July 2004, AAPG Explorer (see www.aapg.org): Annual Survey –Environment Dominates Geo-Schools:

A strong emphasis in environmental geology and a “significant increase” in the number of international graduate geoscience students at North American institutions are revealed in the latest AAPG Status of Academic Geoscience Departments report. The survey was limited to departments in the United States and Canada, and included departments without graduate programs.

An emphasis on environmental geology at the university level is evident in two key areas, according to respondents:

– It was number one in the “department’s academic strength” category, replacing last year’s winner, stratigraphy.

– More students—by far—are finding jobs in environmental geology than in any other sector. Environmental jobs accounted for more than 55 percent of those responding.

Conversely, the petroleum sector job market showed a “significant decrease,” coming in at about 13 percent. See http://www.aapg.org/explorer/2004/07jul/edugeoscistatus.pdf

These data continue to reveal changes in primary academic strengths. The three most often reported department strengths are environmental geology, stratigraphy, and hydrology. This represents a minor reshuffling of the three top strengths. Minor reshuffling occurred throughout the listing. The most significant change was the decrease in the number of departments reporting marine geology as a core strength. Within the current survey only six departments reported petroleum geology as a departmental strength.

July 2004, JCPT, Journal of Canadian Petroleum Technology by the Petroleum Society of CIM (see www.petsoc.ca) : “National Instrument 51-101 (NI 51-101) Standards of Disclosure for Oil and Gas Activities by J.G. Robinson (P.Eng.), D. Elliott (P. Geol.). This article reviews NI-51-101 developed by the Alberta Securities Commission which replaces National Policy 2-B. The Instrument and the article reference the COGEH vol. 1 & 2 (see below), which outlines specific reserves definitions and guidelines for reports on reserves. These reports are pre p a red by Independent Qualified Reserves Evaluators or Auditors, who have sufficient practical experience and are members of a professional association. Two senior officers and two directors of the reporting issuer confirm the responsibility of management and the board of directors for content and filing of the statement of reserves data and filing of the report of the QRE/A.

April 2004, SPEE (Calgary): COGEH Volume 2 (Draft) “Detailed Guidelines for Estimation and Classification of Oil and Gas Resources and Reserves” (see www.petsoc.org): The deadline for public comment was extended to June 28, 2004 by The Society of Petroleum Evaluation Engineers Calgary Chapter on the copyrighted Canadian Oil and Gas Evaluators Handbook (COGEH) Volume 2 (“Draft”).

See the Alberta Securities Commission website www.albertasecurities.com and search on “51-101” for documents related to National Instrument 51-101. The COGEH volumes are available from The Petroleum Society.

Note from the RECORDER, GEO-MONITOR: The following is a quick summary - for CSEG readers, of significant references to seismic or geophysical data within COGEH Volume 2, Section. 6-3, Volumetric Methods: Draft copies may still be available on-line at Alberta Securities Commission, or through The Petroleum Society.

Volumetric Methods are used to estimate: (see page 6-12) – The quantity of original oil and gas in place, using reservoir parameters determined from analysis of geophysical, geological, petrophysical, and reservoir engineering data. – The economically recoverable quantities of oil, gas, and by-products.

Data used for Volumetric Methods:
– Three types of data: geophysical, geological, and reservoir engineering data.

Geophysical Data, page 6-12:

  • Geophysical data are used to define the shape and size of the oil and gas bearing reservoir.
  • the quality of geophysical interpretation depends on:
    – quality and quantity of seismic data,
    – quality and quantity of supporting geological data,
    – interpretation method
    – the experience of the geophysicist
  • Typically the end result of geophysical mapping is a structure map of the top of the reservoir…
  • Where sufficient reservoir data are available for calibration, reservoir quality may also be inferred from seismic attribute analysis.
  • In some cases direct oil and gas indicators are also interpreted and incorporated into the geophysical mapping.
  • Seismic interpretation has numerous pitfalls. … even in 3-D seismic …
  • time-to-depth conversion can result in significant uncertainty …

Geophysical Data, continued, page 6-13:

  • “It is imperative that a professional geophysicist with relevant experience interprets any geophysical data, or audits the interpretation of such data, used to support volumetric reserves estimates”.
  • “In addition to its use in estimating in-place volumes of oil or gas, geophysical interpretation also provides critical information relating to estimation of recovery factors”.

Geological Data – definition, page 6-13:

  • data includes well logs, drill cuttings, mud gas logs, … core analysis, well test or completion results
  • it is crucial that geological data be evaluated by an experienced geologist

COGEH v2: Other references to seismic or geophysical data:

Pool Area/Drainage Area/Well Spacing Unit

  • Seismically defined Pools, page 6-19, 6-92
  • Seismically defined closure, page 6-12:
  • Delineation of Step-Out Wells page 6-84: “an exception is where new seismic data or reprocessing has redefined pool edges after implementation of and EOR scheme”

Qualifiers to Classification

  • page 6-85: Locations beyond one spacing unit step-out are usually not classified as proved, unless compelling evidence of reservoir continuity, such as seismic data, pressure data, well control are available
  • page 6-96: Feasibility study … detailed geological definition required... with sufficient well control and or seismic control

Sept 23 – Nov4, 2004 GPDC Course: Evaluation of Oil & Gas Properties for Geoscientists, will be held at the Geoscience Professional Development Centre, in the Earth Science Building at the University of Calgary, from 5-7 pm on Thursdays, September 23 to November 4. Deadline for registration is Sept 8. See http://www.gpdc.ca/.

End

References

Share This Column