Vaca Muerta: from Source to Reservoir
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VOL. 16, NO. 4 – 2019 GEOSCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EXPLAINED geoexpro.com GEOEDUCATION From Outcrop to Seismic HISTORY OF OIL – and Back Vaca Muerta: From Source to Reservoir TECHNOLOGY EXPLAINED Virtual Drilling EXPLORATION South Atlantic: The Bigger Picture INDUSTRY ISSUES Digital Solutions Across the Energy Value Chain Revealing Subsurface Potential with PGS FWI 3.5km PGS Full Waveform Inversion uses back scattered seismic energy, to build high-resolution velocity models at greater depths. This enables better inversions for robust ranking 4.0km and more reliable derisking of prospects. 4.5km Read more: www.pgs.com/FWI Previous issues: www.geoexpro.com Contents Vol. 16 No. 4 This edition of GEO ExPro focuses on South America and Deepwater GEOSCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EXPLAINED Exploration; Interpretation Software; the Energy Transition. k 5 Editorial The enigmatic Cretaceous 6 Regional Update lacustrine carbonate reservoirs of offshore Brazil. 8 Licensing Update 10 A Minute to Read 14 Cover Story: History of Oil: Vaca Muerta – How a Source x Became a Reservoir What role should the oil 18 Hot Spot: Latin America: industry take in the transition to From Shallow Shelf to Deepwater a zero-carbon energy system? 20 Seismic Foldout: Deepwater Santos Basin 26 Technology Explained: v The Future of Exploration EVOLVE: developing 28 Exploration: The Pre-Salt Reservoirs the fearless explorers of the South Atlantic of the future. 32 Industry Issues: The Oil Industry and Public Perception SEG 34 GEO Education: Evolving the Future Workforce P Trinidad’s La Brea 38 Industry Issues: Digital Solutions tar pit, the largest Across the Energy Value Chain tar pit in the world. 42 Seismic Foldout: Bid Round Treasures Exposed by Ocean Currents 48 Recent Advances in Technology: Tim Daley From Arrhenius to CO2 Storage – Part III < Rex Virtual Drilling 52 Technology Explained: Anomalies A novel seismic DHI technology uses resonance Indicate Potential and dispersion to indicate 56 Exploration: South Atlantic for liquid hydrocarbons. – The Bigger Picture 60 GEO Tourism: Oil Paves the Way in Trinidad W 64 Seismic Foldout: The Zambezi 0 Delta Basin – A Complex Puzzle 0 70 Industry Issues: Challenges and Opportunities in Africa 8 72 GEO Education: From Outcrop w : P Geology to Seismic… and Back! 6 @ 78 Technology Explained: Virtual Drilling i Y @ k F 82 Q&A: Transformative Technologies pY w r @ 84 FlowBack: The Value of Satellite Data Y GEOExPro September 2019 3 We’re back! A new era for Brazil muti-client surveys Over the last year, TGS has significantly added to their multi-client portfolio in Brazil and started new interdisciplinary projects in key areas to support the upcoming exploration and pre-salt bid rounds in the Brazil Southern Basins. Three new projects are underway in the Santos and Campos basins. • Campos 3D – 15,000 km² of Long Offset 3D seismic data covering Round 16 blocks in Campos basin. Complements the existing TGS Olho de Boi 3D survey that covers prospective acreage captured in Round 14. • Santos 3D – 23,067 km² of Long Offest 3D seismic data covering Round 16 blocks in Santos basin and also covering the outboard extent of Santos basin where future bid rounds are expected. • Seep Program – 213,627 km² of high resolution multibeam and backscatter data, acquisition of surface geochemical cores (SGE), Jumbo Piston cores (JPC), and subsequent geochemical, sedimentation rate, and biostratigraphy analyses. Subsurface intelligence you can trust. 2D PSDM/TTI Kirchhoff Seismic 3D Seismic Seep Program Phase 1 Pre-Salt Polygon Pre-Salt Rounds 6-8 Round 16 Blocks Held Blocks (Petroview) Santos 3D in cooperation with Spectrum Geo Olho de Boi 3D in cooperation with Dolphin Geophysical 2D data in cooperation with WesternGeco © 2019 TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA. All rights reserved. Editorial We’re back! Making the Impossible Possible GEOSCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EXPLAINED The technological advancements www.geoexpro.com A new era for Brazil muti-client surveys continually being made throughout the E&P industry are amazing. GeoPublishing Ltd Take deepwater drilling as an 15 Palace Place Mansion Over the last year, TGS has significantly added to their multi-client portfolio in Brazil example. We first tried drilling away Kensington Court London W8 5BB, UK and started new interdisciplinary projects in key areas to support the upcoming from dry land in 1896, using wooden +44 20 7937 2224 exploration and pre-salt bid rounds in the Brazil Southern Basins. Three new projects piers extending hundreds of meters into the Californian Pacific and pile Managing Director are underway in the Santos and Campos basins. drivers to drill into the seabed. For Tore Karlsson a very young industry, this was an Editor in Chief • Campos 3D – 15,000 km² of Long Offset 3D seismic data covering Round 16 adventurous move. By 1947, drilling Jane Whaley blocks in Campos basin. Complements the existing TGS Olho de Boi 3D survey had moved to specially built fixed [email