jameson et al. (2011)

 SEALS
• Claystones
- Central North Sea:
Jurassic claystones seal Zechstein carbonates and Rotliegend sandstones

• Mudstones
- Northern North Sea:
Cretaceous mudstones unconformably overlie and seal Triassic reservoir
rocks.

: http://www.landforms.eu/shetland/oil%20gas%20north%20sea.htm (n.d.)
 SEALS
• Shale
Shales which are temporally equivalent to Kimmeridge Clay seal many
reservoirs

: http://www.landforms.eu/shetland/oil%20gas%20north%20sea.htm (n.d.)
 SEALS
• Shale
Norwegian sector of North Sea

http://www.searchanddiscovery.com/documents/2009/40389hardage/images/fig02.htm (2014)
 SEALS

• Salt
Permian Zechstein evaporites

http://www.cgg.com/default.aspx?cid=4136 (2014) https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/66188/strat-plays-of-ukcs.pdf (2011)

 SEALS

• Fine-grained Chalk
- Across the north central and northern North Sea, the
Chalk Group is a seal unit

- Cemented chalk

- Chalk with poor permeability

 HISTORY
1851: James Young found oil shale mined in the Midland Valley of
Scotland.
1859: Oil was found in the Wietze field near Hanover, Germany, and
lead to 70 more fields discovered.
1910: Gas was found by chance in a water well near Hamburg. More
sites discovered in Germany.
1939: BP discovered oil in Carboniferous rocks at Eakring in
Nottinghamshire.
1953-1961: More oil fields were discovered, including Gainsborough
field.
1938: Netherlands’ drilling demonstration at World Petroleum
Congress.
1943: Discovery of Exploratie Nederland.
1963: Groningen gas field.
1964: UK Continental Shelf Act came into force.
 HISTORY
1965: West Sole Field and Viking Gas Field discovered.
1970: Discovery of the giant Forties Oil Field by BP.
1971: Shell Expro discovered the giant Brent oilfield in the northern
North Sea east of Shetland, Scotland.
1973&1979: Oil Crisis, prices increased tremendously. Also discovered
more oil fields including Snorre, Oseberg and Troll Gas
Field.
1984-1985: Draugen Oil Field, Smorbukk Field, Heidrun.
2001: Buzzard; largest field in the last 25 years, located off Scotland.
2010: Johan Sverdrup oil field, Norwegian Continental Shelf.
 PRODUCTION PROCESSES
Four Major Processes:
1. Exploration,
2. Well development,
3. Production, and
4. Site abandonment.
 DRILLING METHODS
Advanced Drilling Technologies:
• Traditionally oil and gas wells are vertically drilled.
• Technological advancements have allowed operators
to save time, reduce operational costs, and lessen
their environmental impact. (Getches-Wilkinson
Center for Natural Resources, Energy, and the
Environment).
 DRILLING METHODS
• Horizontal Drilling
• Multilateral Drilling
• Extended Reach Drilling
• Complex Drilling
Benefits:
 They can be used in situations where conventional drilling is
impossible or cost effective
 reduce surface disturbance by requiring less wells to reach
the reservoir
 can produce as much as 15 to 20 times as much oil and gas
compared to a vertical well.
 DRILLING METHODS

Horizontal Drilling Multilateral Drilling

DRILLING METHODS

Complex Drilling
 PRODUCTION METHODS
• Once the well pressure gets too low for primary recovery to be
viable, the below methods are currently used in the North Sea.
• Gas injection: Gas such as nitrogen or carbon dioxide, is
introduced into the reservoir, it expands. This expansion forces oil
through the formation and into the well. (Looper, n.d.)
 PRODUCTION METHODS

• Water injection: Seawater is injected into the

reservoir, increasing the pressure, similar to
gas injection.
 MORE PRODUCTION TECHNOLOGIES
• Low-salinity water injection: Reducing the salt levels in
sea water that is already injected into reservoirs.
(Heriot-Watt, 2014)
• Detergents (chemical flooding): Reduce surface
tension and ease the passage of oil through the rock
and polymers to improve the efficiency of water
injection. (Peckham, Klitz, 1978)
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1106382/Europe-plunged-energy-crisis-Russia-cuts-gas-supply-Ukraine.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/10/01/ukraine-crisis-gas-idUSL6N0RV1BY20141001
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/11122585/Vladimir-Putin-is-using-winter-as-a-weapon-says-Ukraine-prime-minister.html
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/28/western-sanctions-russia-european-us-putin
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/energy/oilandgas/11122585/Vladimir-Putin-is-using-winter-as-a-weapon-says-Ukraine-prime-minister.html
 NORTH SEA RESERVES
Of the approximate 1,400 exploration wells, 490 have been oil and gas discoveries
representing a 1:3.5 success rate.

Top 3 largest production oil fields in UK (2013):

1. 2007 Buzzard (176,000 bbl per day)
2. 1975 Forties (42,000 bbl per day)
3. 1997 Captain (29,000 bbl per day)

Production of oil and shale can be begin within a few years

Reduced dependence on Russia

Independence of Scotland = increase interest in the North sea oil field

New oil extraction technology (EOR) can increase the life of the wells = 75% increase in
production