Petroleum Systems and Play Analysis Course

Course Level: Skill

This course is designed for geoscientists keen to develop skills in play analysis and basin modelling. It reviews global basin types, looking at both successful and unsuccessful exploration campaigns from around the world, their success ratio and the dominant play types. The course then reviews the workflow to assess a new basin, key input data and techniques used to characterise the petroleum systems and plays, and ultimately develop leads and prospects

It is aimed at honing the analytical skills to evaluate petroleum systems and their hydrocarbon potential, and to learn from examining global analogues. It reviews the important control that basin formation and mechanisms have on the petroleum system, examining subsidence, heat flow, structural style, evolution and sedimentation. Global examples of typical basin types are examined with emphasis on the impact that basin style and sedimentation have on the hydrocarbon habitat and prospectivity. Within each basin, depositional systems are reviewed, and the control on reservoir, source, seal and trap are discussed.

DESIGNED FOR YOU, IF YOU ARE…
• An exploration or new ventures geologist
• A geophysicist early in your career
Basic geological knowledge is assumed. Some introductory experience is required, with knowledge of the basics of petroleum geology, and some seismic and well log interpretation experience.

HOW WE BUILD YOUR CONFIDENCE
• Extensive case studies are discussed from around the globe, highlighting the development of new play types that have opened up basins, in areas such as the North Sea, East Africa, South America and North Africa. How were these plays developed? How can we learn from this? We also look at the errors made in chasing the wrong play because the petroleum system was not fully evaluated.
• The course then builds by developing techniques to evaluate the petroleum systems and develop plays, leads and prospects, including an introduction to seismic facies analysis, correlation techniques and sequence stratigraphy, source rock studies and basin modelling, and evaluating the potential plays by mapping using gross depositional evaluation (GDE) maps and developing common risk segment (CRS) maps.
• Emphasis is placed on practical interpretation of data for play analysis, with coursework designed to reinforce the theory lectures and provide access to a variety of data types. Exercises involve interpretation of seismic and wireline log data, with examples drawn from basins around the globe: North Africa (Libya, Algeria, Egypt, Morocco), Indonesia, Malaysia, North Sea, Australia, Italy, Arabia, South America.
During the course, lectures and practical exercises are used to teach techniques to evaluate the basin type and interpretation of seismic and well log data. These cover the fundamentals of stratigraphy, seismic facies analysis and an introduction to basin modelling.

THE BENEFITS FROM ATTENDING
By the end of the course you will feel confident in your understanding of:

• Focusing on the influence basin formation mechanism has on subsequent petroleum systems, how the mechanism of formation controls the structural style and sedimentary fill
• How to recognise different basin types from typical seismic and well log data
• Key controls including tectonics, climate and eustacy
• Petroleum systems active on a number of global basins
• Case studies of basin plays, how new play types have been developed that have rejuvenated basins, and the flaws of chasing the wrong play, or a step too far
• Key techniques to analyse sedimentary basins including
– Source rock characterisation, organic matter types, global source distribution
– Analysis of different data types to generate key input data for maturity and migration modelling
– Hydrocarbon types and distribution
– Controls on migration
– Becoming familiar with basin models and the input data required
– Calibrating basin models
– Understanding uncertainty and sensitivity of the models
– Introduction to techniques to analyse the petroleum system
– Seals – fault and formation seals
– Reservoirs
– Trapping styles
– How to produce Gross Depositional Element Maps
– Common Risk Segment Mapping

TOPICS
– Plate tectonics and mechanisms of subsidence
– Basin formation and basin classification
– Basin analysis techniques (interpretation of seismic and well data)
– Review of basin by type:
– Extensional / rift basins
– Compressional / foreland basins
– Passive margin basins
– Arc type basins
– Strike slip basins
– For each basin type the following is reviewed:
– Structure / tectonic evolution and controls on depositional style
– Role of tectonics, climate and eustacy
– Typical facies suites and sedimentary environments
– Typical seismic expression
– Analogue petroleum systems and plays
Techniques of Analysis
– Stratigraphy and correlations
– Subsidence history
– Basin modelling
– Building plays and learning from global analogues
– Critical Elements Charts and Chronostratigraphic Charts
– Gross Depositional Element Mapping
– Common Risk Segment Mapping

CUSTOMER FEEDBACK
“The use of examples was excellent, also the trainer had a very visual way of explaining things and putting them into context.” – Junior Geoscientist at OMV Petrom
“Excellent course, excellent presentation, excellent teacher.” – Inspector at NAMR

INSTRUCTOR:-
Jonathan Redfern has over 30 years of experience in the oil industry, as a leading explorer, researcher and academic. He has worked globally and has a wealth of knowledge of different petroleum systems and operating environments, which he brings to the courses. Having led the University of Manchester MSc program for 15 years he is a highly regarded educator able to communicate complex concepts and has highly rated feedback for his teaching.
He obtained a B.Sc. from the University of London (Chelsea College) and a Ph.D. from the University of Bristol.
He is the Professor of Petroleum Geoscience, and head of the Petroleum Geoscience and Engineering Department at the University of Manchester, where he leads the internationally recognised Petroleum Geoscience Masters course. His research interests span basin analysis, clastic and glacial sedimentology and petroleum system analysis and he founded and leads the North Africa Research Group (NARG). This large research group is undertaking regional scale geological studies across North Africa, supported by a group of leading oil companies.
Before returning to academia, he was a petroleum geologist with Fina and Amerada Hess for 12 years, working in the UK, North Africa (Libya) and as a Chief Geologist for Hess in S.E. Asia. He has experience of working on, and managing, both new ventures and operated license projects and undertook active research on a number of regional geology projects in North Africa and S.E. Asia.
As well as teaching and supervising Ph.D. research projects, he undertakes consulting work for leading companies globally, involving basin modelling, regional geological studies / fieldwork and petroleum system analysis.
He has been teaching public and in-house courses for a number of years for HOT Engineering, academia and various select companies. He has published over 45 papers on sedimentology, petroleum systems, basin modelling, and North African regional geology.
He initiated and taught on the course on North Africa Geology for the PESGB, and has presented this course for a number of leading operators in the region.
He is a Fellow of the Geological Society (FGS), a member of the AAPG and also the PESGB, IAS, EAGE. He is on the editorial board of the AAPG Bulletin and the Journal of Petroleum Geology.

Duration: 5 days

Cost: 3,250 EUR + VAT