protected] platforms or towed barges, using In 2,450m of water, Shell’s Perdido is the world’s deepest spar, that covers prospective acreage captured in Round 14. and the second-deepest oil and gas production hub. Editorial enquiries sophisticated rotary rigs, well out of GeoPublishing sight of land. In 1954 the first jack-up rig arrived in the Gulf of Mexico: a novel design which Jane Whaley • Santos 3D – 23,067 km² of Long Offest 3D seismic data covering Round 16 blocks would eventually be able to drill in water 90m deep. +44 7812 137161 [email protected] in Santos basin and also covering the outboard extent of Santos basin where The next major innovation was the semi-submersible, in which the floating rig relies on anchors to keep it steady in the water. These are very stable in rough conditions – just www.geoexpro.com future bid rounds are expected. what was needed as the industry moved into the unpredictable waters of the North Sea Sales and Marketing Director and deeper Gulf of Mexico in the second half of the 20th century. As drilling progressed Kirsti Karlsson • Seep Program – 213,627 km² of high resolution multibeam and backscatter into even greater depths like, for example, the South Atlantic off Brazil and West Africa, +44 79 0991 5513 [email protected] data, acquisition of surface geochemical cores (SGE), Jumbo Piston cores (JPC), dynamic positioning ensured the rig remained stationary enough for the drilling riser pipe to pass through many meters of water and not be in danger of breaking. and subsequent geochemical, sedimentation rate, and biostratigraphy analyses. Developments in seismic technology kept pace with the move into deepwater, with broadband and variable azimuth acquisition methods playing a significant role. Marine 3D seismic became routinely available in the mid ’90s, illuminating the geology of previously Subsurface intelligence you can trust. Subscription inaccessible regions. GeoPublishing Ltd The Stones field, operated by Shell in around 2,900m of water, is the world’s deepest oil +44 20 7937 2224 2D PSDM/TTI Kirchhoff Seismic and gas project, while at 3,400m, Uruguay’s Raya-1 well holds the record for the deepest water 15 Palace Place Mansion 3D Seismic Kensington Court Seep Program Phase 1 depth ever drilled for oil and gas. It is a record I confidently expect to be London W8 5BB, UK Pre-Salt Polygon exceeded before long. [email protected] Pre-Salt Rounds 6-8 Round 16 Blocks Wherever the industry finds a challenge, great technological minds Held Blocks (Petroview) come up with a solution. GEO EXPro is pub lished bimonthly The most pressing challenge facing us now is the energy transition. I, for a base subscrip tion rate of GBP 60 a year (6 issues). for one, have every faith that this vibrant, innovative industry will be at Santos 3D in cooperation with Spectrum Geo We encourage readers to alert us Olho de Boi 3D in cooperation with Dolphin Geophysical the forefront of resolving it. to news for possible publication 2D data in cooperation with WesternGeco and to submit articles for publication. Jane Whaley VOL. 16, NO Cover Photograph: Editor in Chief . 4 – 2019 GEOSCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY EXPLAINED Main Image: Olivier Galland geoexpro.com Inset: Isabelle Lecomte HISTORY OF OIL GEOEDUCATION From Outcrop to Seismic Vaca Muerta: – and Back Layout: Winslade Graphics From Source Print: Stephens & George, UK to Reservoir issn 1744-8743 TECHNOLOGY EXPLAINED VACA MUERTA: FROM SOURCE TO RESERVOIR Virtual Drilling The extensive Vaca Muerta shale formation has long been known EXPLORATION as a prolific source for many fields in the vast Neuquén Basin, South Atlantic: The Bigger Picture INDUSTRY ISSUES but now has a new role as reservoir, making Argentina the only Digital Solutions Across the Energy Value Chain country outside North America to have full-scale shale production. Inset: How to develop an awareness of some seismic interpretation pitfalls through proper modeling of seismic images. © 2019 GeoPublishing Limited. Copyright or similar rights in all material in this publication, including graphics and other media, is owned by GeoPublishing Limited, unless otherwise stated. You are allowed to print extracts for your personal use only. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photographic, recorded or otherwise without the prior written permission of GeoPublishing Limited. Requests to republish material from this publication for distribution should be sent to the Editor in Chief. GeoPublishing Limited does not guarantee the accuracy of the information contained in this publication nor does it accept responsibility for errors or omissions or their consequences. Opinions expressed by contributors to this publication are not necessarily those of GeoPublishing Limited. © 2019 TGS-NOPEC Geophysical Company ASA. All rights reserved. GEOExPro September 2019 5 Regional Update Brazil: ABBREVIATIONS Numbers Majors Chase Pre-Salt Riches (US and scientific community) M: thousand = 1 x 103 Brazil is on the verge of a revival in exploration activity in deep waters, driven MM: million = 1 x 106 primarily by oil and gas majors in the pre-salt of the Santos and Campos Basins.